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jmbibliolater's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you Netgalley and Rhapsodic Press for the free copy of this book.
I am not a huge love triangle troupe fan. So imagine my surprise when I started to read Why I Held Your Hand by Augusta Reilly. Reilly's take on a love triangle is really well done up until about 60% of the book. Unfortunately, it did not stay that way,
In my true review format, here are my loves of Why I Held Your Hand:
* I love the stark differences between Spence and David's personalities. The relationship between Laura and Spence is a slow burn romance while the relationship between Laura and David is a sudden flame. The correlation between personality types and how each relationship is built makes complete sense.
* It's extremely steamy. No close door scenes here. The more you read, the more intense it gets.
* In a lot of love triangle stories, a character commits some type of unethical act (i.e. cheated or suddenly evil), but In Why I Held Your Hand, the only person who really does anything wrong is Laura. I appreciated that because it adds a tiny element of suspense.
Here are my dislikes:
* The cover of the book gives the impression that this is a holiday book. However, it is not. There is a holiday festival and that's it.
* The reason as to why Laura stuck with one man while clearly in love with the other / while clearly meant to be with the other is dense.
* There is no break up scene or break up talk. It is glossed over at the end.
* The ending felt rushed.
I would recommend Why I Held Your Hand to readers who:
* Love the love triangle troupe
* Love steamy romances
* Are intrigued by which man Laura will choose
I am not a huge love triangle troupe fan. So imagine my surprise when I started to read Why I Held Your Hand by Augusta Reilly. Reilly's take on a love triangle is really well done up until about 60% of the book. Unfortunately, it did not stay that way,
In my true review format, here are my loves of Why I Held Your Hand:
* I love the stark differences between Spence and David's personalities. The relationship between Laura and Spence is a slow burn romance while the relationship between Laura and David is a sudden flame. The correlation between personality types and how each relationship is built makes complete sense.
* It's extremely steamy. No close door scenes here. The more you read, the more intense it gets.
* In a lot of love triangle stories, a character commits some type of unethical act (i.e. cheated or suddenly evil), but In Why I Held Your Hand, the only person who really does anything wrong is Laura. I appreciated that because it adds a tiny element of suspense.
Here are my dislikes:
* The cover of the book gives the impression that this is a holiday book. However, it is not. There is a holiday festival and that's it.
* The reason as to why Laura stuck with one man while clearly in love with the other / while clearly meant to be with the other is dense.
* There is no break up scene or break up talk. It is glossed over at the end.
* The ending felt rushed.
I would recommend Why I Held Your Hand to readers who:
* Love the love triangle troupe
* Love steamy romances
* Are intrigued by which man Laura will choose
aldarakamey's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Rhapsodic Press for my eARC copy of "Why I Held Your Hand" in exchange for an honest review. This book is already published, but it was available so I took the chance.
I feel estrange with this book, because the romance itself doesn't feel awkward, it feels nice and the way the love triangle is nice, until it isn't. There is a lot of sex in this book and the sex itself isn't bad, is hot and steamy but is the context of those that made it uncomfortable for me.
So if you are into romance with steamy sex, with a not so unproblematic context, you should read it. The romance in the book is quite good like I said is romantic but with a bit problematic sex scenes.
I don't want to explain why I found the scenes problematic but let's say that the protagonist get herself into a risky sex-health situations, which are never addressed. But aren't considered risky for some people because is during a relationship, but at the same time not because is a relationship means that is okay to do so but that is a thing for the next time.
I am not saying that the book is bad, I enjoyed but at the same time I was uneasy because I found them complicated.
I feel estrange with this book, because the romance itself doesn't feel awkward, it feels nice and the way the love triangle is nice, until it isn't. There is a lot of sex in this book and the sex itself isn't bad, is hot and steamy but is the context of those that made it uncomfortable for me.
So if you are into romance with steamy sex, with a not so unproblematic context, you should read it. The romance in the book is quite good like I said is romantic but with a bit problematic sex scenes.
