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Buxom Boudoir #1
The Accidental Pinup
Rival photographers are forced to collaborate on a body-positive lingerie campaign, but they might have to readjust their focus when sparks fly.
Photographer Cassie Harris loves her job—her company Buxom Boudoir makes people look beautiful and feel empowered with her modern twist on classic pinup photography. Cassie’s best friend, Dana, is about to launch her own dangerously dreamy lingerie line and wants Cassie to shoot and direct the career-changing national campaign. But company politics and Dana’s complicated pregnancy interfere, and Cassie finds herself—a proud plus size Black woman—not behind the camera but in front of it.
Though she’s never modeled herself, Cassie’s pretty sure she can handle the sheer underwear and caution tape bralettes. She’s not sure she can work so intimately with the chosen photographer, her long-time competitor in the Chicago photography scene, Reid Montgomery. Their chemistry is undeniable on set, however, and feelings can develop faster than film…
Photographer Cassie Harris loves her job—her company Buxom Boudoir makes people look beautiful and feel empowered with her modern twist on classic pinup photography. Cassie’s best friend, Dana, is about to launch her own dangerously dreamy lingerie line and wants Cassie to shoot and direct the career-changing national campaign. But company politics and Dana’s complicated pregnancy interfere, and Cassie finds herself—a proud plus size Black woman—not behind the camera but in front of it.
Though she’s never modeled herself, Cassie’s pretty sure she can handle the sheer underwear and caution tape bralettes. She’s not sure she can work so intimately with the chosen photographer, her long-time competitor in the Chicago photography scene, Reid Montgomery. Their chemistry is undeniable on set, however, and feelings can develop faster than film…
304 pages, Paperback
First published July 19, 2022
About the author
Danielle Jackson
2 books325 followersDanielle Jackson is a contemporary romance author, avid reader, lackluster-yet-mighty crafter, and accomplished TV binge-watcher.
Danielle has had the unique experience of working on almost every side of the book business—as a publicist at a publisher, an editorial manager of a review website, an events coordinator at an independent bookstore, and now, an author. When she’s not writing, Danielle co-hosts a pop culture podcast, moderates and participates on industry panels, and hosts a romance book club.
Danielle lives in Chicagoland with her very own romance hero husband, darling daughter, and two tempestuous cats. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, @DJacksonBooks.
Danielle has had the unique experience of working on almost every side of the book business—as a publicist at a publisher, an editorial manager of a review website, an events coordinator at an independent bookstore, and now, an author. When she’s not writing, Danielle co-hosts a pop culture podcast, moderates and participates on industry panels, and hosts a romance book club.
Danielle lives in Chicagoland with her very own romance hero husband, darling daughter, and two tempestuous cats. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, @DJacksonBooks.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 698 reviews
July 17, 2022
romance novels with food descriptions >>>>
romance novels with excellent body positivity >>>>>
romance novels with fun groups of friends >>>>>>>
romance novels with a romance that doesn't click with you... <<<<<<
so here we are. at a 2.5 star rating.
this isn't the first time that my least fav part of a romance novel has been, you know, the romance. but it hits like the first every time!!
primarily the pacing of this was off to me - it was like:
i am in a romance novel for the miscommunication. the drama. the yearning. in this case, it didn't feel like tension built - the tension was behind the scenes if anything? i've looked at almond croissants with more yearning and angst than there was in this book.
a lot of time was skipped also, sometimes a month passing in half a sentence, so it felt simultaneously hard to focus and like if i didn't focus everything would completely fall apart immediately.
aaaand the workplace element also felt like too much - by the end it wasn't clear how they could coexist and date and work and blah blah blah.
exactly the kind of real world complications i read romance to forget about.
bottom line: this had so much going for it! just not the things i needed.
--------------------
ok glamorous
(thank you to the publisher/netgalley for the e-arc)
romance novels with excellent body positivity >>>>>
romance novels with fun groups of friends >>>>>>>
romance novels with a romance that doesn't click with you... <<<<<<
so here we are. at a 2.5 star rating.
this isn't the first time that my least fav part of a romance novel has been, you know, the romance. but it hits like the first every time!!
primarily the pacing of this was off to me - it was like:
i am in a romance novel for the miscommunication. the drama. the yearning. in this case, it didn't feel like tension built - the tension was behind the scenes if anything? i've looked at almond croissants with more yearning and angst than there was in this book.
a lot of time was skipped also, sometimes a month passing in half a sentence, so it felt simultaneously hard to focus and like if i didn't focus everything would completely fall apart immediately.
aaaand the workplace element also felt like too much - by the end it wasn't clear how they could coexist and date and work and blah blah blah.
exactly the kind of real world complications i read romance to forget about.
bottom line: this had so much going for it! just not the things i needed.
