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lindyspence's review against another edition
4.0
really liked it, wished there was an epilogue feel like we didn’t see enough of their relationship. there were a lot of quote i liked though
yaksav's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kaulhilo's review against another edition
1.0
i can’t believe i’m saying this but this book needed to be longer. but i’m so glad it wasn’t, because it was absolutely horribly executed, and even one more page would've had me expired. it’s been 8 years since i last read lauren kate, and i don’t think she has still really acquired the skill of actually writing a book. all of her books (that i’ve read) seem to me, have the hint of an idea, that’s then badly thought out and hurriedly jotted down as if it’ll collapse if there’s time taken to develop it?, which is honestly so telling on its own.
the first half of the book might arguably be the most redundant thing i've ever read: just gibberish that went on and on and on. predictably then, the second half was cramped/info dumped, with so much happening (none of it interesting, mind you) across mere sentences it gave me whiplash.
the plotline itself felt dull and underdeveloped, the character dynamics awkward and frivolous. the romance- should i even call it romance? the only thing i got from this novel was almost 200 pages of first-hand embarrassment.
i wouldn’t say this book was completely horrendous, or a pain to read. it was just annoyingly boring and densely typical. it was, however, unbelievably short and would be a recommendation if you just wanted to sit around and waste a couple hours, without focusing much on the story content.
the first half of the book might arguably be the most redundant thing i've ever read: just gibberish that went on and on and on. predictably then, the second half was cramped/info dumped, with so much happening (none of it interesting, mind you) across mere sentences it gave me whiplash.
the plotline itself felt dull and underdeveloped, the character dynamics awkward and frivolous. the romance- should i even call it romance? the only thing i got from this novel was almost 200 pages of first-hand embarrassment.
i wouldn’t say this book was completely horrendous, or a pain to read. it was just annoyingly boring and densely typical. it was, however, unbelievably short and would be a recommendation if you just wanted to sit around and waste a couple hours, without focusing much on the story content.
ilsea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
priya_amrev's review against another edition
5.0
Idk if I’m over emotional lately or what but I started crying the first 2 paragraphs of Chapter 1.
And I have an ache in my chest because I want a love like this.
Meanwhile here I’m waiting on a boy who doesn’t text me back
And I have an ache in my chest because I want a love like this.
Meanwhile here I’m waiting on a boy who doesn’t text me back
litwithleigh's review against another edition
2.0
Writing: fine | Plot: ......??? | Ending: umm WUT WHERE'S THE REST OF THE BOOK??
SYNOPSIS
Lanie loves romance books—so much so that she'd made it her career. And now she has an opportunity to work with Noa Callaway, her favourite author of all time... But will Callaway's secret break her heart?
MY OPINION
Have you ever gotten to the end of the book and think: I MUST have a misprint because ain't no way we're into Acknowledgements. How about you acknowledge these unresolved major storylines??? Ima need another 50-100 pages because there's no way we spent 3 out of the last 10 pages describing the Amalfi Coast scenery instead of addressing the big, fat, earth-shattering gender-reveal in the room?????? If I want to know what colour the water is, I'll Google it. But where else am I gonna find out what kind of fallout Noa faces after the reveal????????????????????
At some point Lanie says "I think I missed the segue in this conversation", which is ironic because I feel like I missed about 30 segues in this book. It was jumping all over the place and I found myself flipping back to see if somehow I had missed a major 'reveal'. I didn't. This was just written like a paint-by-numbers picture without any numbers. Good luck!
And Lanie............. girl should pick up triple jump the way she was leaping to conclusions. When she learns Noa's big secret is that she is actually a he using a pseudonym, she calls him all types of names from narcissist to asshole to fuckface (okay maybe not that last one, but it has the same energy). Now, it's not clear if Noa was bopping about pretending to be a woman, or if readers just assumed Noa's gender and his publishers said STFU and lie by omission. It's not a great look either way... especially as Noa became more famous and it was obvious people thought it was a woman. Whatever the case, Noa did nothing personal to her and he wasn't rude to her in the slighest. It felt like the author really wanted this to be an enemies-to-lovers tale, but really it was Lanie's assumptions-to-lovers story.
Ugh and don't even get me started on her relationship with Ryan..... nvm, I'll start. Lanie had so many strong opinnis and truly believed she was always right, but the fact she was blinder than a bat to the several, bright red flags Ryan had coming out of his orifices was sad to say the least. All because he met all the things on your 'love list' that you wrote.....in college.............. ................
Anyways. Not great. Her upcoming romcom looks cute but I'm scared lol
PROS AND CONS
Pros: some funny moments
Cons: some risque jokes lol, felt like massive parts of the story was missing, one of the major plot points wasn't fully resolved (not even partially tbh), romance felt forced — didn't really feel the vibes, Lanie was extremely annoying and unlikeable (#freeNoa)
SYNOPSIS
Lanie loves romance books—so much so that she'd made it her career. And now she has an opportunity to work with Noa Callaway, her favourite author of all time... But will Callaway's secret break her heart?
MY OPINION
Have you ever gotten to the end of the book and think: I MUST have a misprint because ain't no way we're into Acknowledgements. How about you acknowledge these unresolved major storylines??? Ima need another 50-100 pages because there's no way we spent 3 out of the last 10 pages describing the Amalfi Coast scenery instead of addressing the big, fat, earth-shattering gender-reveal in the room?????? If I want to know what colour the water is, I'll Google it. But where else am I gonna find out what kind of fallout Noa faces after the reveal????????????????????
At some point Lanie says "I think I missed the segue in this conversation", which is ironic because I feel like I missed about 30 segues in this book. It was jumping all over the place and I found myself flipping back to see if somehow I had missed a major 'reveal'. I didn't. This was just written like a paint-by-numbers picture without any numbers. Good luck!
And Lanie............. girl should pick up triple jump the way she was leaping to conclusions. When she learns Noa's big secret is that she is actually a he using a pseudonym, she calls him all types of names from narcissist to asshole to fuckface (okay maybe not that last one, but it has the same energy). Now, it's not clear if Noa was bopping about pretending to be a woman, or if readers just assumed Noa's gender and his publishers said STFU and lie by omission. It's not a great look either way... especially as Noa became more famous and it was obvious people thought it was a woman. Whatever the case, Noa did nothing personal to her and he wasn't rude to her in the slighest. It felt like the author really wanted this to be an enemies-to-lovers tale, but really it was Lanie's assumptions-to-lovers story.
Ugh and don't even get me started on her relationship with Ryan..... nvm, I'll start. Lanie had so many strong opinnis and truly believed she was always right, but the fact she was blinder than a bat to the several, bright red flags Ryan had coming out of his orifices was sad to say the least. All because he met all the things on your 'love list' that you wrote.....in college.............. ................
Anyways. Not great. Her upcoming romcom looks cute but I'm scared lol
PROS AND CONS
Pros: some funny moments
Cons: some risque jokes lol, felt like massive parts of the story was missing, one of the major plot points wasn't fully resolved (not even partially tbh), romance felt forced — didn't really feel the vibes, Lanie was extremely annoying and unlikeable (#freeNoa)
wayharshtai's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate is a fun enemies-to-lovers romance
rom-com.
I truly enjoyed watching Lanie and Noa fall for each other.
The writing style is absolutely delightful, with great pacing, and with an element of secret that kept me engaged with the story.
Special thanks to Edelweiss and G.P. Putnam's Sons (Penguin Publishing Group) for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.
chasingthepage's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5