Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - Business or Pleasure

This was a fun, cute read. I loved Finn so much! Seriously, he's an actor famous for being on a paranormal teen drama TV show, speaks Elvish, is a total sweetheart, and is great at communicating and learning how to be better. I'm not sure if there has ever been an MMC more tailor made for me.

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manocornuta666's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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brookeac's review against another edition

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I really wanted to give this book a fighting chance before DNFing. I listened to 41 out of the 51 audiobook tracks

The concept sounded interesting to me. But ultimately it seemed like the conundrum of the main characters’ business relationship led to little conflict between them, or anyone else. At least as far as I got to. Other than a few slightly tense will-they-won’t-they moments, their romance seemed very smooth sailing. There was mentions of the characters having experiences with antisemitism in the past. But other than that, they face little adversity during the events of the book. Maybe I would’ve liked it better if the characters weren’t on the same page the entire book. Like maybe a couple chapters of conflict where one character hesitates for more than two seconds would’ve been more interesting. Or if one of their jobs was somehow threatened by other people finding out about the relationship. The thing about

Chandler’s abortion seemed so random to me. It was like ‘Hey I have this big secret that I feel like I have to tell you because it’s integral to who I am. The secret is I had an abortion years ago.’ But I felt like the author never fully fleshed out WHY that was so integral to Chandler’s character. Why was that portrayed as a defining characteristic of her and then seemingly dropped with little elaboration. How did it impact her physically, mentally and emotionally? Why did Finn need to know? It just seemed out of left field to me. The inclusion of that detail didn’t make me feel like I understood the character any more than I would’ve if it was never mentioned.

I also found myself skipping around a lot. There was just a lot of unnecessary exposition in my opinion. I didn’t care about the flashbacks to the TV episodes. The scene setting was dull. I didn’t feel that anything besides the characters’ dialogue did much to progress the story.

(This probably won’t bother the vast majority of readers but it earned multiple eye rolls from me.) I work in one of the largest media markets in the U.S. as a crime reporter. Hearing the author muse about how people don’t respect aspiring authors but have more respect for journalists or consider that a more valid, lucrative writing career made me laugh. That is not my experience or the experience of most other reporters I know. I won’t go into it further because I don’t want to be all woe-is-me. The point is that if it came up once or twice, I could look past it. But it came up like every other chapter

Lastly, what made me finally decide to DNF: I just didn’t like the dirty talk. It’s probably a matter of personal preference. At first it wasn’t so bad. But it seemed like as the book went on, the dirty talk got worse. And for a book about one of the characters teaching the other how to have sex, I wasn’t expecting to find the sex scenes kind of cringey. They just seemed to lay it on real thick and I guess I’d prefer less dialogue in my sex scenes

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tiffanyjeannine's review against another edition

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3.0

I feel like I need to update my review. I have since bought this audiobook and it has become one of my comfort reads that I listen to before bed. This is still a cheesy horny romp, but Finn and Chandler have such a great relationship. Whenever he calls her sweetheart…ugh. Stahp. My heart just melts. 😩❤️

OG review: A cheesy horny romp with some self discovery mixed in.

Some of the story beats seemed a bit all over the place. Still a fun time to be had. Pleased to see a pro abortion stance though I don’t know that it was really needed to move the story along, but regardless, love to see it. Wish more media would include instead of shy away from it.

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readwithde's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Just one more reason why Rachel Lynn Solomon is an auto-buy author for me!

I loved the chemistry between the MCs, and the fact that it didn't automatically translate to the bedroom. The focus on communication in relationships was so great and realistic.

As a geek-girl, I loved the portrayal of Cons and fandoms; there was a nice peek into Hollywood and stardom without losing the primary storyline. Also, any book with mental health representation is a win for me.

All in all, it's exactly what you expect from a contemporary rom-com PLUS real talk about jobs and careers and sex and relationships and mental health and millennial melancholy.

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stephlo's review against another edition

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hopeful relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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boba_n_books's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Spice rating: 🌶🌶️🌶️

Business or Pleasure was such a fun romcom. Chandler is a ghost writer and gets an offer to write a C-list actor’s memoir. But, the actor of a well-known werewolf show (basically Teen Wolf or The Vampire Diaries), Finn, just happens to be the guy she had a one-night stand with… and the worst sex of her life. Chandler puts that aside and decides to work with Finn and be professional until Finn asks how their one-night stand was, forcing Chandler to be honest about how awful it was. That is when Finn strikes a deal with Chandler: as they tour fan conventions for Finn’s fans and write his memoir, Chandler will teach him how to satisfy a woman. This leads to Chandler and Finn growing closer both in and out of the bedroom, blurring the line between business and pleasure.

Chandler and Finn have to be one of my favorite romcom couples. Their relationship is so healthy: full of communication, validation, acceptance, openness, and vulnerability. But, more than that, they grew as people together. Chandler learns that she should have the courage to go after what she wants, and Finn learns his self-worth isn’t tied to what he does.

I had so much fun with this book, and I highly recommend it to fans of romcoms with a good amount of well-written spice.

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