--------------------
ok glamorous
(thank you to the publisher/netgalley for the e-arc)
August 19, 2022
I mean can u imagine going to a photography job and then being told no actually you don’t have the job yet, you now have to compete with a crusty dude, and now your photos were so good but your friend actually showed us your personal pinup photos invading your privacy in the process and we’re going to pressure you to be the model instead but don’t worry you’ll still have creative control but also we are going to pay the male photographer—who took your job and will get the credit—MORE money to spy on you bc you’re actually not going to be the art director we’re just going to make you think you are. Oh and were also paying for him to flirt with you. And now you get to flash your nipples and ass to everyone while the man is fully clothed with YOUR job! Wait I forgot that the guy is okay with all of this bc he’s supporting his wastrel of a brother and can’t say no to giving him money. Then when he’s again offered the art director credit and another pay increase (50% this time) he “can’t refuse” and also “does deserve it bc he gave her ideas and talked her down from the ledge a few times.” He ultimately had her given the director credit in the catalog but he kept all the money he received for HER ideas. I’m so angry.
✨
The thought that the man gets to stay fully clothed and she has to be nearly naked??? It’s fine if she WANTED that but she literally wanted to be the photographer. How is this okay???
From what I gathered from the writing (a lot of times it’s not clear) he changed her name credit in the catalog that was set out at the launch party. No word on if it’s legally official. The book made it seem since it’s just the catalog, he still gets to keep the money he was given for her ideas. She gets a little extra bc the campaign exceeded preorders but??? Is her credit just for show???
"I called Rebecca two days ago, pretty much as these catalogs were being printed. She probably got in trouble, but she went ahead and made the change. And you should see a completion bonus from LL any day now. Something about exceeding a preorder goal. That's what it'll say.”
✨
Then! He breaks up with her bc he finally recognizes his privilege and easy time getting photography gigs so he doesn’t actually want to do the work of having her as his girlfriend????
Then at the end he gets her time with all of these execs to companies for more photography gigs. Nice? No! Bc he’s trying to make up for stealing everything from her. AND the inherent fact that he already has all of those connections while she doesn’t??? Absolutely fucked up.
✨
Also the entire lingerie concept is just so weird I can’t picture any of it. I love the size inclusivity but that’s about as much as I understood from it. Also who knew listening to someone describe taking photos is absolutely so fucking boring.
Also Reid totally fucked the marketing manager for the campaign in the past so she was quite literally rooting for him to get the promotion and more money. He told her no but ultimately didn’t refuse very very very many times. All because he wanted to have money to give to his brother. He didn’t reveal this to Cassie until way tooohooo late.
⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶/5
Thank you to PRH audio for sending me an audiobook copy to review. Thanks to Berkley Romance for a free physical copy. All opinions are honest and my own.
✨
The thought that the man gets to stay fully clothed and she has to be nearly naked??? It’s fine if she WANTED that but she literally wanted to be the photographer. How is this okay???
From what I gathered from the writing (a lot of times it’s not clear) he changed her name credit in the catalog that was set out at the launch party. No word on if it’s legally official. The book made it seem since it’s just the catalog, he still gets to keep the money he was given for her ideas. She gets a little extra bc the campaign exceeded preorders but??? Is her credit just for show???
"I called Rebecca two days ago, pretty much as these catalogs were being printed. She probably got in trouble, but she went ahead and made the change. And you should see a completion bonus from LL any day now. Something about exceeding a preorder goal. That's what it'll say.”
✨
Then! He breaks up with her bc he finally recognizes his privilege and easy time getting photography gigs so he doesn’t actually want to do the work of having her as his girlfriend????
Then at the end he gets her time with all of these execs to companies for more photography gigs. Nice? No! Bc he’s trying to make up for stealing everything from her. AND the inherent fact that he already has all of those connections while she doesn’t??? Absolutely fucked up.
✨
Also the entire lingerie concept is just so weird I can’t picture any of it. I love the size inclusivity but that’s about as much as I understood from it. Also who knew listening to someone describe taking photos is absolutely so fucking boring.
Also Reid totally fucked the marketing manager for the campaign in the past so she was quite literally rooting for him to get the promotion and more money. He told her no but ultimately didn’t refuse very very very many times. All because he wanted to have money to give to his brother. He didn’t reveal this to Cassie until way tooohooo late.
⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶/5
Thank you to PRH audio for sending me an audiobook copy to review. Thanks to Berkley Romance for a free physical copy. All opinions are honest and my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2022
This sounded like it would be a fun book from the description and the starting pages. And yes it was. Not every day I read stories like this so I did enjoy reading something fresh. I wasn’t obsessed with Reed and Cassie’s relationship but they were still cute.
September 12, 2022
I HATE IT
I HATE IT
I HATE IT
I HATE IT
I hated this book so much.
I don't read much Romance and it's books like this that make me never want to read it again. I started this book weeks ago but I wasn't feeling it so I put it down, with hopes that my opinion would change. When I picked it back up I knew that this would be a 1 star read.
Cassie is allegedly strong independent Black woman. She's a photographer and her "best friend" Dana is launching a lingerie line. Cassie is supposed to be the creative director and photographer but the company in charge of the campaign decides to hire Reid to shoot the campaign with Cassie as the model. Her "friend" Dana never fights to keep Cassie in her position and she even guilts her into becoming the model by saying that Cassie will also be the creative director if she agrees to model. Reid "the love interest" has spent years taking all the jobs that Cassie has gone out for. Reid is her #1 competition and is asked by the company in charge to spy on Cassie in order to take her job. He starts sleeping with her takes her job gets the raise and in the end Cassie is like "Well he said he was sorry and he's just so cute"
Cassie is pushover who let's everyone in her life walk all over her. And I wouldn't mind this if she started standing up for herself and told off her "best friend" and her "boyfriend" but NOPE! At the end she just gets over everything her "friend" Dana never apologizes and Reid "gives" her creative director credit....but he keeps that raise.
Also....
Why do Cassie and Reid fall in love?
I read the whole book and I can't tell you why they even like each other. The only thing the seem to like are how each other look and the sex. That doesn't make a relationship. These two have the chemistry of drying paint( I feel like I just insulted paint...I'm sorry)
I hate this book. Don't read it. I wish I could give it negative stars.
I HATE IT
I HATE IT
I HATE IT
I hated this book so much.
I don't read much Romance and it's books like this that make me never want to read it again. I started this book weeks ago but I wasn't feeling it so I put it down, with hopes that my opinion would change. When I picked it back up I knew that this would be a 1 star read.
Cassie is allegedly strong independent Black woman. She's a photographer and her "best friend" Dana is launching a lingerie line. Cassie is supposed to be the creative director and photographer but the company in charge of the campaign decides to hire Reid to shoot the campaign with Cassie as the model. Her "friend" Dana never fights to keep Cassie in her position and she even guilts her into becoming the model by saying that Cassie will also be the creative director if she agrees to model. Reid "the love interest" has spent years taking all the jobs that Cassie has gone out for. Reid is her #1 competition and is asked by the company in charge to spy on Cassie in order to take her job. He starts sleeping with her takes her job gets the raise and in the end Cassie is like "Well he said he was sorry and he's just so cute"
Cassie is pushover who let's everyone in her life walk all over her. And I wouldn't mind this if she started standing up for herself and told off her "best friend" and her "boyfriend" but NOPE! At the end she just gets over everything her "friend" Dana never apologizes and Reid "gives" her creative director credit....but he keeps that raise.
Also....
Why do Cassie and Reid fall in love?
I read the whole book and I can't tell you why they even like each other. The only thing the seem to like are how each other look and the sex. That doesn't make a relationship. These two have the chemistry of drying paint( I feel like I just insulted paint...I'm sorry)
I hate this book. Don't read it. I wish I could give it negative stars.
December 12, 2022
3.25 stars
I'll be honest, I picked this one up because I loved the cover. The body positivity and representation were fantastic, but... the romance fell a little flat for me. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't quite feel the chemistry between the two main characters or because the pacing was a little weird. Either way, I would read more from this author in the future because even though this particular book wasn't a huge win for me, I think it had a lot of potential.
I'll be honest, I picked this one up because I loved the cover. The body positivity and representation were fantastic, but... the romance fell a little flat for me. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't quite feel the chemistry between the two main characters or because the pacing was a little weird. Either way, I would read more from this author in the future because even though this particular book wasn't a huge win for me, I think it had a lot of potential.
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 3.25 stars
Narrators: Jeanette Illidge
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 10h 11m
Shelved as 'dnf'
June 11, 2022DNF at 46%
There are some things that are great about this book and I was very excited for it. I love the positive plus size representation, having a Black heroine who talks about the challenges she faces in her field AND how what got her into photography was wanting to see people of color well-lit in beautiful photographs. The premise sounded fun and I'm all for this idea of a cool, size inclusive lingerie line launching. I really like Cassie the heroine, though I find it frustrating that she let's people treat her with less respect than she deserves sometimes.