I don't want to explain why I found the scenes problematic but let's say that the protagonist get herself into a risky sex-health situations, which are never addressed. But aren't considered risky for some people because is during a relationship, but at the same time not because is a relationship means that is okay to do so but that is a thing for the next time.
I am not saying that the book is bad, I enjoyed but at the same time I was uneasy because I found them complicated.
andrea_author's review against another edition
3.0
This is a funny, enjoyable, ultra-steamy, well-written book. Ultimately, though, I couldn't get past the cheating. There was literally no reason for Laura to make the choice of one man over the other. And the book did nothing to convince me that she won't cheat again the next time she meets a man she's attracted to. The book has no moral center, and the message seems to be that actions don't have consequences.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.
allieveryday's review against another edition
5.0
I adored this. I went off the cover and two lines of the blurb and it paid off.
Laura hires a big marketing firm to help boost her little town's appeal and she gets so caught up with witty and handsome David she almost doesn't notice Spence and his immediate awe of her. She and David immediately start a relationship (a little too immediate IMO) while she and Spence start two big projects and get close in their own way.
Reilly did one of my favorite things in books: dropping innocent lines and dialogue that come back to hit you like a bag of bricks toward the end. And I never saw it coming, made me want to reread it as soon as I finished to pick up those clues.
I really appreciate that Reilly did not make it a super obvious choice for Laura, she didn't pit the two men evilly against each other. she didn't write one or the other as the obvious "bad" option, she made Laura's choice real and believable, even relatable. By the end I was full of anticipation and joy and I nearly cried.
Laura hires a big marketing firm to help boost her little town's appeal and she gets so caught up with witty and handsome David she almost doesn't notice Spence and his immediate awe of her. She and David immediately start a relationship (a little too immediate IMO) while she and Spence start two big projects and get close in their own way.
Reilly did one of my favorite things in books: dropping innocent lines and dialogue that come back to hit you like a bag of bricks toward the end. And I never saw it coming, made me want to reread it as soon as I finished to pick up those clues.
I really appreciate that Reilly did not make it a super obvious choice for Laura, she didn't pit the two men evilly against each other. she didn't write one or the other as the obvious "bad" option, she made Laura's choice real and believable, even relatable. By the end I was full of anticipation and joy and I nearly cried.
minseigle's review against another edition
5.0
(Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.)
This was a very entertaining story! From page one, I was drawn in with the humor. I had to read it quickly to find out who Laura would end up with and why. Definitely worth the read!
This was a very entertaining story! From page one, I was drawn in with the humor. I had to read it quickly to find out who Laura would end up with and why. Definitely worth the read!
cotes's review against another edition
2.0
This is a strange book that in a lot of ways feels like it was written awhile back. It’s ahistorical, in a way.
So here’s the thing with choosing between two men stories: for me, there can’t be actual cheating. And there’s cheating in this book. So as much as Laura made the right choice for her, she was still conducting first an emotional and then a physical affair. And that doesn’t make her a bad person in real life, but it’s not what I’m looking for in a romance. Because it’s a plot decide; the book’s not actually concerned with the spurned runner-up. He’s quickly discarded with. So really, it makes it hard to root for any of the characters.
The book is well-written and the plot sips along. But in a “choosing between two men” story, I need to feel emotionally drawn to the characters, and I wasn’t here.
**I was provided with an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review. The opinions are all mine.**
So here’s the thing with choosing between two men stories: for me, there can’t be actual cheating. And there’s cheating in this book. So as much as Laura made the right choice for her, she was still conducting first an emotional and then a physical affair. And that doesn’t make her a bad person in real life, but it’s not what I’m looking for in a romance. Because it’s a plot decide; the book’s not actually concerned with the spurned runner-up. He’s quickly discarded with. So really, it makes it hard to root for any of the characters.
The book is well-written and the plot sips along. But in a “choosing between two men” story, I need to feel emotionally drawn to the characters, and I wasn’t here.
