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bandherbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Content warning for discussion of fat-shaming.
A grumpy, bearded sculptor meets his match when his meddling grandmother hires a professional organizer to help sort out his studio.
I loved the way Max helped how Lettie how attractive he found her, and I totally bought their sexual chemistry. I also adored the secondary characters but felt Max and Lettie didn't have enough time together on page to make me believe they were truly in love, not just wanting to bang all the time.
Lettie is described as "plus-size" and has developed huge issues regarding her weight and how she looks because her mother was terrible and her previous sex partner and boss often told her how fat she was. She also has a sister who is much thinner and is a model. I was glad her sister was not a caricature "model-type" villain but instead also helped Lettie to embrace her body and her self. I always love seeing a "plus-size" heroine especially when losing weight is not the solution to her "problems." That said, readers, including myself, may become a bit tired of the continuous reminder that Lettie is insecure about her weight.
That said, this was fun and I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
A grumpy, bearded sculptor meets his match when his meddling grandmother hires a professional organizer to help sort out his studio.
I loved the way Max helped how Lettie how attractive he found her, and I totally bought their sexual chemistry. I also adored the secondary characters but felt Max and Lettie didn't have enough time together on page to make me believe they were truly in love, not just wanting to bang all the time.
Lettie is described as "plus-size" and has developed huge issues regarding her weight and how she looks because her mother was terrible and her previous sex partner and boss often told her how fat she was. She also has a sister who is much thinner and is a model. I was glad her sister was not a caricature "model-type" villain but instead also helped Lettie to embrace her body and her self. I always love seeing a "plus-size" heroine especially when losing weight is not the solution to her "problems." That said, readers, including myself, may become a bit tired of the continuous reminder that Lettie is insecure about her weight.
That said, this was fun and I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
breadedbookpages's review
4.0
i kind of wish this focused more on the heroine not feeling bad about her body but i was hit with a lot of fatphobic comments from her point of view that were directed to her and i just felt so :(
cowmingo's review
3.0
Content warning: fat shaming.
I enjoyed this quick story about Letty and Max. Sweet but spicy. I loved watching Letty fall in love with herself and really enjoyed Max being so protective of her. I think the book was the perfect length at 168 pages and it was a fun read for a Sunday afternoon.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy!
I enjoyed this quick story about Letty and Max. Sweet but spicy. I loved watching Letty fall in love with herself and really enjoyed Max being so protective of her. I think the book was the perfect length at 168 pages and it was a fun read for a Sunday afternoon.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy!
amandamarieger's review
4.0
This was another really good installment in the series! There was a lot of depth to it, but sometimes the choices the characters made jumped steps in what would seem to be a logical decision-making process. But the writing was great, the characters were great, the tortured Delgados are fantastic. Everything about this was enjoyable to read!
kindlelovingmom's review
4.0
This is the 5th book in this series, and each one has been enjoyable in it's own way. Here we have a broody artist hero, and a smart, bubbly, curvy heroine. I enjoyed it, and I wanted to love it, but something just didn't quite click for me. 3.5 Stars.
Letty Gonzalez is a romantic, but she grew up as the "fat sister" in her family, so she never really held out much hope of a great romance happening to her. But, I have to assume everyone would feel like the fat sister if their only sister turned out to be a well-known swimsuit model. Her mother was constantly harping on her weight from the time she was a kid, and her father was so consumed with his business and making money that he never paid much attention either way. So, she's always carried around some damage, and insecurities. Probably more than most. But, that was made worse when she found out her last boyfriend, also her ex-boss, was only with her for her parents' money and connections, and wasn't really attracted to her. She not only lost the relationship she thought she had, she lost her job too. So, she's hustling to start her own personal assistant business from scratch, in the hopes of not having to go to her parents for money. Or anything else.
Max Delgado is a sculptor, and a great one. He's more well known in NYC, but he's just starting to make his mark in Miami. He's a brooding, angry mess, and has been most of his life. His family life was a disaster, with his angry, abusive dad, and downtrodden, pill-head mother. He loves his brother and sister dearly, but he's pretty much over everyone else. When his grandmother, Lola, hires Letty to get his studio organized, and make a website for him, he hates the idea. But, he loves looking at Letty, so he figures out a way to deal with it. He knows he'll never be good for any woman, but especially not for Letty. He's too much like his father, with the same temper, and he refuses to inflict that on a wife and family the way his father did. But, there's something about Letty he just can't ignore.
