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jae_lou's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jrl1221's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
4.75
Super fun romance novel! It’s funny and sweet. It’s a little slow in the middle but a really great read.
trin's review against another edition
3.0
Mixed bag romance novel that nevertheless had enough life and charm to make me want to read the next book in the series. 99% of that charm comes from the heroine, Naledi, who is absolutely lovely: smart and sharp-witted and wounded in a way that makes logical sense. She's a grad student in epidemiology, and frankly, Cole depicts the extra hurdles of being a BIPOC in STEM better than lauded literary novel Real Life. She also lands some truly eerie lines about how the gutting of scientific funding by a certain administration will leave America completely unprepared for an epidemic. OOF.
Far less convincing, unfortunately, is the hero, Prince Thabiso, whose character seems to turn on a dime as required by the plot. While I enjoyed that the depiction of his country, Thesolo, as an advanced African nation gave Thabiso an opportunity to comment on the United States' poor infrastructure (truth), I wish the world building, like Thabiso's personality, had been more consistent at times. Like, it's hilarious to start the book with the emails Thabiso's assistant Likotsi has been sending Naledi to inform her that she's the lost princess, but the fact that Likotsi doesn't realize that out-of-the-blue asking for someone's social security number (why does an African nation need that by the way?) makes you look like an absolute spammer makes her seem hopelessly naive, when for the rest of the book she's exceptionally savvy. There are a number of moments like this. Not to mention a great deal of silliness at the end with the obviously evil uncle (he might as well have snarled "Long live the king!" while tossing Naledi off a cliff), and an unshakeable sense that Thabiso's lies and manipulations really are too much to move past.
Also, there's a Star Trek joke in this that Cole completely botches -- Bones says the famous "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer" line to Kirk, not the other way around! And she not only botches it, she then calls back to the botch not once but twice, including in the third to last line! I know this doesn't really matter but it was very annoying to me, personally!
However I will, as stated, be reading the next book in the series, because despite the epidemiology, this kept me distracted and engaged the entire time I was reading it. A 2020 miracle.
Far less convincing, unfortunately, is the hero, Prince Thabiso, whose character seems to turn on a dime as required by the plot. While I enjoyed that the depiction of his country, Thesolo, as an advanced African nation gave Thabiso an opportunity to comment on the United States' poor infrastructure (truth), I wish the world building, like Thabiso's personality, had been more consistent at times. Like, it's hilarious to start the book with the emails Thabiso's assistant Likotsi has been sending Naledi to inform her that she's the lost princess, but the fact that Likotsi doesn't realize that out-of-the-blue asking for someone's social security number (why does an African nation need that by the way?) makes you look like an absolute spammer makes her seem hopelessly naive, when for the rest of the book she's exceptionally savvy. There are a number of moments like this. Not to mention a great deal of silliness at the end with the obviously evil uncle (he might as well have snarled "Long live the king!" while tossing Naledi off a cliff), and an unshakeable sense that Thabiso's lies and manipulations really are too much to move past.
Also, there's a Star Trek joke in this that Cole completely botches -- Bones says the famous "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer" line to Kirk, not the other way around! And she not only botches it, she then calls back to the botch not once but twice, including in the third to last line! I know this doesn't really matter but it was very annoying to me, personally!
However I will, as stated, be reading the next book in the series, because despite the epidemiology, this kept me distracted and engaged the entire time I was reading it. A 2020 miracle.
beasleysbooks's review against another edition
I was bored and didn’t like how he was lying to her about his identity sooooo long. Like we’re halfway through and she doesn’t know?? Nah.
nathaliagoncalves's review against another edition
4.0
Eu ameeiii toda a parte da cultura do príncipe, queria ver tudo em um filme com roupas lindas, e só não amei o livro todo porque eu não gosto muito desse clichê usado e o final foi corrido demais pra todo o desentendimento que teve durante o livro, mesmo assim super recomendo.
anarose13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
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
5.0
_geminigenres's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25