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A review by commedesenfants
It Felt Like a Kiss by Sarra Manning
2.0
The Cover
It's typically "Chick Lit" but I think it's pretty.
The Story
Ellie Cohen works at a Mayfair gallery and is good at what she does. Her life is in control, she has a supportive family and friends. The only thing that is less than perfect is Ellie's penchant to fall for the wrong guys. Her latest (ex-)boyfriend takes the cake, however, when he tells the press that not only is she the daughter of a famous rockstar but he also paints her in a less than favourable light and the press is all too eager to go with the story. This is when Ellie's carefully controlled life spins out of control.
The Protagonist
I liked Ellie. She had a good view on life and how to treat people. She always tried to see the good in people and believes that if you're nice and friendly to them they will be nice and friendly back.
Unfortunately, her niceness was misplaced at times. It sometimes made her into a pushover and doormat on which people just kept stomping on. She should've stood up for herself way earlier in the novel than she actually does. But all in all, Ellie is a good person who tries to do the right things and she didn't ask for any of the drama, so I can sympathise with her.
The Heart Rate
David had so much potential. David and Ellie's relationship had so much potential. Maybe it's just me but I never felt their chemistry. It didn't help that David was a big jerk most of the time in my opinion.
I also don’t like how he was such a hypocrite. He constantly doubted Ellie’s intention and accused her of having an angle. This would have been okay if he didn’t view her as a money and fame hungry gold digger who lives for party and sex but he was the one with a hidden agenda all along (albeit it was for work) and who had several casual, friends with benefits arrangements going on. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
So yeah, David has his moments and I sometimes saw their attraction but it wasn’t enough to convince me of their connection.
The Good
- Supportive family and friends: I have mentioned Ellie’s very supportive family and she also has two roommates/best friends who are always there for her and even give her tough love when she needs it. Sadly, we don’t see enough of them, I would’ve loved to have more scenes at her grandparent’s house.
- Realistic: Ellie was not your typical underdog heroine. She worked hard for her degree and through hard work got to where she was. She had a stable job and was financially independent but she wasn’t overspending on high end goods, there was no incessant brand name dropping. She was an ordinary girl leading an ordinary life of a twenty-something but that doesn’t mean that it was boring it just means that she seemed real and the story seemed realistic.
The Bad
- Problematic characters and situations: I’m all for flawed characters. What I hate the most are Mary Sues. But the flawed characters should still be sympathetic and relatable. Unfortunately, I did not feel this way towards the characters in this book and many situations were too problematic for me to overlook.
David also keeps telling Ellie to stop being “melodramatic” or that she’s “overreacting”. For someone whose mother taught her all about third-wave feminism Ellie did not react to that at all. Of course, the man is always right and correct while the woman is too emotional and can’t think straight therefore her opinions don’t matter and decisions must be made for her own good.
There was also a scene where Ellie and David have sex for the first time and David ask Ellie about a condom but she tells him that “it’s okay she’s on the pill”. This is so wrong. This is the first time they slept together, they are both sexually active and the pill does not prevent STDs. Absolut no-go.
The only truly “good” man in this book is Chester, Ellie’s mom’s friend and her father figure. All others have one or two very problematic tendencies. Vaughn, Ellie’s boss, is a bully who uses and abuses Ellie. He threatens to fire her on a daily basis despite the fact that she is his best employee. On the other hand, he keeps employees that are lacking purely because of their money and connections. The work environment in the gallery was pretty toxic if you ask me.
Billy Kay was the biggest jerk of them all. He is an narcissistic, egocentric, selfish and abusive asshole. I have no idea why Ellie’s mother fell for him. He has no redeeming quality and is just a scumbag all around.
So yes, this is my biggest problem with this story.
- Lacking relationships: I would’ve loved if we got to see more bonding between Ellie and her mother. We got a few scenes but never enough, especially when the scandal broke out. I think a lot of opportunities were missed here. There was a lot of tell but not too much show of their relationship. Same with her two best friends. There were moments but not enough. Instead of dragging out a few Ellie/David scenes I’d preferred more bonding scenes between friends instead of just the occasional telephone call.
- Unsatisfactory ending: I feel like a few things could’ve been better addressed at the end. Some things feel like they have been rushed and not explained fully. When you consider that it took almost 500 pages to get to that ending, you would expect more and you’d expect things to pay off more than they did.
The Rating
★★☆☆☆
I hate that I can only give this book 2-2.5 stars. I loved Adorkable and You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me and it might have been that my expectations were too high but I was really disappointed with It Felt Like a Kiss. I wanted to love it, I was prepared to love it, I was prepared to cry and laugh but instead I got increasingly annoyed the more I read. There are just too many things that I can’t overlook and the characters were not as sympathetic as in Sarra Manning’s other books, but despite it all, I couldn’t put it down and basically read it in one sitting. I attribute that to Sarra Manning’s great writing and her ability to draw the reader in with it.
It's typically "Chick Lit" but I think it's pretty.
The Story
Ellie Cohen works at a Mayfair gallery and is good at what she does. Her life is in control, she has a supportive family and friends. The only thing that is less than perfect is Ellie's penchant to fall for the wrong guys. Her latest (ex-)boyfriend takes the cake, however, when he tells the press that not only is she the daughter of a famous rockstar but he also paints her in a less than favourable light and the press is all too eager to go with the story. This is when Ellie's carefully controlled life spins out of control.