I really liked both Max, and Letty, but they both had some seriously real and damaging issues to overcome before they had any hope of a successful relationship. They had both been so beaten down in their lives by their messed up parents, and they had no realistic self-image. Each of them had a totally distorted picture of themselves, and didn't even realize it. They really helped each other think differently about their own histories, and their inner and outer selves. I really enjoyed watching them help each other, while figuring out their own issues.
I enjoyed seeing all of Max's extended family from the prior books, especially when all the ladies got together! Lola is an absolute riot, and I loved her and all her wily, matchmaking antics. Letty's sister was also great, and I wouldn't mind knowing more about her as well. Each of the characters helped out Max, or Letty in some way, and I loved how they stuck together.
My only real issues here were with Max and Letty's extensive internal monologues, and just how down they were on themselves, meanwhile thinking the other person was perfect in every way, and too good for them. They allowed their distorted self-images to keep them from everything they wanted, and allowed it to dictate their reactions to situations, and how much it affected their lives. Pretty much until it was too late to fix it. I get that this is a very realistic scenario for some people, as sad as that is. I also get that emotional injuries, especially those delivered in childhood, are the hardest to overcome. But I just felt like it dragged on a little long, and I felt if either of them truly opened up, with real honesty to the other person, things could have been solved much more satisfyingly, for me. Even when they finally figured their stuff out, I really wanted more in the realm of groveling, to be honest, from both of them. Problems stemming almost solely from lack of communication just frustrate me, and that's my own issue.
I really enjoy this author's writing style, and her voice, and the way she evokes images with her words. I also love that her characters are diverse, and that there's someone for everyone to identify with in some way. But, sometimes the characters themselves just don't quite do it for me, and I'm not really sure what it is. Again, I think it's just my issue. I have really enjoyed this series as a whole (Book 3 was by far my favorite), and I'm hoping there will be more books yet in the series.
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club
Letty Gonzalez is a romantic, but she grew up as the "fat sister" in her family, so she never really held out much hope of a great romance happening to her. But, I have to assume everyone would feel like the fat sister if their only sister turned out to be a well-known swimsuit model. Her mother was constantly harping on her weight from the time she was a kid, and her father was so consumed with his business and making money that he never paid much attention either way. So, she's always carried around some damage, and insecurities. Probably more than most. But, that was made worse when she found out her last boyfriend, also her ex-boss, was only with her for her parents' money and connections, and wasn't really attracted to her. She not only lost the relationship she thought she had, she lost her job too. So, she's hustling to start her own personal assistant business from scratch, in the hopes of not having to go to her parents for money. Or anything else.
Max Delgado is a sculptor, and a great one. He's more well known in NYC, but he's just starting to make his mark in Miami. He's a brooding, angry mess, and has been most of his life. His family life was a disaster, with his angry, abusive dad, and downtrodden, pill-head mother. He loves his brother and sister dearly, but he's pretty much over everyone else. When his grandmother, Lola, hires Letty to get his studio organized, and make a website for him, he hates the idea. But, he loves looking at Letty, so he figures out a way to deal with it. He knows he'll never be good for any woman, but especially not for Letty. He's too much like his father, with the same temper, and he refuses to inflict that on a wife and family the way his father did. But, there's something about Letty he just can't ignore.
I really liked both Max, and Letty, but they both had some seriously real and damaging issues to overcome before they had any hope of a successful relationship. They had both been so beaten down in their lives by their messed up parents, and they had no realistic self-image. Each of them had a totally distorted picture of themselves, and didn't even realize it. They really helped each other think differently about their own histories, and their inner and outer selves. I really enjoyed watching them help each other, while figuring out their own issues.
I enjoyed seeing all of Max's extended family from the prior books, especially when all the ladies got together! Lola is an absolute riot, and I loved her and all her wily, matchmaking antics. Letty's sister was also great, and I wouldn't mind knowing more about her as well. Each of the characters helped out Max, or Letty in some way, and I loved how they stuck together.
