What do you think?
Rate this book
The Manhattan Svenssons #1
I Hate, I Bake, and I Don’t Date!
Yeah, my billionaire boss did it to me in his office twice in one day.
I even screamed when it happened. The whole office heard me.
No, not that.
He fired me.
Yep.
Beck Svensson fired me right before rent was due and in the middle of a rainstorm.
That’s why he’s at the top of my hate list, along with pickles, people who steal other people’s lunches out of the office fridge, and trying to fold a fitted sheet.
But you know what? It’s fine—totally fine. It’s freedom! I could do anything! I could start a bakery or farm the mushrooms growing in my soggy apartment carpet.
Or I could just show up at the temp office at hate o’clock in the morning for a new assistant job.
I hope my new boss will be less of a buzzkill than the last.
Except guess who is waiting for me when I show up in the lobby of a swanky office building.
That’s right, Mr. Grumpy Boss himself.
Beck is appalled that I’m back in his life. Again.
I can tell he wants to fire me. Again.
Except now he has two little surprise sisters bouncing around him and no one to watch them except yours truly.
While I strongly dislike kids and actively hate my boss, I’m willing to abandon my principles for a big paycheck and a hefty expense account.
But when Beck needs me to pretend to be the love of his life to keep from losing his sisters, I’m not sure a big windfall is going to cut it.
After all, I bake, and I don’t date. Ever.
Besides, I hate Beck. No way am I pretending to be his girlfriend.
…but I love the little girls.
I also love the huge kitchen in Beck’s swanky penthouse that I claim as mine when I move in.
And I really love running my hands over his washboard abs and that thing he does with his tongue.
Wait! No! I hate it, totally absolutely hate it, right? Right?
This is a full-length, enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy, complete with hot, snarly guys with hearts of gold, a heroine who you’ll want to be besties with, and a happily ever after better than a giant slice of chocolate cake! Though this is intended to be a stand-alone book, it does take place after the recently completed Svensson Brothers series.
I even screamed when it happened. The whole office heard me.
No, not that.
He fired me.
Yep.
Beck Svensson fired me right before rent was due and in the middle of a rainstorm.
That’s why he’s at the top of my hate list, along with pickles, people who steal other people’s lunches out of the office fridge, and trying to fold a fitted sheet.
But you know what? It’s fine—totally fine. It’s freedom! I could do anything! I could start a bakery or farm the mushrooms growing in my soggy apartment carpet.
Or I could just show up at the temp office at hate o’clock in the morning for a new assistant job.
I hope my new boss will be less of a buzzkill than the last.
Except guess who is waiting for me when I show up in the lobby of a swanky office building.
That’s right, Mr. Grumpy Boss himself.
Beck is appalled that I’m back in his life. Again.
I can tell he wants to fire me. Again.
Except now he has two little surprise sisters bouncing around him and no one to watch them except yours truly.
While I strongly dislike kids and actively hate my boss, I’m willing to abandon my principles for a big paycheck and a hefty expense account.
But when Beck needs me to pretend to be the love of his life to keep from losing his sisters, I’m not sure a big windfall is going to cut it.
After all, I bake, and I don’t date. Ever.
Besides, I hate Beck. No way am I pretending to be his girlfriend.
…but I love the little girls.
I also love the huge kitchen in Beck’s swanky penthouse that I claim as mine when I move in.
And I really love running my hands over his washboard abs and that thing he does with his tongue.
Wait! No! I hate it, totally absolutely hate it, right? Right?
This is a full-length, enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy, complete with hot, snarly guys with hearts of gold, a heroine who you’ll want to be besties with, and a happily ever after better than a giant slice of chocolate cake! Though this is intended to be a stand-alone book, it does take place after the recently completed Svensson Brothers series.
553 pages, Paperback
Published September 7, 2021
1,923 people are currently reading
3,000 people want to read
About the author
Alina Jacobs
84books1,355followersIf you like steamy romantic comedies with a creative streak, then I'm your girl!
Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books�
Sign up for my mailing list to get special bonus content, free books, giveaways, and more!
Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books�
Sign up for my mailing list to get special bonus content, free books, giveaways, and more!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 446 reviews
August 26, 2021
DNF@38%
I tried really hard to like this book. It just seemed really disorganised and unplanned to me. The heroine is wildly irresponsible and whiny. I just completely got over her when she got drunk while she was supposed to be baby-sitting 2 kids.
There was a lack of details in this book, like it was never mentioned how old Annie was. It was never mentioned(at least within the part I read) how the hero and his brothers just *got* custody of their sisters, with zero intervention from CPS or Social Services? There are also a lot of inconsistencies, like why on earth was the heroine and her friend Maeve living in such a trashy apartment, while they both had passable, above-minimum-wage jobs as well as sharing rent. They were working for such a seemingly established company, and for what we are to assume, at a salary that shouldn't be sneezed at...it makes ZERO SENSE why they would be living at such a horrible place.
Their "romance" also felt very inorganic and forced to me. I just couldn't feel any chemistry whatsover.
I tried really hard to like this book. It just seemed really disorganised and unplanned to me. The heroine is wildly irresponsible and whiny. I just completely got over her when she got drunk while she was supposed to be baby-sitting 2 kids.
There was a lack of details in this book, like it was never mentioned how old Annie was. It was never mentioned(at least within the part I read) how the hero and his brothers just *got* custody of their sisters, with zero intervention from CPS or Social Services? There are also a lot of inconsistencies, like why on earth was the heroine and her friend Maeve living in such a trashy apartment, while they both had passable, above-minimum-wage jobs as well as sharing rent. They were working for such a seemingly established company, and for what we are to assume, at a salary that shouldn't be sneezed at...it makes ZERO SENSE why they would be living at such a horrible place.
Their "romance" also felt very inorganic and forced to me. I just couldn't feel any chemistry whatsover.
August 29, 2021
I went into this blind thinking I was going to be reading about a snarky enemies to lovers romance. But hooboy, this whole story (especially, the background of the H!) is ridiculous. The plot seems to be all over the place. I’m honestly baffled by the high ratings because I didn’t think there was anything particularly swoony about the story. Sorry to the fans.
September 7, 2021
This is banana-pants but I could not look away. If the central couple had been less awful (especially him, whose name I have forgotten but who is a trash person) I would have rated this higher because I was indeed very entertained.
October 1, 2022
Whoa.. This book was a mess. It's my first read from Alina Jacobs and I thought it was a standalone read, but when I got a few chapters in, I realized I was missing some backstory here. So I was instantly annoyed, because I thought "Oh, this is part of a series and it's not labeled correctly."
I guess I was right and then I also wasn't, because the author does claim that this book is a standalone, but also the first of a new series, but then again not really because there's also a novella that comes before this one. BUT, there's also several other books that claim to be part of several other series that feature a lot of the same characters and are all built on the same storyline-ish (the cult thing). Are you confused yet? Because same.
So to back up, is this book a standalone story? No, absolutely not and let's not pretend that it is.
In addition to that, there are also SO MANY side characters, like 30+ and that's too many for a "standalone" book. Now if I had read all of the other books (we're talking like another 15 books BEFORE this one) then maybe I'd feel like I understood this storyline and even care about some of these characters, but oof, I didn't care, BECAUSE I DIDN'T READ THE OTHER STORIES IN THE OTHER SERIES THAT I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT. Mostly because the author herself claims I didn't need to.. But I CLEARLY needed to.
And those are all of the problems before we even get to the horrible main characters of this particular book. The FMC has a clear eating disorder that the author doesn't even acknowledge. It's actually played off like it's a cute quirk. Speaking of quirks, this FMC has a lot of them, like all of the different quirks authors frequently use packed into one character. It was too much and she instead came across like an idiot. Then the MC was just totally unlikeable and I couldn't connect, but I do wonder if he had had a better FMC then maybe I could've almost liked him. Unsure, but there was something there. Kind of like when you end up loving the bad guy in a story because he's so compelling? This wasn't that, but it could have been. All of that and I haven't even mentioned what a complete disaster the end of this book was. I felt like I was staring at the pages with an open mouth while reading the last few chapters because it was so horrible and I just.. couldn't. I just could not with this book.