Unfortunately some things about the romance really aren't working for me and I don't feel good about continuing and giving this a lower rating when some readers may not have the same issues I do. It's a bit insta-love (or let's be real, insta-lust) for my preferences, especially between rivals. That alone might not be a deal-breaker for me, but added to it is the hero is pursuing a relationship with Cassie while secretly being paid to spy on her and babysit her for the duration of this product launch they are supposed to be collaborating on, and he's not saying a word about it. For me that's kind of reprehensible and tough to come back from, especially when I don't get why she would be into him anyway aside from physical attraction. She deserves better! Based on other early reviews I took a look at, I don't think the resolution will be enough for me to get past this and since it's a romance, whether I want them together is pretty central to my rating.
All that to say, I hope other people who are less picky about this check the book out and love it! Unfortunately it's going to be a miss for me. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
There are some things that are great about this book and I was very excited for it. I love the positive plus size representation, having a Black heroine who talks about the challenges she faces in her field AND how what got her into photography was wanting to see people of color well-lit in beautiful photographs. The premise sounded fun and I'm all for this idea of a cool, size inclusive lingerie line launching. I really like Cassie the heroine, though I find it frustrating that she let's people treat her with less respect than she deserves sometimes.
Unfortunately some things about the romance really aren't working for me and I don't feel good about continuing and giving this a lower rating when some readers may not have the same issues I do. It's a bit insta-love (or let's be real, insta-lust) for my preferences, especially between rivals. That alone might not be a deal-breaker for me, but added to it is the hero is pursuing a relationship with Cassie while secretly being paid to spy on her and babysit her for the duration of this product launch they are supposed to be collaborating on, and he's not saying a word about it. For me that's kind of reprehensible and tough to come back from, especially when I don't get why she would be into him anyway aside from physical attraction. She deserves better! Based on other early reviews I took a look at, I don't think the resolution will be enough for me to get past this and since it's a romance, whether I want them together is pretty central to my rating.
All that to say, I hope other people who are less picky about this check the book out and love it! Unfortunately it's going to be a miss for me. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
September 4, 2023
I didn't feel a big spark with this one, totes a me vs the book issue. I knew early on that something the MMC is asked to do would cause an issue for me and while it didn't blow up quite so spectacularly in his face as it could have (as too many other authors like to do - kudos for this Ms Jackson) ... it is still annoying to me when characters make these choices 🤷♀️
Having a strong curvy driven FMC of colour running her own Boudoir photography business and striving for what she wants with a fun supporting cast of great colleagues kept me reading when some of the pacing/beats were off elsewhere 🤗
The writing was a little clunky/repetitive in places and it's a smidge formulaic - y'know ticking romcom boxes but deffo a solid debut with fun cast of characters that have piqued my interest to come back for book2 thanks to the writing/pacing smoothing out a bit as story progressed so 🤞🤞🤞 for Sam's book next. Something tells me that story will be a spitfire & who doesn't love food trucks, a mobile photobooth and street festivals 🙃
2.75* rounded up
Having a strong curvy driven FMC of colour running her own Boudoir photography business and striving for what she wants with a fun supporting cast of great colleagues kept me reading when some of the pacing/beats were off elsewhere 🤗
The writing was a little clunky/repetitive in places and it's a smidge formulaic - y'know ticking romcom boxes but deffo a solid debut with fun cast of characters that have piqued my interest to come back for book2 thanks to the writing/pacing smoothing out a bit as story progressed so 🤞🤞🤞 for Sam's book next. Something tells me that story will be a spitfire & who doesn't love food trucks, a mobile photobooth and street festivals 🙃
2.75* rounded up
August 13, 2022
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
honestly, I really liked this. I love the fact that they’re photography rivals and I LOVE that she modeled and became a body positive icon. But, I wasn’t a fan of the miscommunication at the end. I know his reasons for hesitating but he could’ve talked to her about it… idk. rtc though!
honestly, I really liked this. I love the fact that they’re photography rivals and I LOVE that she modeled and became a body positive icon. But, I wasn’t a fan of the miscommunication at the end. I know his reasons for hesitating but he could’ve talked to her about it… idk. rtc though!
May 21, 2022
I absolutely LOVED this book. It's sexy, smart, fun, inclusive, thoughtful, diverse, and the premise alone!!! Becoming an accidental pinup when you are used to being behind the camera and wearing this lingerie in front of a super hot dude? Yeahhhhh! Cassie is a phenomenal, well-rounded character surrounded by incredible, well-developed characters you can't help but root for. And Reid is an emotional, careful character who reveals himself & background slowly over the course of the story. His characterization is so well done; you will understand him and yell at him to get it together so he can deserve Cassie. I highly recommend this and I can't wait to read what Danielle Jackson writes next. Seriously, give this a read.