My only real issues here were with Max and Letty's extensive internal monologues, and just how down they were on themselves, meanwhile thinking the other person was perfect in every way, and too good for them. They allowed their distorted self-images to keep them from everything they wanted, and allowed it to dictate their reactions to situations, and how much it affected their lives. Pretty much until it was too late to fix it. I get that this is a very realistic scenario for some people, as sad as that is. I also get that emotional injuries, especially those delivered in childhood, are the hardest to overcome. But I just felt like it dragged on a little long, and I felt if either of them truly opened up, with real honesty to the other person, things could have been solved much more satisfyingly, for me. Even when they finally figured their stuff out, I really wanted more in the realm of groveling, to be honest, from both of them. Problems stemming almost solely from lack of communication just frustrate me, and that's my own issue.
I really enjoy this author's writing style, and her voice, and the way she evokes images with her words. I also love that her characters are diverse, and that there's someone for everyone to identify with in some way. But, sometimes the characters themselves just don't quite do it for me, and I'm not really sure what it is. Again, I think it's just my issue. I have really enjoyed this series as a whole (Book 3 was by far my favorite), and I'm hoping there will be more books yet in the series.
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club
marisaelainegettas's review
5.0
This is the first book I read by Andie J Christopher, and I loved it!!! I will definitely be going back to read from the beginning of the series. Broken hero, who loves the heroine, but thinks he isn't good enough for her. Hot sex. There's only one bed! A matchmaking Lola. Properly angsty (I love angst with my romance). Just filled with all the goodness.
bandherbooks's review
3.0
Content warning for discussion of fat-shaming.
A grumpy, bearded sculptor meets his match when his meddling grandmother hires a professional organizer to help sort out his studio.
I loved the way Max helped how Lettie how attractive he found her, and I totally bought their sexual chemistry. I also adored the secondary characters but felt Max and Lettie didn't have enough time together on page to make me believe they were truly in love, not just wanting to bang all the time.
Lettie is described as "plus-size" and has developed huge issues regarding her weight and how she looks because her mother was terrible and her previous sex partner and boss often told her how fat she was. She also has a sister who is much thinner and is a model. I was glad her sister was not a caricature "model-type" villain but instead also helped Lettie to embrace her body and her self. I always love seeing a "plus-size" heroine especially when losing weight is not the solution to her "problems." That said, readers, including myself, may become a bit tired of the continuous reminder that Lettie is insecure about her weight.
That said, this was fun and I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
A grumpy, bearded sculptor meets his match when his meddling grandmother hires a professional organizer to help sort out his studio.
I loved the way Max helped how Lettie how attractive he found her, and I totally bought their sexual chemistry. I also adored the secondary characters but felt Max and Lettie didn't have enough time together on page to make me believe they were truly in love, not just wanting to bang all the time.
Lettie is described as "plus-size" and has developed huge issues regarding her weight and how she looks because her mother was terrible and her previous sex partner and boss often told her how fat she was. She also has a sister who is much thinner and is a model. I was glad her sister was not a caricature "model-type" villain but instead also helped Lettie to embrace her body and her self. I always love seeing a "plus-size" heroine especially when losing weight is not the solution to her "problems." That said, readers, including myself, may become a bit tired of the continuous reminder that Lettie is insecure about her weight.
That said, this was fun and I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
llamareads's review against another edition
4.0
Grumpy hero? Plus-size heroine? Tropetastic! This is the fifth book in the series, but I think it could be read as a standalone, as I’d only read the previous book (about Max’s sister) and I didn’t feel lost, though what I suspect are several other previous couples make appearances.
After Letty’s breakup with her ex-boyfriend left her blacklisted from the art world, landing a job as an assistant to a talented sculptor preparing for a major exhibition seems like a godsend. What Letty isn’t prepared for is her attraction to her hot new boss or the fact that he tries to fire her before she even starts working. It turns out that his scheming grandma hired her, but Max is won over by her tenacity and, frankly, the fact that she is excellent at her job – and their chemistry together. Letty and Max eventually agree to give in to their attraction – *after* her contracted period as his assistant is over. Now, I’m sure you can guess whether they managed to make it a week and change without ending up in bed… Max and Letty are both struggling with their own demons, however, so can they find their happily-ever-after without sabotaging it themselves?