A shit show end to a shit show book. Fitting, in its own way.
Overall, do not recommend. Though, if you had already read all of this author's previous books, you might love this one, because it clearly builds on the same world she's been writing in her other books. I'm not sure how you could love that ending, but who knows? I'm not here to yuck on someone's yum.
I guess I was right and then I also wasn't, because the author does claim that this book is a standalone, but also the first of a new series, but then again not really because there's also a novella that comes before this one. BUT, there's also several other books that claim to be part of several other series that feature a lot of the same characters and are all built on the same storyline-ish (the cult thing). Are you confused yet? Because same.
So to back up, is this book a standalone story? No, absolutely not and let's not pretend that it is.
In addition to that, there are also SO MANY side characters, like 30+ and that's too many for a "standalone" book. Now if I had read all of the other books (we're talking like another 15 books BEFORE this one) then maybe I'd feel like I understood this storyline and even care about some of these characters, but oof, I didn't care, BECAUSE I DIDN'T READ THE OTHER STORIES IN THE OTHER SERIES THAT I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT. Mostly because the author herself claims I didn't need to.. But I CLEARLY needed to.
And those are all of the problems before we even get to the horrible main characters of this particular book. The FMC has a clear eating disorder that the author doesn't even acknowledge. It's actually played off like it's a cute quirk. Speaking of quirks, this FMC has a lot of them, like all of the different quirks authors frequently use packed into one character. It was too much and she instead came across like an idiot. Then the MC was just totally unlikeable and I couldn't connect, but I do wonder if he had had a better FMC then maybe I could've almost liked him. Unsure, but there was something there. Kind of like when you end up loving the bad guy in a story because he's so compelling? This wasn't that, but it could have been. All of that and I haven't even mentioned what a complete disaster the end of this book was. I felt like I was staring at the pages with an open mouth while reading the last few chapters because it was so horrible and I just.. couldn't. I just could not with this book.
A shit show end to a shit show book. Fitting, in its own way.
Overall, do not recommend. Though, if you had already read all of this author's previous books, you might love this one, because it clearly builds on the same world she's been writing in her other books. I'm not sure how you could love that ending, but who knows? I'm not here to yuck on someone's yum.
September 1, 2021
Ok here it goes:
It’s ok to LOVE baked good. I do.
But this is clearly someone with an eating disorder.
It isn’t cute. It isn’t funny. And the author just pretends it’s a cute trait of the main character. It isn’t.
At one point this woman eats everything from a menu. EVERYTHING. And she wants more food, because she admittedly ‘uses food as a coping mechanism�
Neither of the main characters are particularly likable.
The whole Svenson family with the over 30 members is weird, the backstory isn’t fully explained.
Plot point go unresolved.
I had to force myself to finish this.
It’s ok to LOVE baked good. I do.
But this is clearly someone with an eating disorder.
It isn’t cute. It isn’t funny. And the author just pretends it’s a cute trait of the main character. It isn’t.
At one point this woman eats everything from a menu. EVERYTHING. And she wants more food, because she admittedly ‘uses food as a coping mechanism�
Neither of the main characters are particularly likable.
The whole Svenson family with the over 30 members is weird, the backstory isn’t fully explained.
Plot point go unresolved.
I had to force myself to finish this.
September 29, 2021
Could not finish. It made absolutely no sense. The characters were totally unlikeable and acted ridiculously.
All side characters were thrown in without an explanation as to who they were, etc.
We just get like 20 children thrown at us and a small sentence about their Father being a cult leader? Like literally no lead up, the boss walks into an office and there’s a bunch of children?
Why would the Author not bring up that storyline prior to them appearing? We’re supposed to believe he’s been looking for these girls “forever� and yet as soon as he sees them, he’s satisfied and wants nothing to do with them.
Heroine is a moron and bird brained. We get it, you like cake.. but chill. A few mentions of (maybe) an ex who could also be a stalker..? but no explanations in that conversation with her coworker - who I believe is also her bunk bed roommate? - for us to understand what’s happening.