The Protagonist
I liked Ellie. She had a good view on life and how to treat people. She always tried to see the good in people and believes that if you're nice and friendly to them they will be nice and friendly back.
Unfortunately, her niceness was misplaced at times. It sometimes made her into a pushover and doormat on which people just kept stomping on. She should've stood up for herself way earlier in the novel than she actually does. But all in all, Ellie is a good person who tries to do the right things and she didn't ask for any of the drama, so I can sympathise with her.
The Heart Rate
David had so much potential. David and Ellie's relationship had so much potential. Maybe it's just me but I never felt their chemistry. It didn't help that David was a big jerk most of the time in my opinion.
Spoiler
He basically kidnapped her and locked her into his apartment. There are so many things wrong with that, I don't even know where to begin with.I also don’t like how he was such a hypocrite. He constantly doubted Ellie’s intention and accused her of having an angle. This would have been okay if he didn’t view her as a money and fame hungry gold digger who lives for party and sex but he was the one with a hidden agenda all along (albeit it was for work) and who had several casual, friends with benefits arrangements going on. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
So yeah, David has his moments and I sometimes saw their attraction but it wasn’t enough to convince me of their connection.
The Good
- Supportive family and friends: I have mentioned Ellie’s very supportive family and she also has two roommates/best friends who are always there for her and even give her tough love when she needs it. Sadly, we don’t see enough of them, I would’ve loved to have more scenes at her grandparent’s house.
- Realistic: Ellie was not your typical underdog heroine. She worked hard for her degree and through hard work got to where she was. She had a stable job and was financially independent but she wasn’t overspending on high end goods, there was no incessant brand name dropping. She was an ordinary girl leading an ordinary life of a twenty-something but that doesn’t mean that it was boring it just means that she seemed real and the story seemed realistic.
The Bad
- Problematic characters and situations: I’m all for flawed characters. What I hate the most are Mary Sues. But the flawed characters should still be sympathetic and relatable. Unfortunately, I did not feel this way towards the characters in this book and many situations were too problematic for me to overlook.
Spoiler
I have mentioned the quasi-kidnapping or as David himself said “guestage” (guest + hostage). When Ellie called David for help after being hounded by the press at her hotel room he shamelessly used this. He didn’t let her see where they were going because he thought she was the one who leaked her own whereabouts to the press. Then it turned out that he brought her to his own apartment and refused to tell her the address when she asked him for it so that she can, you know, let her mother and grandmother and friends know where she is, and that she’s save and all. He then proceeded to refuse to let her go and goes so far as to lock her into his apartment. That is not psychopathic at all! The way Ellie reacted to this was not realistic at all. I, and I’m sure most women, would’ve called the police immediately, considering she has met David maybe twice and for all she knew he could’ve been a rapist or murderer. HE LOCKED HER IN AND REFUSED TO TELL HER WHERE SHE WAS EXACTLY AND TOLD HER NOT TO TELL ANYONE. I think because of this my feelings towards David and Ellie’s relationship are tainted.David also keeps telling Ellie to stop being “melodramatic” or that she’s “overreacting”. For someone whose mother taught her all about third-wave feminism Ellie did not react to that at all. Of course, the man is always right and correct while the woman is too emotional and can’t think straight therefore her opinions don’t matter and decisions must be made for her own good.
There was also a scene where Ellie and David have sex for the first time and David ask Ellie about a condom but she tells him that “it’s okay she’s on the pill”. This is so wrong. This is the first time they slept together, they are both sexually active and the pill does not prevent STDs. Absolut no-go.
The only truly “good” man in this book is Chester, Ellie’s mom’s friend and her father figure. All others have one or two very problematic tendencies. Vaughn, Ellie’s boss, is a bully who uses and abuses Ellie. He threatens to fire her on a daily basis despite the fact that she is his best employee. On the other hand, he keeps employees that are lacking purely because of their money and connections. The work environment in the gallery was pretty toxic if you ask me.
Billy Kay was the biggest jerk of them all. He is an narcissistic, egocentric, selfish and abusive asshole. I have no idea why Ellie’s mother fell for him. He has no redeeming quality and is just a scumbag all around.
So yes, this is my biggest problem with this story.
- Lacking relationships: I would’ve loved if we got to see more bonding between Ellie and her mother. We got a few scenes but never enough, especially when the scandal broke out. I think a lot of opportunities were missed here. There was a lot of tell but not too much show of their relationship. Same with her two best friends. There were moments but not enough. Instead of dragging out a few Ellie/David scenes I’d preferred more bonding scenes between friends instead of just the occasional telephone call.
- Unsatisfactory ending: I feel like a few things could’ve been better addressed at the end. Some things feel like they have been rushed and not explained fully. When you consider that it took almost 500 pages to get to that ending, you would expect more and you’d expect things to pay off more than they did.
The Rating
★★☆☆☆
I hate that I can only give this book 2-2.5 stars. I loved Adorkable and You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me and it might have been that my expectations were too high but I was really disappointed with It Felt Like a Kiss. I wanted to love it, I was prepared to love it, I was prepared to cry and laugh but instead I got increasingly annoyed the more I read. There are just too many things that I can’t overlook and the characters were not as sympathetic as in Sarra Manning’s other books, but despite it all, I couldn’t put it down and basically read it in one sitting. I attribute that to Sarra Manning’s great writing and her ability to draw the reader in with it.