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ayooo6767's review
2.0
Barry did a great job of bridging to party differences between the leads, so to speak. However, I read this book after Trump won the 2016 so I was definitely NOT in the mood for Republican BS since the likelihood of a Latina aide in a moderate Republican campaign, which actually lasted past the primary or even halfway didn't exist, was nil. So yeah, I had difficulty dealing with that but this book did a good job of clarifying the policies of Republicans and what they actually value by truly going into detail especially why a Latina woman would choose this party over the Democrats, but the fact that had libertarian values helped too.
However, what truly pissed me off was the lack of a truly happy ending; Lydia is hesitant and reluctant until the ABSOLUTE end and even in the epilogue she states
“Shortly after the midterm election, she had married Michael. She hadn’t had a choice. She did love him despite doing her level best not to.”
Seriously! What kind of happy marriage epilogue ending is that? I liked the exploration of deeper issues throughout the novel but this is still a ROMANCE novel where I expect pure, unadulterated happiness atleast at the absolute end of the book before the epilogue and during the epilogue. Barry's other novels in this series did not have this problem, and yes I understand that the female lead is cynical but seriously?! The ending completely ruined the entire happiness of this book for me and left me in not a happy mood afterwards.
However, what truly pissed me off was the lack of a truly happy ending; Lydia is hesitant and reluctant until the ABSOLUTE end and even in the epilogue she states
“Shortly after the midterm election, she had married Michael. She hadn’t had a choice. She did love him despite doing her level best not to.”
Seriously! What kind of happy marriage epilogue ending is that? I liked the exploration of deeper issues throughout the novel but this is still a ROMANCE novel where I expect pure, unadulterated happiness atleast at the absolute end of the book before the epilogue and during the epilogue. Barry's other novels in this series did not have this problem, and yes I understand that the female lead is cynical but seriously?! The ending completely ruined the entire happiness of this book for me and left me in not a happy mood afterwards.
jackiehorne's review
4.0
See thoughts at:
http://romancenovelsforfeminists.blogspot.com/2015/02/short-takes-new-books-from-rnff.html
http://romancenovelsforfeminists.blogspot.com/2015/02/short-takes-new-books-from-rnff.html
heidenkind's review
4.0
I loved the role reversal and the chemistry between Michael and Lydia. The ending dragged on a bit, though.
brandypainter's review
5.0
Love!!!!
Do you know how difficult it is to write two protagonists who are in direct opposition to each other and still make them both relatable and work as a romantic pairing? It's so hard that there aren't a whole lot of people who even attempt it. Emma Barry pulls it off and does it incredibly well. There is banter. There is lust. There is a crazy affair that's impractical for so many reasons. Because this takes place over the course of an entire election season from the Iowa caucus to the Presidential election, it spans a lot more time than most romances do. I loved that this gave Michael and Lydia more time for their relationship to develop even though they weren't face to face for much of it. There were emails, texts, and phone calls. I felt like they really truly knew each other by the end of the book, which made the struggle for both of them to decide what they wanted and what they were willing to compromise on that more real.
I really like Michael. I like that he knows what he wants and is willing to try for it, but he also knows how and when to back off. How to respect a woman's responses. His cynicism about politics and the system is tinged with enough humor that he doesn't seem like a typical jaded hero. His final confrontation with his candidate is one of the funniest scenes I've read in quite some time.
And then there is Lydia who I LOVE. I lover her ambition, ruthlessness, drive, vulnerability, and prickliness. I love how hard she tries and how she keeps pushing. She is not nearly as cynical as Michael, but neither is she a wide-eyed idealist. She sees the realities of her candidate and the system, but is still willing to work within that system and push hard to achieve what she desires. My one small small quibble with the book is that I wanted more time in Lydia's head, more time with her in general, just because I loved her so much.
Sexy, smart, with great dialogue, and plenty of humor, this is the perfect end to a wonderful series in every way.
(I want more.)
Do you know how difficult it is to write two protagonists who are in direct opposition to each other and still make them both relatable and work as a romantic pairing? It's so hard that there aren't a whole lot of people who even attempt it. Emma Barry pulls it off and does it incredibly well. There is banter. There is lust. There is a crazy affair that's impractical for so many reasons. Because this takes place over the course of an entire election season from the Iowa caucus to the Presidential election, it spans a lot more time than most romances do. I loved that this gave Michael and Lydia more time for their relationship to develop even though they weren't face to face for much of it. There were emails, texts, and phone calls. I felt like they really truly knew each other by the end of the book, which made the struggle for both of them to decide what they wanted and what they were willing to compromise on that more real.