There is hardly any meaningful/important internal dialogue, all of it seems to be just scattered thoughts and her thinking about cake and what is clearly jealousy of every female who speaks to Hero.
You get asked to babysit and start handing out food to someone else’s kids, and then when they say don’t feed them that, you scream at them and say “don’t tell me what to do?� Who the fu** just hands random peoples kids fried foods, and then when the parent/guardian complains, you scream at them like you know what’s best.. even after you’ve said 20 times that you hate kids and don’t know what to do with them?
Sorry but really, wtf did I just try to read?
All side characters were thrown in without an explanation as to who they were, etc.
We just get like 20 children thrown at us and a small sentence about their Father being a cult leader? Like literally no lead up, the boss walks into an office and there’s a bunch of children?
Why would the Author not bring up that storyline prior to them appearing? We’re supposed to believe he’s been looking for these girls “forever� and yet as soon as he sees them, he’s satisfied and wants nothing to do with them.
Heroine is a moron and bird brained. We get it, you like cake.. but chill. A few mentions of (maybe) an ex who could also be a stalker..? but no explanations in that conversation with her coworker - who I believe is also her bunk bed roommate? - for us to understand what’s happening.
There is hardly any meaningful/important internal dialogue, all of it seems to be just scattered thoughts and her thinking about cake and what is clearly jealousy of every female who speaks to Hero.
You get asked to babysit and start handing out food to someone else’s kids, and then when they say don’t feed them that, you scream at them and say “don’t tell me what to do?� Who the fu** just hands random peoples kids fried foods, and then when the parent/guardian complains, you scream at them like you know what’s best.. even after you’ve said 20 times that you hate kids and don’t know what to do with them?
Sorry but really, wtf did I just try to read?
October 21, 2021
DNF
I don’t think there’s a book that got my blood boiling and my second hand embarrassment worse than this one.
Our hero was apparently raised in a cult and we really just brushed by that in one sentence in the beginning so I thought it wasn’t important. Turns out it’s an integral part of the story but we never get any explanation. All of a sudden, like 20 little kid sisters show up and our hero and his brothers, also from the cult, have to take care of them. Where were these sisters before? These people are not equipped to raise their little sisters, no matter how much money they have.
Our heroine literally makes me want to punch a wall. I’m against her in every way. She is the cause of my pain. Shes painted as a quirky girl who likes to bake and eat and has curves, but goddamn she eats like 15 meals a day and it’s just frustrating. Like how are you this hungry? It points to her needed help. As someone curvier, it’s nauseating how much she eats. And she’s also just so irresponsible, it just makes me so upset. Not a lovable character.
As for how the book is written, I am always confused. Scenes just go by and we’re expected to know so much when in reality I don’t know anything. So many things are skipped or brushed past only for them to emerge 2 chapters later and it’s just so confusing.
The cartoon cover fooled me, this was not a cute book and brought me nothing but pain. I really wish I could go back and erase it from my memory.
I don’t think there’s a book that got my blood boiling and my second hand embarrassment worse than this one.
Our hero was apparently raised in a cult and we really just brushed by that in one sentence in the beginning so I thought it wasn’t important. Turns out it’s an integral part of the story but we never get any explanation. All of a sudden, like 20 little kid sisters show up and our hero and his brothers, also from the cult, have to take care of them. Where were these sisters before? These people are not equipped to raise their little sisters, no matter how much money they have.
Our heroine literally makes me want to punch a wall. I’m against her in every way. She is the cause of my pain. Shes painted as a quirky girl who likes to bake and eat and has curves, but goddamn she eats like 15 meals a day and it’s just frustrating. Like how are you this hungry? It points to her needed help. As someone curvier, it’s nauseating how much she eats. And she’s also just so irresponsible, it just makes me so upset. Not a lovable character.
As for how the book is written, I am always confused. Scenes just go by and we’re expected to know so much when in reality I don’t know anything. So many things are skipped or brushed past only for them to emerge 2 chapters later and it’s just so confusing.
The cartoon cover fooled me, this was not a cute book and brought me nothing but pain. I really wish I could go back and erase it from my memory.
