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erin_oriordan_is_reading_again's review
5.0
I liked the writing throughout this book. I really like the characters Kit Marlowe and Billie Shakespeare. I didn't love the ending, but I'm not going to take away a star just because of my own personal preferences. The writing quality is high and I still want to recommend it to other readers.
mklinkenborg's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved this modern retelling of the Shakespeare/Marlowe relationship. Two bisexual women as the lead characters, and lots of other queer representation throughout.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcohol, Deadnaming, Vomit, Biphobia, Pregnancy, and Transphobia
elementarymydear's review
dark
fast-paced
2.0
I was so excited to read this book. The reimagining of Shakespeare, Marlowe, and their peers into modern-day LA is genius, and a sapphic romance between screenwriters was right up my alley. Beyond the premise, however, I really struggled with this book.
Find this and other reviews on my blog!
For a romance such as this one, especially where the strength of the relationship is the driving force behind many of the characters’ (often dark and difficult) actions, you have to root for and believe in the romance, and I just couldn’t do it. From very early on the romance made me feel very uncomfortable. I found Kit to be quite predatory; it was very difficult to think of this as a healthy relationship. For example, during an intimate scene where Billie expresses reservations about what Kit would like to do, we get the line “Her lips crashed back into mine before I could question further.” I try to keep my reviews SFW so I’m not going to go into detail for some other plot points that happened that SAME DAY, but needless to say I was VERY shocked that Billie bought a ring the next day. Where is the consent? Where is the healthy communication? If you want me to root for a romance, I need to believe they’re actually good for each other.
The reimagining of Robert Greene as a Harvey Weinstein-like figure was really interesting (and enough time has passed since the real Robert Greene lived that it doesn’t feel unsettling). His looming threat was what keeps the book moving and unexpected, with twist after twist that you don’t see coming.
As the story progresses, and both Billie and Kit are on their own paths, I really liked the characters brought in for Kit’s storyline. I found Kit’s relationship with Gabe to be much more believable and poignant than her relationship with Billie, and the wider relationship with Gabe’s family was very moving. However, just as we have a properly developed relationship with one of our characters, suddenly Billie is in a poly relationship with her ex-fiancé and a woman who we NEVER MEET, it’s mentioned so briefly at first that you spend several chapters thinking “who the heck is Al?” only for it to be clarified at the end that their third partner had since left and now the two of them were back together and expecting a baby. Given that we followed Billie’s perspective for over two thirds of the book, to have so much character development happen off-screen is jarring and while I’m glad she got back together with Andy (who is clearly a much better match for her) it did come out of nowhere.
All in all, while the premise and the plot had so much potential, there was just too much in the way of me enjoying this book.
Thank you to the authors for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Find this and other reviews on my blog!
For a romance such as this one, especially where the strength of the relationship is the driving force behind many of the characters’ (often dark and difficult) actions, you have to root for and believe in the romance, and I just couldn’t do it. From very early on the romance made me feel very uncomfortable. I found Kit to be quite predatory; it was very difficult to think of this as a healthy relationship. For example, during an intimate scene where Billie expresses reservations about what Kit would like to do, we get the line “Her lips crashed back into mine before I could question further.” I try to keep my reviews SFW so I’m not going to go into detail for some other plot points that happened that SAME DAY, but needless to say I was VERY shocked that Billie bought a ring the next day. Where is the consent? Where is the healthy communication? If you want me to root for a romance, I need to believe they’re actually good for each other.
The reimagining of Robert Greene as a Harvey Weinstein-like figure was really interesting (and enough time has passed since the real Robert Greene lived that it doesn’t feel unsettling). His looming threat was what keeps the book moving and unexpected, with twist after twist that you don’t see coming.
All in all, while the premise and the plot had so much potential, there was just too much in the way of me enjoying this book.
Thank you to the authors for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Transphobia
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