While this is definitely a steamy romance – Max and Letty have some serious chemistry – there’s also a lot of angst. Max is practically a hermit – a very hot, bearded “ruggedly masculine” hermit. He avoids other people, especially women, because he thinks that because he struggles with his temper he’s destined to turn into his abusive father. Letty is plus-size (well, a size 14) and struggles with her body image due to constant childhood comparisons by her mother to her model sister. One of the nice things, though, about the book is that Letty and her sister Elena have a good relationship, despite their differences and their mother’s machinations. Regardless of that, between her mother’s constant harping on her weight (she seems to think the only way to make Letty happy is to make her thin) and her ex-boyfriend’s nasty comments that he only stayed with her to get at her parent’s money, Letty feels ugly and unloveable. With Max, however, she finally feels cherished, but the specter that he’s only using her for her connections looms over their relationship. While there are other “bad guys” in the book, in terms of conflict, they’re basically their own enemies.
At times, it felt like this book was going to give me whiplash. One second it was a sweet body positive romance, the next we were back in the angsty headspace of one of the characters. It felt like the angst almost overwhelmed the book, and it seemed to take the majority of the book before either character made any progress in addressing their negative thought patterns. In the end, I wasn’t entirely convinced by how Letty’s issues were wrapped up. Max, I think, I was more convinced by, mostly due to the “intervention” staged by his family. One of the things I loved about this book – and the previous one – was the warm, supportive family that Max, his siblings, and grandparents have cobbled together. I loved that the first person he goes to for advice is his brother. The whole “matchmaking abuela” bit, though, didn’t work as well for me in this book as it did in the last one.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this book, and I’d give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series, as well!
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
After Letty’s breakup with her ex-boyfriend left her blacklisted from the art world, landing a job as an assistant to a talented sculptor preparing for a major exhibition seems like a godsend. What Letty isn’t prepared for is her attraction to her hot new boss or the fact that he tries to fire her before she even starts working. It turns out that his scheming grandma hired her, but Max is won over by her tenacity and, frankly, the fact that she is excellent at her job – and their chemistry together. Letty and Max eventually agree to give in to their attraction – *after* her contracted period as his assistant is over. Now, I’m sure you can guess whether they managed to make it a week and change without ending up in bed… Max and Letty are both struggling with their own demons, however, so can they find their happily-ever-after without sabotaging it themselves?
While this is definitely a steamy romance – Max and Letty have some serious chemistry – there’s also a lot of angst. Max is practically a hermit – a very hot, bearded “ruggedly masculine” hermit. He avoids other people, especially women, because he thinks that because he struggles with his temper he’s destined to turn into his abusive father. Letty is plus-size (well, a size 14) and struggles with her body image due to constant childhood comparisons by her mother to her model sister. One of the nice things, though, about the book is that Letty and her sister Elena have a good relationship, despite their differences and their mother’s machinations. Regardless of that, between her mother’s constant harping on her weight (she seems to think the only way to make Letty happy is to make her thin) and her ex-boyfriend’s nasty comments that he only stayed with her to get at her parent’s money, Letty feels ugly and unloveable. With Max, however, she finally feels cherished, but the specter that he’s only using her for her connections looms over their relationship. While there are other “bad guys” in the book, in terms of conflict, they’re basically their own enemies.
At times, it felt like this book was going to give me whiplash. One second it was a sweet body positive romance, the next we were back in the angsty headspace of one of the characters. It felt like the angst almost overwhelmed the book, and it seemed to take the majority of the book before either character made any progress in addressing their negative thought patterns. In the end, I wasn’t entirely convinced by how Letty’s issues were wrapped up. Max, I think, I was more convinced by, mostly due to the “intervention” staged by his family. One of the things I loved about this book – and the previous one – was the warm, supportive family that Max, his siblings, and grandparents have cobbled together. I loved that the first person he goes to for advice is his brother. The whole “matchmaking abuela” bit, though, didn’t work as well for me in this book as it did in the last one.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this book, and I’d give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series, as well!
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
poisonivy70's review against another edition
2.0
The Good
Latinx hero and heroine. It was the first thing I noticed when reading the blurb, and I was completely sold, because while I’ve been compiling my Latinx Romance Database, it’s not as common to see Latinx heroes AND heroines, usually one or the other. The representation is believable and culturally positive, and definitely my favorite part of the story. Their families are dysfunctional, but the best scenes are when Letty or Max are interacting with their families.
Good chemistry. I enjoyed the chemistry between Letty and Max when they both managed to stay out of their own heads. Their attraction was strong and I enjoyed it, even when it was a tad insta-love.