January 17, 2022
This book is bad. So, so, bad. Bad enough that I wonder if all the positive reviewers are all secretly plants by the author. I probably should have just DNF it but I was committed to this train wreck.
A random list of wtfuckery:
1. Neither main character is likable.
2. Obvious eating disorder is used for shits and giggles all the time.
3. Grown adults sound like middle schoolers when they don't know any other word for breasts than 'tits'.
4. I was 100% convinced that Mauve was Tess' imaginary friend because no one ever spoke to her except for Tess and she was always randomly around. It was only at the 95% mark when Beck referred to Mauve as Tess' friend. Also, they slept in bunkbeds.
5. How did all these guys become billionaires?
6. There are so many brothers it reminded me of when I played the Sims and would make huge households of random people so that my actual character would have people to sleep with and/or murder.
7. Where did the sisters come from? How did they get custody of the sisters? How old are the sisters? None of this makes sense.
8. Tess and Beck are painfully unprofessional. In fact, EVERYONE is unprofessional, which brings me back to #5, how did these guys all become billionaires?
9. There is no character development.
10. This line that immediately followed orgasms, "The reason I’m the boss is because I always close the deal." Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
A random list of wtfuckery:
1. Neither main character is likable.
2. Obvious eating disorder is used for shits and giggles all the time.
3. Grown adults sound like middle schoolers when they don't know any other word for breasts than 'tits'.
4. I was 100% convinced that Mauve was Tess' imaginary friend because no one ever spoke to her except for Tess and she was always randomly around. It was only at the 95% mark when Beck referred to Mauve as Tess' friend. Also, they slept in bunkbeds.
5. How did all these guys become billionaires?
6. There are so many brothers it reminded me of when I played the Sims and would make huge households of random people so that my actual character would have people to sleep with and/or murder.
7. Where did the sisters come from? How did they get custody of the sisters? How old are the sisters? None of this makes sense.
8. Tess and Beck are painfully unprofessional. In fact, EVERYONE is unprofessional, which brings me back to #5, how did these guys all become billionaires?
9. There is no character development.
10. This line that immediately followed orgasms, "The reason I’m the boss is because I always close the deal." Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
August 31, 2021
I actually enjoyed this (same) story the first couple of times I read a book by this author. Except it had a (couple of) different name(s). This series is long past contrived and predictable at this point. You have the poor girl who loves to cook/bake and is desperate for a job to pay off her massive family/student loan debts. She goes to work for one of the possibly one hundred brothers in this series. He's maladjusted, socially awkward and rude but of course totally hot and a billionaire. He needs a cook/nanny to help him take care of his gazillion younger brothers, but despite being richer than god, just can't find the right girl for for job. Enter our pretty and plucky heroine. Despite baking up a storm every day (Seriously? Where does she find the time?) and being an emotional eater only ever gains weight in her boobs, and stays ridiculously hot herself. He falls in lust with our girl's hot body and in love with her amazing cooking and even better parenting/nanny skills, screws up their happy relationship, but grovels, then all is forgiven. He pays off her debt and they live happily ever after in their weird little commune.
Seriously, what is the point in writing a dozen (I'm not actually sure how many are in the series, but there's more than a few) books with the same plot? And considering there are still a couple dozen more brothers and sisters I guess we can expect a lot more. I honestly can't even keep track of the ones I've already read because the heroine is essentially the same character every time. Her name might be different but her story is the same.
There should be a law against such a profound lack of creativity and originality.
Seriously, what is the point in writing a dozen (I'm not actually sure how many are in the series, but there's more than a few) books with the same plot? And considering there are still a couple dozen more brothers and sisters I guess we can expect a lot more. I honestly can't even keep track of the ones I've already read because the heroine is essentially the same character every time. Her name might be different but her story is the same.
There should be a law against such a profound lack of creativity and originality.
September 8, 2021
While this book started off amusing and had quite a few laugh out parts, they were unfortunately unable to save some of the bigger missteps.