October 2, 2022
Review coming soon.
July 19, 2022
Thank you PRHInternational for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I really didn’t enjoy this one. Which is unfortunate since I REALLY wanted to love it. It’s not often I see or read books with plus size rep, and the premise sounded so good!! But I was just so let down by it. There was just such a lack of dialogue & interactions. The amount of back and forth between ANY character in this book is ridiculously low. It feels like a chunk of text of a story without actually showing the story. Like someone is telling you about the gist of it all instead of you actually witnessing it. It was frustrating. Usually dialogues are one of my favorite parts of a book, especially with romances, and here it was just severely lacking. There were multiple instances where the author avoided showing a direct line of dialogue by writing stuff along the lines of “I told her that…” it just felt unnecessary. I would have much preferred to have actual dialogue lines.
The romance really wasn’t doing it for me. Which is not a great thing in a ROMANCE book! And about Reid in particular- He’s been the person that’s been taking her jobs for years now, and partially why she hasn’t progressed in her career… and yet they start dating soooo soon? Honestly, Cassie was way too good for him. I genuinely didn’t like him at all? He was so stale and boring and not anything I like in MMC in romances… Also the fact that he was spying after her for LL? Yeah, that’s not cool. Not cool to start off a relationship like that. I didn’t think she should have forgiven him. Especially not that easily. Also, I found several of the interactions around photography quite awkward? I’m an artist myself (though not a photographer) but I just did not appreciate how *some* of the photography was written here.
I really didn’t enjoy this one. Which is unfortunate since I REALLY wanted to love it. It’s not often I see or read books with plus size rep, and the premise sounded so good!! But I was just so let down by it. There was just such a lack of dialogue & interactions. The amount of back and forth between ANY character in this book is ridiculously low. It feels like a chunk of text of a story without actually showing the story. Like someone is telling you about the gist of it all instead of you actually witnessing it. It was frustrating. Usually dialogues are one of my favorite parts of a book, especially with romances, and here it was just severely lacking. There were multiple instances where the author avoided showing a direct line of dialogue by writing stuff along the lines of “I told her that…” it just felt unnecessary. I would have much preferred to have actual dialogue lines.
The romance really wasn’t doing it for me. Which is not a great thing in a ROMANCE book! And about Reid in particular- He’s been the person that’s been taking her jobs for years now, and partially why she hasn’t progressed in her career… and yet they start dating soooo soon? Honestly, Cassie was way too good for him. I genuinely didn’t like him at all? He was so stale and boring and not anything I like in MMC in romances… Also the fact that he was spying after her for LL? Yeah, that’s not cool. Not cool to start off a relationship like that. I didn’t think she should have forgiven him. Especially not that easily. Also, I found several of the interactions around photography quite awkward? I’m an artist myself (though not a photographer) but I just did not appreciate how *some* of the photography was written here.
May 18, 2022
DNF'd at 50%. Loved the inclusiveness of the characters and the premise but I found they fell for each other too quickly and months would pass by and it would just be briefly mentioned. It was confusing for the timeline of Reid and Cassie's relationship. I also found Reid boring and their relationship also boring. Being a black photographer, I really wanted to like this but it was just meh for me.
August 3, 2022
3 1/2 "Pinup" Stars!
I liked this story. I especially loved Cassie. She knew her worth and took up for herself. For me though, the untruth/secret Reid kept went on too long. Or really I just don't like this kind of conflict plot devise. So that's a me thing. Also, I think Dana, Cassie's best friend manipulated her from the start. Not very BF like of her. But there was no conflict there. So again, a me thing. Happy reading!
I liked this story. I especially loved Cassie. She knew her worth and took up for herself. For me though, the untruth/secret Reid kept went on too long. Or really I just don't like this kind of conflict plot devise. So that's a me thing. Also, I think Dana, Cassie's best friend manipulated her from the start. Not very BF like of her. But there was no conflict there. So again, a me thing. Happy reading!
July 22, 2022
3.5 rounded up.
Set in Chicago, two rival photographers have to work together on a boudoir campaign - the catch? Proud, Black and full-figured Cassie is coerced into being the model instead of the photographer! Wanting to hate Reid, the hot, white man who continually keeps getting jobs over her, Cassie also can't resist his undeniable appeal and the hot chemistry that exists between them.
I loved the focus on body positivity, found family, and the challenges women of color face in the workplace. This book checked so many of my boxes and was truly a pure delight to read!