I really like Michael. I like that he knows what he wants and is willing to try for it, but he also knows how and when to back off. How to respect a woman's responses. His cynicism about politics and the system is tinged with enough humor that he doesn't seem like a typical jaded hero. His final confrontation with his candidate is one of the funniest scenes I've read in quite some time.
And then there is Lydia who I LOVE. I lover her ambition, ruthlessness, drive, vulnerability, and prickliness. I love how hard she tries and how she keeps pushing. She is not nearly as cynical as Michael, but neither is she a wide-eyed idealist. She sees the realities of her candidate and the system, but is still willing to work within that system and push hard to achieve what she desires. My one small small quibble with the book is that I wanted more time in Lydia's head, more time with her in general, just because I loved her so much.
Sexy, smart, with great dialogue, and plenty of humor, this is the perfect end to a wonderful series in every way.
(I want more.)
marie123's review
3.0
I wanted West Wing.
And it gave me a bit of that.
I enjoyed it, a lot. I'm glad I read it.
And it gave me a bit of that.
I enjoyed it, a lot. I'm glad I read it.
lucyhargrave's review
5.0
For a full review of this book feel free to visit my blog
I found this book absolutely fascinating to read. Being born and raised in the UK I know next to nothing about American politics apart from the fact that they have two main parties (the democratcs and the republicans) and that they vote for an individual, rather than a party like in the UK. Therefore for me part of the reason I loved this book was because of all the informations I learnt about American politics. I found it fascinating to read about primaries, caucuses and just generally how people would align themselves to a person as well as a party.
The background and the world created by Emma Barry felt so real too me, and from having read the author note at the end the book although it is completely fictious she was apparently influenced by the 2008 presidental campaign. Also to any Americans reading this if I use any of the wrong terminology during this review I completely apologise! Our hero and heroines (Lydia and Michael) are from different politicial parties and this is the main source of conflict in the book. How can two people from completely different ideological backgrounds form a lasting relationship...
I found this book absolutely fascinating to read. Being born and raised in the UK I know next to nothing about American politics apart from the fact that they have two main parties (the democratcs and the republicans) and that they vote for an individual, rather than a party like in the UK. Therefore for me part of the reason I loved this book was because of all the informations I learnt about American politics. I found it fascinating to read about primaries, caucuses and just generally how people would align themselves to a person as well as a party.
The background and the world created by Emma Barry felt so real too me, and from having read the author note at the end the book although it is completely fictious she was apparently influenced by the 2008 presidental campaign. Also to any Americans reading this if I use any of the wrong terminology during this review I completely apologise! Our hero and heroines (Lydia and Michael) are from different politicial parties and this is the main source of conflict in the book. How can two people from completely different ideological backgrounds form a lasting relationship...
wendylalala's review
5.0
I picked this up because I was so intrigued by the idea of a romance between political opposites, especially in the current climate that offers little middle ground. The concept was brave and Emma Barry made it work. I loved both characters and their slow despite-themselves coming together was believable and real. And hot! Did I mention hot?
anacoqui's review
5.0
Party Lines opens with a world-weary Michael Picetti sitting at a gate in O’Hare airport waiting for a flight to Iowa in December. He is heading back to work on a presidential primary campaign, after seeing one of his best-friends get married & realizing the other will be marrying sometime soon too. He feels acutely the distance and difference between the lives of his friends and his own. He finds himself scanning the crowd for a likely hook-up, some other jaded campaign veteran with no hope of a social life. It is mostly a mental exercise, to entertain himself while waiting when he isn’t scrolling through twitter to take the pulse of the voters or taking calls from other campaign staff.
When Lydia Reales sits next to him on the plane, he turns his scrutiny on her, trying to figure out what is bringing her to Iowa. They eventually start talking about the candidates with best chances of prevailing, about life on the campaign trail & he starts thinking about how he would love to keep talking to her & share his tips for surviving campaigns with her when she suddenly gives him the brush-off & firmly settles in to read instead. He is very confused, not sure what went wrong and stews about it for the rest of the flight. He thought they were clicking, that she was maybe even flirting, and he felt so secure on the assumptions he made based on her reading material, the fact she is young and Latina & that he doesn't even consider the actual reason she was less than impressed with him. When after some awkwardness Lydia accepts his card & bemusedly offers her in return, it is embarrassingly clear to Michael what Lydia realized from the start. Turns out Michael & Lydia are on opposite sides of a lot of issues and the rest of the novel is peppered the best conversations about why they believe what they believe and why they have ended up where they have ended up. Barry does a great job presenting how campaign folk are wired differently than other political operatives.