This book was supposed to be a standalone but it never really felt like it. Also, this book felt very much like a set up for the books that would feature some of the other brothers that were based in manhatten; too many names and too many unnecessary characters clogging up the book. Then there were the various plotlines that seemed to fizzle out halfway through and never really got fully resolved. Characters were introduced seemingly just to make some half hearted point that never really felt too focused.
The biggest issue I have were the main characters. In a genre such as romance, contemporary or otherwise, compelling characters can make or break a book. The plot can be linear but if the characters are faceted and interesting enough to make us believe in and root for them, a lot can be forgiven. I very much felt both the FMC and MC started regressing instead of growing halfway through the book. The FMC in particular got whinier and even towards the end, I don't believe she even started learning about responsibility. Even at the very end of the book, i felt the relationship of the couple rather shallow and I wasn't fully convinced they would end up staying with each other.
Pity though, it started great and the banter was amusing.
This book was supposed to be a standalone but it never really felt like it. Also, this book felt very much like a set up for the books that would feature some of the other brothers that were based in manhatten; too many names and too many unnecessary characters clogging up the book. Then there were the various plotlines that seemed to fizzle out halfway through and never really got fully resolved. Characters were introduced seemingly just to make some half hearted point that never really felt too focused.
The biggest issue I have were the main characters. In a genre such as romance, contemporary or otherwise, compelling characters can make or break a book. The plot can be linear but if the characters are faceted and interesting enough to make us believe in and root for them, a lot can be forgiven. I very much felt both the FMC and MC started regressing instead of growing halfway through the book. The FMC in particular got whinier and even towards the end, I don't believe she even started learning about responsibility. Even at the very end of the book, i felt the relationship of the couple rather shallow and I wasn't fully convinced they would end up staying with each other.
Pity though, it started great and the banter was amusing.
Read
August 6, 2022Oh geez, okay I was fooled by the cover and the premise. The book was a hot mess and not the kind that's cute. The spicy scenes I skipped over because I didn't even care at that point. I loved the characters of enola and Annie, Bella and Dana.. Even Vera and Ethel... Basically all the supporting ones.
I didn't care for Beck or Tess. I didn't care for the crazy abuse background that was casually mentioned. Nothing was explained, no work was actually done, for self made billionaires. The characters had zero chemistry.
I should have DNF but it was like a train wreck where I kept wanting to know how much worse it could get.
I didn't care for Beck or Tess. I didn't care for the crazy abuse background that was casually mentioned. Nothing was explained, no work was actually done, for self made billionaires. The characters had zero chemistry.
I should have DNF but it was like a train wreck where I kept wanting to know how much worse it could get.
February 6, 2024
this was so chaotic in literally every way possible. Some parts were great, but were immediately followed up by the most cringe statement ever.
I did finish it, so i guess that's a testament to something
I did finish it, so i guess that's a testament to something
May 24, 2023
This book is just really, really bad. And on top of that, it would have been nice to know there were about 20 books before this that would have made the plot make more sense. This was presented as a standalone and most definitely does not read like it!
I did a little goodreads stalking once I determined there were many other books on the Svensson brothers and I swear every book talks about the girl being a baker and the guy being a billionaire. It seems as though the same plot is repeated over and over again.
Also, I had absolutely no idea how old Beck's two sisters were that he took care of and I am still trying to determine how the main character could eat like that and still look like she did on the cover. Nothing added up and the writing gave me the ick almost every page. GOOD RIDDANCE!
I did a little goodreads stalking once I determined there were many other books on the Svensson brothers and I swear every book talks about the girl being a baker and the guy being a billionaire. It seems as though the same plot is repeated over and over again.
Also, I had absolutely no idea how old Beck's two sisters were that he took care of and I am still trying to determine how the main character could eat like that and still look like she did on the cover. Nothing added up and the writing gave me the ick almost every page. GOOD RIDDANCE!
Shelved as 'dnf'
February 13, 2022At the 30% mark, main character was supposed to be babysitting. Instead, she ignored the girls ALL DAY LONG and while they were in their rooms, she got drunk and shopped online. Then she failed to see where she had done anything wrong when the guy came home. Yeah, I couldn’t read anymore after that. Had to DNF it.