However, that being said, I felt it a bit cringey that the woman whose whole idea the campaign was gets passed over for a man and is forced to be the model if she wants to stay involved. Additionally, her friend shares private boudoir photos without Cassie’s consent. None of that was cool.
If you can get past those plot points (which unfortunately happen all too often IRL) I would still recommend this one, especially for fans of Set on you by Amy Lea. It was great on audio narrated by Jeanette Illidge too.
Much thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I can't wait to see what's next from this author!!
🔥Steam level: a slow burn, open door novel with significant spice!
Set in Chicago, two rival photographers have to work together on a boudoir campaign - the catch? Proud, Black and full-figured Cassie is coerced into being the model instead of the photographer! Wanting to hate Reid, the hot, white man who continually keeps getting jobs over her, Cassie also can't resist his undeniable appeal and the hot chemistry that exists between them.
I loved the focus on body positivity, found family, and the challenges women of color face in the workplace. This book checked so many of my boxes and was truly a pure delight to read!
However, that being said, I felt it a bit cringey that the woman whose whole idea the campaign was gets passed over for a man and is forced to be the model if she wants to stay involved. Additionally, her friend shares private boudoir photos without Cassie’s consent. None of that was cool.
If you can get past those plot points (which unfortunately happen all too often IRL) I would still recommend this one, especially for fans of Set on you by Amy Lea. It was great on audio narrated by Jeanette Illidge too.
Much thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I can't wait to see what's next from this author!!
🔥Steam level: a slow burn, open door novel with significant spice!
September 6, 2023
I really struggled with this one. I think the idea was there with the plot but the execution just rubbed me the wrong way.
The way the storyline went just had me feeling like the FMC was getting life handed to her and it was all very unfair. Could not get over it and ultimately had to dnf.
The way the storyline went just had me feeling like the FMC was getting life handed to her and it was all very unfair. Could not get over it and ultimately had to dnf.
June 30, 2024
Is it possible to hate a character so much? Reid you are an ignorant, no back bone, asshat. I’m still so pissed I read this whole damn book and he didn’t even change?? BOOOO.
Cassie was a badass woman who is not only independent, but smart, kind, and worked her ass off.
The writing in this book is not bad, but Reid’s character made me angry at every turn. I just can’t.
Cassie was a badass woman who is not only independent, but smart, kind, and worked her ass off.
The writing in this book is not bad, but Reid’s character made me angry at every turn. I just can’t.
June 22, 2022
When I read the description for this book I was definitely interested by the representation of body positivity and racially. I loved the character of Cassie and felt like she was strong (even if she didn’t always stand up for herself the way I wanted). I was less impressed with her love interest Reid which did make the story drag for me a bit. Sometimes I think romance books are a bit like horror stories when you get the scene and the character is making the dumbest choice and you want to scream at them to make a better choice and I definitely had that moment in this book. Reid and Cassie are both photographers and Cassie’s best friend has a new lingerie line coming out and wants Cassie to be the art director for the campaign but the company producing the line wants to use the guy they always use and trust Reid. All of this leads to my wanting to scream at the characters moment when Reid agrees to work with Cassie and take extra money to babysit her and report any problems with the overall vision to the company.
August 14, 2022
I wish I could say that I enjoyed this book, but unfortunately I REALLY didn't. Cassie was treated like sh*t by everyone in her life, and then she just got over it?
The plot/pacing/decisions just felt wrong in so many ways, and I'm not sure how some pieces didn't get taken care of in the editing phases. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend.
The plot/pacing/decisions just felt wrong in so many ways, and I'm not sure how some pieces didn't get taken care of in the editing phases. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend.
May 4, 2022
I have to be honest, this was a complete cover read for me. When I saw the cover I just had to read it.
Danielle Jackson is a new-to-me author, and I cannot wait to read more of her books. I so enjoyed this fun and sexy read. Both the hero and the heroine are flawed and imperfect AND I LOVED IT! I don't usually read contemporaries but I'm so glad I read this one! If you're looking for a good summer/beach read, this is it!
Such a great book!!!
ARC provided by Berkley. Thanks!
Danielle Jackson is a new-to-me author, and I cannot wait to read more of her books. I so enjoyed this fun and sexy read. Both the hero and the heroine are flawed and imperfect AND I LOVED IT! I don't usually read contemporaries but I'm so glad I read this one! If you're looking for a good summer/beach read, this is it!
Such a great book!!!
ARC provided by Berkley. Thanks!
September 20, 2022
Loved the grand romantic gesture at the ending. Super cute!
