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lurker_stalker's review
4.0
3.5 rounded up
I've been meaning to read a Cara Malone book for a long while but hadn't found that right moment or title. Until I got an email with an offer to get an audiobook code for free. I love free. And I love audiobooks. I immediately hopped over to Audible and picked a fairly recent book, listened to a sample - because nothing will kill a book quicker than a narrator that doesn't work for me - and shot off my request.
I was pretty quickly offered a code to redeem for the audiobook but had to stop for a minute when I saw it was from Spotify and not Audible. I very wrongly assumed that I'd be getting an Audible code because the author participates in Kindle unlimited and Audible is owned by Amazon. Well that's what I get for assuming. I haven't used Spotify in a few years since switching to YouTube Music so I had to dust that off and give it a try. And it wasn't a bad experience. Is the audiobook reading portion of the Spotify app as nice as Audible? Nope. I swear I couldn't find a bookmark option but I didn't really need to use it for this particular book. I don't know that I'd ever actually buy a book through Spotify but it wasn't a terrible listening experience.
Anyway, the story itself was sweet and only set my BS meter pinging a few times and fairly mildly. It's pretend, as my lovely wife likes to remind me. The bunnies were adorable and I'm not going to lie, I maybe contemplated momentarily making one my next pet. But my killer dogs probably wouldn't be okay with that...
So I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed the writing, and the narrator did a great job. I do wonder where she's from though. She does a fantastic American accent but a few words give it away. Unless "schedule" is pronounced "shed-yule" somewhere in the US that I'm not aware of. And the "savory craps" instead of "savory crepes" made me laugh. That one may have been my deaf self mishearing but it was funny regardless.
I very much appreciate the free audiobook because 1) I got to read a book by an author who’s been on my list for a very long time and 2) because I got to try out audiobooks on Spotify.
Thank you Cara Malone!
I've been meaning to read a Cara Malone book for a long while but hadn't found that right moment or title. Until I got an email with an offer to get an audiobook code for free. I love free. And I love audiobooks. I immediately hopped over to Audible and picked a fairly recent book, listened to a sample - because nothing will kill a book quicker than a narrator that doesn't work for me - and shot off my request.
I was pretty quickly offered a code to redeem for the audiobook but had to stop for a minute when I saw it was from Spotify and not Audible. I very wrongly assumed that I'd be getting an Audible code because the author participates in Kindle unlimited and Audible is owned by Amazon. Well that's what I get for assuming. I haven't used Spotify in a few years since switching to YouTube Music so I had to dust that off and give it a try. And it wasn't a bad experience. Is the audiobook reading portion of the Spotify app as nice as Audible? Nope. I swear I couldn't find a bookmark option but I didn't really need to use it for this particular book. I don't know that I'd ever actually buy a book through Spotify but it wasn't a terrible listening experience.
Anyway, the story itself was sweet and only set my BS meter pinging a few times and fairly mildly. It's pretend, as my lovely wife likes to remind me. The bunnies were adorable and I'm not going to lie, I maybe contemplated momentarily making one my next pet. But my killer dogs probably wouldn't be okay with that...
So I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed the writing, and the narrator did a great job. I do wonder where she's from though. She does a fantastic American accent but a few words give it away. Unless "schedule" is pronounced "shed-yule" somewhere in the US that I'm not aware of. And the "savory craps" instead of "savory crepes" made me laugh. That one may have been my deaf self mishearing but it was funny regardless.
I very much appreciate the free audiobook because 1) I got to read a book by an author who’s been on my list for a very long time and 2) because I got to try out audiobooks on Spotify.
Thank you Cara Malone!
aliu6's review
3.0
3.5 stars
When Jules Wakefield's parents pass away, she's left with a broken heart and the family-run rabbit rescue. Her job as a veterinarian keeps her too busy to run the rescue by herself, so Jules sets up a contest to give it away. The winner must write a convincing essay and undergo a 12-week trial period in order to inherit the rescue. Out of thousands of essay submissions, Jules picks Parker Rose's. When attraction blossoms between the two women, the contest gets complicated. Fate brought them together, but will they stay together in the end?
cw: parental deaths, brief mentions of animal abuse and injuries
This was a cute story, but it was also a bit predictable and unrealistic.
The Characters: Having recently lost her parents, Jules is emotionally closed off, although Parker helps her deal with her grief. Parker is coming out of a 12-year relationship with a man and starts to question her sexuality when she meets Jules. I felt like their past relationships (Jules with her parents and Parker with her ex) defined their personalities a little too much. I mean sure, Parker is also the sweet and naive girl who gets the emotionally unavailable jock Jules to open up, but that felt trope-y to me. (Jules isn't terribly jock-like—she just works out regularly and has abs that Parker swoons over—but I'm trying to make a point.) Anyway, Jules and Parker didn't seem totally fleshed out. They were more like characters serving their purpose in a romance novel. There weren't really any side characters that jumped out either (pun not intended?), but the bunnies were cute.