January 23, 2024
super corny and sometimes made me cringe but it was cute
January 28, 2024
finalement je l'ai fini, c'était une catastrophe
September 20, 2021
I wanted to like this but...the binge eating was out of control
So the premise was good, I like a grumpy boss but he was just so unlikable for too much of the book. She was such a hot mess in every aspect, Like a mess, finances, clothing, home life., like come on, make her competent at something. The biggest problem I had with this book was her binge eating. I understand this was supposed to be a comedy but I have a real issue with the constant binging as � cute�. Like midnight eating, eating a dozen cupcakes, these are real issues, it's not cute, The amount of food this woman ate would have made her as big as a house, everyone know billionaires love large women. All she did was eat in every scene, it was just ridiculous. It was such an over done theme that it took you out of the story. We're we supposed to believe Beck thought it was cute that she ate 24/7? It was like the author could not give her any other personikty trait.
So the premise was good, I like a grumpy boss but he was just so unlikable for too much of the book. She was such a hot mess in every aspect, Like a mess, finances, clothing, home life., like come on, make her competent at something. The biggest problem I had with this book was her binge eating. I understand this was supposed to be a comedy but I have a real issue with the constant binging as � cute�. Like midnight eating, eating a dozen cupcakes, these are real issues, it's not cute, The amount of food this woman ate would have made her as big as a house, everyone know billionaires love large women. All she did was eat in every scene, it was just ridiculous. It was such an over done theme that it took you out of the story. We're we supposed to believe Beck thought it was cute that she ate 24/7? It was like the author could not give her any other personikty trait.
October 15, 2021
Dude� this book was wild. All over the place, very confusing plot line and way too much going on.
November 15, 2021
this book was an absolute dumpster fire:
i actually really liked the premise of this book and was excited to read it, and it was certainly a wild ride to say the least. First, the plot was all over the place. There were so many characters it was hard to keep up. The fact that they were all the product of a polygamist cult leader was absolutely bizarre. I decided to keep reading because I thought it may get better but sadly it did not. Tess and Beck just never seemed like they were ever really in love with each other. It went from "omg i hate him !!!" to "I wanna bone him" to "omg i love him" with no bridge or buildup in between. I don't even think the 2 of them ever had an honest to god normal conversation. Then he just gave away her mother's painting with no thought as to if she would be upset?? And don't even get me started on the dialogue from the fight when she finds out.
honestly, the whole book read like a wattpad story written by a middle schooler
i actually really liked the premise of this book and was excited to read it, and it was certainly a wild ride to say the least. First, the plot was all over the place. There were so many characters it was hard to keep up. The fact that they were all the product of a polygamist cult leader was absolutely bizarre. I decided to keep reading because I thought it may get better but sadly it did not. Tess and Beck just never seemed like they were ever really in love with each other. It went from "omg i hate him !!!" to "I wanna bone him" to "omg i love him" with no bridge or buildup in between. I don't even think the 2 of them ever had an honest to god normal conversation. Then he just gave away her mother's painting with no thought as to if she would be upset?? And don't even get me started on the dialogue from the fight when she finds out.
honestly, the whole book read like a wattpad story written by a middle schooler
September 6, 2021
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I love all of Alina’s books and this one was just amazing. I loved the writing and all the hilariousness that is in this book. I laugh so hard in her books and this one just made me laugh harder. I loved every second with the hero and heroine. They were a great couple and they were funny together. I loved how the sisters come into this story. It was nice getting to know them better.
I received a review copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I love all of Alina’s books and this one was just amazing. I loved the writing and all the hilariousness that is in this book. I laugh so hard in her books and this one just made me laugh harder. I loved every second with the hero and heroine. They were a great couple and they were funny together. I loved how the sisters come into this story. It was nice getting to know them better.
I received a review copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 1, 2021
DNF oh my gosh. The writing at the beginning was awkward. Then a few f bombs then detailed body description so I can only guess where it’s headed so done with that. Ugh. And what the heck with the like 500 different characters that all come from a polygamist family??? This book has disaster written all over it. Back to the authors I know are safe. When are books going to start being rated????