July 17, 2022
**ARC provided thru NetGalley.
The overall plot of The Accidental Pinup felt clunky and rushed. The romance nonexistent and unconvincing. I truly did not care for Reid during nor by the end of the book. I get the author tryying to make him redeemable because of the way he grew up but.... yeah, no. Cassie was cute but her and Reid had no chemistry on page.
Also, what rivarly? like these two didn't even know each other outside of being mentioned in the same spaces because they were photographers. And trust I get the whole argument of Black women having to work just as hard espeically in white spaces but there was no rivarly here. like none. Also, why is this Black woman in Chicago with NO Black friends...like come on now.
Anyolway’s, bonus point for inclusivity and I guess; the diversity of it all. The proper boxes have been checked off here.
Typical predictable ending and if I’m being honest, much of TAP is meh. In this readers humble opinion, not a memorable read.
The overall plot of The Accidental Pinup felt clunky and rushed. The romance nonexistent and unconvincing. I truly did not care for Reid during nor by the end of the book. I get the author tryying to make him redeemable because of the way he grew up but.... yeah, no. Cassie was cute but her and Reid had no chemistry on page.
Also, what rivarly? like these two didn't even know each other outside of being mentioned in the same spaces because they were photographers. And trust I get the whole argument of Black women having to work just as hard espeically in white spaces but there was no rivarly here. like none. Also, why is this Black woman in Chicago with NO Black friends...like come on now.
Anyolway’s, bonus point for inclusivity and I guess; the diversity of it all. The proper boxes have been checked off here.
Typical predictable ending and if I’m being honest, much of TAP is meh. In this readers humble opinion, not a memorable read.
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 11, 2022DNF
As a photographer this book made me cringe so much and made me sooo uncomfortable. I couldn't finish
As a photographer this book made me cringe so much and made me sooo uncomfortable. I couldn't finish
September 5, 2022
Why does every single romance have to have a third act breakup? 😭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Shelved as 'abandonados'
July 20, 2022dnf al 33%
Estoy bastante triste porque realmente quería que me gustara este libro :( La premisa es increíble y tenía todo para poder ser un romance como los que nos gustan pero el problema fue que los protagonistas de plano no tienen química. Leer al 33% y que un libro de romance no me deje picada es durísimo para mí.
Dejando de lado eso, el tema de la visibilidad de cuerpos plus size, el positivismo alrededor de la comida y la inclusión que este libro propone es asombroso y necesario en mas libros de romance.
*se va triste*
Estoy bastante triste porque realmente quería que me gustara este libro :( La premisa es increíble y tenía todo para poder ser un romance como los que nos gustan pero el problema fue que los protagonistas de plano no tienen química. Leer al 33% y que un libro de romance no me deje picada es durísimo para mí.
Dejando de lado eso, el tema de la visibilidad de cuerpos plus size, el positivismo alrededor de la comida y la inclusión que este libro propone es asombroso y necesario en mas libros de romance.
*se va triste*
August 8, 2022
2.5 stars. i wish i liked it more. it made me reminiscent of savvy sheldon feels good as hell by taj mccoy which i also didn’t love.
though cassie was an exciting and root-worthy plus size character, i was just very over all the trials and tribulations of being fat. i did root for her but over a man who’s been taking jobs from her and being able to cruise through life even though she’s doing a better job at it? hmmmm seems unrealistic. also maybe spoilers but her parents were rich too like no one is really struggling in this book lol
i also didn’t care for reid all that much. the start of the book felt negative from the get go and i wish there were more swoonworthy moments. it didn’t feel as romantic as i had hoped for. also the grand gesture at the end truly was not enough for me.
writing was good, i’m just a bigger fan of more dialogue. i think because of jackson’s writing style, it felt like the book was moving a little slower than it really was. i wanted to like this so much. the cover and synopsis gave me so much hope! there was truly a lot more “company politics” than i wanted.
though cassie was an exciting and root-worthy plus size character, i was just very over all the trials and tribulations of being fat. i did root for her but over a man who’s been taking jobs from her and being able to cruise through life even though she’s doing a better job at it? hmmmm seems unrealistic. also maybe spoilers but her parents were rich too like no one is really struggling in this book lol
i also didn’t care for reid all that much. the start of the book felt negative from the get go and i wish there were more swoonworthy moments. it didn’t feel as romantic as i had hoped for. also the grand gesture at the end truly was not enough for me.
writing was good, i’m just a bigger fan of more dialogue. i think because of jackson’s writing style, it felt like the book was moving a little slower than it really was. i wanted to like this so much. the cover and synopsis gave me so much hope! there was truly a lot more “company politics” than i wanted.