The Bad
Negative inner thoughts by both hero and heroine were unrelenting. I’m going to say this up front. There are many women who struggle with self-esteem issues and feelings of inadequacy because of their size. No one is perfect, everyone can get down about their appearance, even the most beautiful people. I get it and have dealt with that my entire life and I get that it’s a part of almost everyone’s journey to self-acceptance.
Their angst though? Their combined negativity self-images were just too much for me. This story is told in third person, but alot of time is spent with the inner thoughts of Letty and Max, and they hit the same beat, over and over.
Letty, almost to the very, very end, was so fixated on how big she was that she doubted every interaction with Max. Every. Single. One. For the record, size 14 is average in my world, so as a genuine BBW, I was so irritated that Letty couldn’t stop repeating that big is horrendous and how can anyone love her.
Letty was one step away from thinking she was a troll under a bridge. I want to read a romance where you get to enjoy a character’s emotional growth, not them constantly bemoaning their size. I find no joy in this.
Max was just as depressing, but his problem was the fear that he would become a horrible person like his father. He struggled to express himself, and usually stuck his foot in it with Letty, even when it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with his own negative thoughts.
The pacing is off, so there are several scenes that didn’t flow with what happened right before and they left me shaking my head. It was exhausting and when they both FINALLY kind of hit that moment of self-awareness and acceptance, it was around the 90% mark and by then, I just couldn’t believe or connect with either one of them.
Everything in Between
Does work as a standalone. Though this is the fifth book in the series, it works just fine as a standalone. Characters from earlier books make an appearance, but it wasn’t confusing or dependent on knowing their story to enjoy this one and I appreciated that.
I would say that I enjoyed several parts of this story, including the Latinx representation and the family relationships. Unfortunately, I struggled greatly with the constant angsty thoughts of both Letty and Max, and general unevenness in the storytelling.
If you’re a fan of the series, you may enjoy this more than I did.
**ARC provided by publisher via netgalley for review**
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sarathebibliophagist's review against another edition
3.0
Although this is #5 in a series, it’s the third book of Andie J. Christopher’s that I’ve read. While I loved Break of Day, I was kind of ambivalent about Before Daylight. Unfortunately, I was also kind of indifferent about Night and Day.
It’s not a bad book, that’s for sure. Max and Letty seem to complement each other very well. While they have an instant attraction, it’s not instalove, which I appreciated. And even aside from that, they were able to build each other up and help each other overcome some unfortunate past experiences.
But why didn’t I love it? I think that there were two main reasons.
First, I was a little put off by how frequently Letty referred to herself as fat and undesirable. I get it, she feels out of place among the models and ballerinas in her life, but it was constant. I was rooting for her to find some self-esteem, but I was also frustrated by the fact that it seemed to come from the fact that Max wanted her and not from anything bigger than that.
Second, it felt kind of flat to me. There was no real conflict in the book, nothing that made me wonder whether everything would work out in the end. Max and Letty were attracted to each other from their first meeting, so there wasn’t really any build-up either. I mean, things happen, but nothing that had me on the edge of my seat and nothing that made it hard to put the book down.
I ended up reading this book in one night, although I frequently put it down to do other things. I don’t know that I would necessarily recommend it, but it was a quick read and a perfectly fine way to spend a couple hours.
It’s not a bad book, that’s for sure. Max and Letty seem to complement each other very well. While they have an instant attraction, it’s not instalove, which I appreciated. And even aside from that, they were able to build each other up and help each other overcome some unfortunate past experiences.
But why didn’t I love it? I think that there were two main reasons.
First, I was a little put off by how frequently Letty referred to herself as fat and undesirable. I get it, she feels out of place among the models and ballerinas in her life, but it was constant. I was rooting for her to find some self-esteem, but I was also frustrated by the fact that it seemed to come from the fact that Max wanted her and not from anything bigger than that.
Second, it felt kind of flat to me. There was no real conflict in the book, nothing that made me wonder whether everything would work out in the end. Max and Letty were attracted to each other from their first meeting, so there wasn’t really any build-up either. I mean, things happen, but nothing that had me on the edge of my seat and nothing that made it hard to put the book down.
I ended up reading this book in one night, although I frequently put it down to do other things. I don’t know that I would necessarily recommend it, but it was a quick read and a perfectly fine way to spend a couple hours.
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