The Romance: Definitely on the trope-y side. There were things like random sideplots that made it so one character happened to be half-naked and the other ogled her. It also said a lot of stuff instead of showing the reader. There was a weird alternating between them saying gooey romantic stuff and them objectifying each other. I have nothing against sappiness or sexy times—I like both—but it needs to work within the storyline, and it just didn't mesh for me here. Parker and Jules were cute together, but nothing really suggested to me that they belonged together. Maybe that makes for a more realistic romance, but I like my lesfic HEAs to be rock solid.
The Plot: Le sigh. There's a lot of unrealistic stuff that happens to fit tropes. I especially disliked the main conflict. I could see it coming from a mile away since it would come up every few chapters. But the reactions just made no sense. It really wasn't a big deal to me, and the characters made it seem like a disaster.
The Writing: Not bad. The flow was fine. The dialogue may have been a bit rough. I just wish the content of the writing had been better.
Honestly, I'm a little disappointed by this one. The reviews on Goodreads are amazing? And it was a mediocre read for me. Rabbit enthusiasts and readers who don't mind their romances with a heavy serving of tropes might enjoy this book more than I did.
When Jules Wakefield's parents pass away, she's left with a broken heart and the family-run rabbit rescue. Her job as a veterinarian keeps her too busy to run the rescue by herself, so Jules sets up a contest to give it away. The winner must write a convincing essay and undergo a 12-week trial period in order to inherit the rescue. Out of thousands of essay submissions, Jules picks Parker Rose's. When attraction blossoms between the two women, the contest gets complicated. Fate brought them together, but will they stay together in the end?
cw: parental deaths, brief mentions of animal abuse and injuries
This was a cute story, but it was also a bit predictable and unrealistic.
The Characters: Having recently lost her parents, Jules is emotionally closed off, although Parker helps her deal with her grief. Parker is coming out of a 12-year relationship with a man and starts to question her sexuality when she meets Jules. I felt like their past relationships (Jules with her parents and Parker with her ex) defined their personalities a little too much. I mean sure, Parker is also the sweet and naive girl who gets the emotionally unavailable jock Jules to open up, but that felt trope-y to me. (Jules isn't terribly jock-like—she just works out regularly and has abs that Parker swoons over—but I'm trying to make a point.) Anyway, Jules and Parker didn't seem totally fleshed out. They were more like characters serving their purpose in a romance novel. There weren't really any side characters that jumped out either (pun not intended?), but the bunnies were cute.
The Romance: Definitely on the trope-y side. There were things like random sideplots that made it so one character happened to be half-naked and the other ogled her. It also said a lot of stuff instead of showing the reader. There was a weird alternating between them saying gooey romantic stuff and them objectifying each other. I have nothing against sappiness or sexy times—I like both—but it needs to work within the storyline, and it just didn't mesh for me here. Parker and Jules were cute together, but nothing really suggested to me that they belonged together. Maybe that makes for a more realistic romance, but I like my lesfic HEAs to be rock solid.
The Plot: Le sigh. There's a lot of unrealistic stuff that happens to fit tropes. I especially disliked the main conflict. I could see it coming from a mile away since it would come up every few chapters. But the reactions just made no sense. It really wasn't a big deal to me, and the characters made it seem like a disaster.
The Writing: Not bad. The flow was fine. The dialogue may have been a bit rough. I just wish the content of the writing had been better.
Honestly, I'm a little disappointed by this one. The reviews on Goodreads are amazing? And it was a mediocre read for me. Rabbit enthusiasts and readers who don't mind their romances with a heavy serving of tropes might enjoy this book more than I did.
nickoliver's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
joann3's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rightwhrleftme's review
5.0
sei lá gente eu to apaixonada demais, nao sei nem oq dizer em meio a tanta emoção ainda mais com um epílogo desses.. to boba
saveyourtears's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
4.0
A sapphic bunny rescue romance? As if this was written for me! The third act break up is really silly but also resolved quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty
I said animal cruelty because neglect was not an option.lsnack's review
5.0
I really liked this story and I look forward to the next in the series. Jules wants to honor her parents memory by keeping the rabbit rescue open only she doesn't have enough time in her day. Parker is living in a city and dreaming of having a yard for so she can have a bunny to love. It faith has it's way Jules and Parker will make a perfect match. Parker has a very calming and sweet nature which helps Jules with her grief over the loss of her parents. Jules shows Parker the attention she needs to realize what she was missing in her last relationship. This was a very tender love story with furry friends to add to the cuteness factor. I enjoyed that is was set in Camden so we get to see Hannah and Avery. I have had several rabbits as pets so I really got into this story. I truly love Cara's books they always put a smile on my face and warmth in my heart.
teashirts's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
chloeberg's review
4.0
I love Cara Malone's stories and thus was no exception. Thoroughly enjoyable and I can't wait to catch up with the rest of this series!