Review #497
I give this Runaway Bride retelling a 4.5/5 stars.
Josie has had four failed engagements. Enter Matthew. She begs him to play along with being her fake fiancé for the sake of her father and her reputation blowing up in the media. Little does she know he’s already interested in her so of course he agrees to play along. Things happen and of course they fall in love.
Here’s my random notes while reading:
I wasn’t aware before starting that this is a spin off of The Long Game which I read recently. It would do me well to read a blurb every now and then. Matthew is the best friend of the heroine from the other book. And Josie is the sister of the heroine of the other book. So they’re the main couple in a fake relationship trope. Which I am a fan of.
I’m hoping Josie isn’t pretending to be engaged to please her asswipe of a dad…
I need Matthew to have more depth. I don’t know anything about him yet or even have a good read on his personality.
I love that it’s set in North Carolina again. Shout out to the locals!
I kind of hate how terrified she is of pleasing a father she’s never met in 29 years.
I’m having trouble with clarity with a lot of the action beats linked within dialogue to determine who is speaking when. Often I’m having to reread the paragraph to be clear.
At the halfway point I’m a little confused by the chapter’s mini cliffhanger about a wedding video to Greg because I thought she didn’t marry him.
Sometimes the jump from chapter to chapter is quite jolting. Such as ending a chapter as she walks into her sisters home. I assumed the next chapter would show that conversation. Instead when I turn the page it’s a new setting on a different day…
Phew chapter 20 was seggzy! I also liked how the wine tasting earlier had a purpose but also sensual. It’s creatively done within the plot.
“Because with you, I’m unbreakable.”
I love how he labels her different smiles.
The second half was way better than the first half. I often don’t like plots centered around engagements and weddings but this one worked well. I still wish I knew more about Matthew but it’s probably because it was all in Josie’s PoV. I’ve read all books by Elena Armas so far and plan to continue doing so.
After finishing I never got over the fact that some dialogue tags are still confusing and I hope that’s worked on for her next book