I really liked Lydia even if I strongly disagree with her politics. Lydia is just starting her political career and is driven, ambitious, competitive and combative in ways we rarely see heroines get to be. I love that she takes advantage of every opportunity and works her ass off. I just loved how much she wanted to be amazing at her job, to be seen and recognized for it and how she is trying to figure out how to best fit in & while standing-out on the campaign team. I Liked that Barry also doesn’t shy away from portraying some of the micro-aggressions Lydia experiences as WOC on the campaign trail, and how Lydia sometimes chafes and sometimes dismisses them. Michael is at completely different place in his career than Lydia. He is getting ready to transition out of campaigning. He is questioning his life choices and his passion for being on the road.
Politics aside Michael and Lydia are simply on two different trajectories, so this is not simply at enemies to lovers story with super-hot secret affair but story about bad timing. I love that Lydia really doesn’t want or have time for a relationship with Michael. It is not in her master plan and she has bigger things on her agenda. Michael on the other hand can afford to want more from their relationship that she does. He is secure in his career in a way she isn’t. That unbalance in place of life, goals and expectations creates real conflicts for them to overcome during the novel, over and above the really engrossing political drama they are engaged in.
I just loved how Michael & Lydia’s relationship develops and deepens over the course of the election cycle progressing from tense encounters, confusing stolen moments, to secret nights, texts & phone calls. The rhythm of their relationship feels right and I found their climactic conflict to be utterly believable. I think Ms. Barry took some great risks in the second-half of the novel in particular, with the way Lydia reacts and responds to that conflict. The way she responded took my breath away but it was completely consistent with her established personality, character & priorities. That trueness to her character allowed me to believe in her choices and thus believe in their HEA.
If you haven't picked up the first two books in the Easy Part series, Special Interests and Private Politics, run out and get them, all three are really great reading. Each of the romances and couples have very different trajectories to true love and I believed in all of them.
A review copy of this novel was provided by Carina Press via NetGalley.
On-Sale Date: January 12, 2015
When Lydia Reales sits next to him on the plane, he turns his scrutiny on her, trying to figure out what is bringing her to Iowa. They eventually start talking about the candidates with best chances of prevailing, about life on the campaign trail & he starts thinking about how he would love to keep talking to her & share his tips for surviving campaigns with her when she suddenly gives him the brush-off & firmly settles in to read instead. He is very confused, not sure what went wrong and stews about it for the rest of the flight. He thought they were clicking, that she was maybe even flirting, and he felt so secure on the assumptions he made based on her reading material, the fact she is young and Latina & that he doesn't even consider the actual reason she was less than impressed with him. When after some awkwardness Lydia accepts his card & bemusedly offers her in return, it is embarrassingly clear to Michael what Lydia realized from the start. Turns out Michael & Lydia are on opposite sides of a lot of issues and the rest of the novel is peppered the best conversations about why they believe what they believe and why they have ended up where they have ended up. Barry does a great job presenting how campaign folk are wired differently than other political operatives.
I really liked Lydia even if I strongly disagree with her politics. Lydia is just starting her political career and is driven, ambitious, competitive and combative in ways we rarely see heroines get to be. I love that she takes advantage of every opportunity and works her ass off. I just loved how much she wanted to be amazing at her job, to be seen and recognized for it and how she is trying to figure out how to best fit in & while standing-out on the campaign team. I Liked that Barry also doesn’t shy away from portraying some of the micro-aggressions Lydia experiences as WOC on the campaign trail, and how Lydia sometimes chafes and sometimes dismisses them. Michael is at completely different place in his career than Lydia. He is getting ready to transition out of campaigning. He is questioning his life choices and his passion for being on the road.
Politics aside Michael and Lydia are simply on two different trajectories, so this is not simply at enemies to lovers story with super-hot secret affair but story about bad timing. I love that Lydia really doesn’t want or have time for a relationship with Michael. It is not in her master plan and she has bigger things on her agenda. Michael on the other hand can afford to want more from their relationship that she does. He is secure in his career in a way she isn’t. That unbalance in place of life, goals and expectations creates real conflicts for them to overcome during the novel, over and above the really engrossing political drama they are engaged in.
I just loved how Michael & Lydia’s relationship develops and deepens over the course of the election cycle progressing from tense encounters, confusing stolen moments, to secret nights, texts & phone calls. The rhythm of their relationship feels right and I found their climactic conflict to be utterly believable. I think Ms. Barry took some great risks in the second-half of the novel in particular, with the way Lydia reacts and responds to that conflict. The way she responded took my breath away but it was completely consistent with her established personality, character & priorities. That trueness to her character allowed me to believe in her choices and thus believe in their HEA.
If you haven't picked up the first two books in the Easy Part series, Special Interests and Private Politics, run out and get them, all three are really great reading. Each of the romances and couples have very different trajectories to true love and I believed in all of them.
A review copy of this novel was provided by Carina Press via NetGalley.
On-Sale Date: January 12, 2015