September 7, 2022
Woof. Got this rec’d by Entertainment Weekly and no thanks.
The first few chapters (and the chapters are long BTW) were a LOT of dense background, mostly of the career variety. Then at some point, one of the characters thought, “I wonder if we’ll talk about that near-kiss” and I responded with, “What near-kiss?” Apparently, it wasn’t near enough for me to register it as such. At that point, I don’t think it was even clear there was some kind of spark between these 2 people. (Come to think of it, was there ever?)
Probably because it was all telling and no showing. Characters not developed in the slightest… they were their careers and that’s it. Suddenly, it would be like “they hung out over the past 2 weeks…” what? So you’re not going to show us anything about how their relationship developed in those 2 weeks? Just tell us it happened? OK.
I prefer my rom-coms with actual substance and emotion, sorry. This was poorly written AND dull.
The first few chapters (and the chapters are long BTW) were a LOT of dense background, mostly of the career variety. Then at some point, one of the characters thought, “I wonder if we’ll talk about that near-kiss” and I responded with, “What near-kiss?” Apparently, it wasn’t near enough for me to register it as such. At that point, I don’t think it was even clear there was some kind of spark between these 2 people. (Come to think of it, was there ever?)
Probably because it was all telling and no showing. Characters not developed in the slightest… they were their careers and that’s it. Suddenly, it would be like “they hung out over the past 2 weeks…” what? So you’re not going to show us anything about how their relationship developed in those 2 weeks? Just tell us it happened? OK.
I prefer my rom-coms with actual substance and emotion, sorry. This was poorly written AND dull.
June 9, 2022
3.75 stars rounded up
August 11, 2022
It feels a bit like insta-lust and that does not work as well for me given that the pairing is more rivals/enemies-to-lovers. I loved the body-positive lingerie elements in this a lot though so your mileage may vary.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
September 12, 2022
This was a big miss for me, which stings even more because I have been looking forward to it for months. I have a few issues with the book, but the most pervasive is that it insists upon telling, telling, telling, instead of showing or letting the reader experience what the characters are feeling. It has no guts, no beating heart that makes the stakes matter, and the romance compelling. I drifted along, vaguely bored the whole time, and not caring at all of Cassie and Reid got together at the end.
The premise is so great, and Cassie as a character is solid. This all beings to break down once other people are introduced though, with a lot of repetitive descriptions, and narrative recaps of conversations rather than living them alongside the characters. I genuinely didn’t understand why Cassie and Reid even liked each other, not because they are bad, but because we never got to see them appreciate each other in real time, we just got told about their feelings.
The pacing was weird, and we spent a lot of time in one little scene and then skip along weeks or months and just get a recap of what has been happening. It felt like a show that you watch an occasional episode of, so you vaguely know what’s happening, but you have a hard time tracking story arcs.
I did love Cassie, and she makes a lot of great points about the misogynoir she faces, but then it doesn’t go anywhere. Her friend group is fun, though a bit one dimensional, and the book takes diversity for granted in a way that I love. And the body positivity is nice, but could have been developed a lot more, especially in the sex scenes, when it seemed like any two characters could have been subbed in most of the time. Truly so much potential, which made the disappointment worse for me. If it hadn’t been for a book club, I would have DNF’d.
The premise is so great, and Cassie as a character is solid. This all beings to break down once other people are introduced though, with a lot of repetitive descriptions, and narrative recaps of conversations rather than living them alongside the characters. I genuinely didn’t understand why Cassie and Reid even liked each other, not because they are bad, but because we never got to see them appreciate each other in real time, we just got told about their feelings.
The pacing was weird, and we spent a lot of time in one little scene and then skip along weeks or months and just get a recap of what has been happening. It felt like a show that you watch an occasional episode of, so you vaguely know what’s happening, but you have a hard time tracking story arcs.
I did love Cassie, and she makes a lot of great points about the misogynoir she faces, but then it doesn’t go anywhere. Her friend group is fun, though a bit one dimensional, and the book takes diversity for granted in a way that I love. And the body positivity is nice, but could have been developed a lot more, especially in the sex scenes, when it seemed like any two characters could have been subbed in most of the time. Truly so much potential, which made the disappointment worse for me. If it hadn’t been for a book club, I would have DNF’d.
August 31, 2023
DNF half an hour into the audiobook bc of Hannah B's review. If you're gonna write interracial romances, do something more interesting than giving the white dude all the power 🥴
Also this white man (MMC) got to keep the money he made off the Black woman's (FMC) ideas?? Gtfo
Also this white man (MMC) got to keep the money he made off the Black woman's (FMC) ideas?? Gtfo
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