**I was provided with an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review. The opinions are all mine.**
sandrareilly513's review against another edition
3.0
Laura is the hometown sweetheart hellbent on saving her town from obscurity and a subsequent financial downfall. They're losing at the tourism game, so Laura hires a marketing firm to help the town compete with two nearby vacation hotspots. Enter David, who sweeps Laura off her feet while also convincing her to hire the firm he works with. Their relationship takes off pretty quickly, with lots of heat and passion. But during the quiet moments, Laura finds herself spending a lot of time with the firm's marketing "guru", Spence -- he helps her work on a house, he proposes an event that may help save the town, and he helps her prepare for said event, all while being a good friend, even though he wants more. The subtle flirting goes right over Laura's head, but once she notices she can't "unnotice". Now she has to decide if she wants the secure life she already envisioned with David, or does she take a chance with Spence, who can show her a life she didn't realize she could have?
Thoughts: Girl meets boy, but then girl meets another boy, and now girl doesn't know which boy to choose... I'll be honest, I struggled through the first third of the book. I felt like the relationship between Laura and David was a bit rushed and also a bit flat. There wasn't a lot of chemistry there, even though it really seemed like there should be. But the chemistry between Laura and Spence was off the charts! I adored them together and was charmed by how sweet he really was even after giving off such weird and negative vibes at first. And that last third of the book, when Laura has to figure out what - and who - she really wants... Just... Wow. The emotion between Laura and Spence was enough to make my heart hurt! but Augusta Reilly made up for it with all of the emotion and agony the characters' all felt towards the end of the book.
**Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for eARC in exchange for honest review.**
Thoughts: Girl meets boy, but then girl meets another boy, and now girl doesn't know which boy to choose... I'll be honest, I struggled through the first third of the book. I felt like the relationship between Laura and David was a bit rushed and also a bit flat. There wasn't a lot of chemistry there, even though it really seemed like there should be. But the chemistry between Laura and Spence was off the charts! I adored them together and was charmed by how sweet he really was even after giving off such weird and negative vibes at first. And that last third of the book, when Laura has to figure out what - and who - she really wants... Just... Wow. The emotion between Laura and Spence was enough to make my heart hurt!
Spoiler
I wouldn't really say it was much of a love triangle because I felt like it was pretty clear early on which relationship was "better" for Laura,**Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for eARC in exchange for honest review.**
shaunnah511's review against another edition
4.0
Woah, this book was incredibly sexy, funny and sweet. One of the best love triangles I've ever read.
If you're not a fan of true love triangles or cheating, this one isn't for you, but I genuinely enjoyed reading it. I loved all of the characters!
If you're not a fan of true love triangles or cheating, this one isn't for you, but I genuinely enjoyed reading it. I loved all of the characters!
mariareadsbooksalot's review against another edition
3.0
This book honestly has me really conflicted. I’m not usually a fan of “insta love” and I usually love a good “love triangle”. I liked Laura. She seems like a well rounded woman with good intentions for her small town. I didn’t like David. He seems pretentious and I just wasn’t a fan! I loved Spence. He is hardworking, selfless, and so cute. I wasn’t a huge fan of the insta love between Laura and David. I think it was just because I wasn’t a huge fan of him but some of the things he said and did just bothered me. I loved how steamy this book was. It was surprisingly super steamy and I really loved it! I didn’t like the cheating. Love triangles are tricky but the minute you get cheating involved, I just don’t love it. Something else I loved was the tourism marketing. It was done well and I love reading books about tourism marketing!!
Overall, this was a good read. I read it in about 2 days and I loved how the title ties into the end of the book. I think if you like love triangles and like a steamy romance you’ll enjoy this!
Thank you to NetGalley and Get Red PR for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
angnay01's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed Why I Held Your Hand. It as a cute, humorous book. I loved all the characters in the book as well. I couldn’t wait to get to the end to find out who Laura chose. I was not disappointed. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read the book. I would highly recommend it.