January 11, 2024
Am I supposed to like these characters? Am I supposed to like anything about this book?
August 27, 2021
A farce but hilarious at times.
I am a faithful reader of Alina's books but this one didn't sit well with me. I found the character of the female lead exhaustively annoying. Emotionally and socially, Tess behaved throughout the book as a 14-year-old, in fact I know young teenagers who are more mature than she was portrayed. Her compulsive cake eating for comfort and excessive need for junk food and snacks sends the wrong message today when so many young people battle obesity. It is called addiction, when we turn to alcohol and drugs to cope with problems, so turning to food can be no less damaging. I know that rom-com and romantic literature present a kind of escapism and there is a certain degree of over the top, lack of realism built into the plot but even the storyline was way beyond plausible and far too long. Home schooling has some legal requirements and obligations attached, like following a certain curriculum and subjects with regular exams. Coding and high-level business studies wouldn’t be allowed to replace history, literature, sciences and mathematics. Bringing Tess’s nemesis, her stepfather, into the plot as the brother of the commune girl’s lost mother, along with the complications that bring was another level of absurd twist. I got 67% into the book by the time the protagonists, Tess and Beck began to give in to their attraction for each other. There is an equally far-fetched HEA, which at least, brings all the commotion to a resolution. Furthermore, the English, vocabulary, writing skills, good editing, and the hot and steamy description of their connection tip the balance towards a more positive experience.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I am a faithful reader of Alina's books but this one didn't sit well with me. I found the character of the female lead exhaustively annoying. Emotionally and socially, Tess behaved throughout the book as a 14-year-old, in fact I know young teenagers who are more mature than she was portrayed. Her compulsive cake eating for comfort and excessive need for junk food and snacks sends the wrong message today when so many young people battle obesity. It is called addiction, when we turn to alcohol and drugs to cope with problems, so turning to food can be no less damaging. I know that rom-com and romantic literature present a kind of escapism and there is a certain degree of over the top, lack of realism built into the plot but even the storyline was way beyond plausible and far too long. Home schooling has some legal requirements and obligations attached, like following a certain curriculum and subjects with regular exams. Coding and high-level business studies wouldn’t be allowed to replace history, literature, sciences and mathematics. Bringing Tess’s nemesis, her stepfather, into the plot as the brother of the commune girl’s lost mother, along with the complications that bring was another level of absurd twist. I got 67% into the book by the time the protagonists, Tess and Beck began to give in to their attraction for each other. There is an equally far-fetched HEA, which at least, brings all the commotion to a resolution. Furthermore, the English, vocabulary, writing skills, good editing, and the hot and steamy description of their connection tip the balance towards a more positive experience.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 12, 2024
Ok, I've seen all the bad reviews, and I agree with them. The plot is all over the place. The whole story is a disaster. Tess is whiny and irresponsible. Beck is an ass in so many ways. It's a whole mess. But and huge, but I cackled the ENTIRE book. It was an absolutely hilarious disaster. The more I read, the more I wanted to stop, but I couldn't. I was laughing so hard at Tess' antics and the stress Beck was going through.
Not just Beck was stressed, but all of the Svensson brothers were stressed. The best part of the book was the guys' little sisters, especially Enola and Annie. They made me smile! Yes this book had so much wrong with it, but at the end of the day, it had me laughing so hard. Because of that, 5 stars because I can't breathe from laughing so hard. This book was a disaster 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Not just Beck was stressed, but all of the Svensson brothers were stressed. The best part of the book was the guys' little sisters, especially Enola and Annie. They made me smile! Yes this book had so much wrong with it, but at the end of the day, it had me laughing so hard. Because of that, 5 stars because I can't breathe from laughing so hard. This book was a disaster 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
January 2, 2024
I wanted to like this book. It had a unique premise. But that is the only thing going for it. Unless it was a caricature and I missed the joke? Tbh I skimmed thorough about the last 2/3, trying to see if it got better. Everything was over the top. It never got better.
If it was worth mentioning/doing in this book, it was overdone, multiple times (binge eating, crazy fashion mishaps, sneaky bossy unfeeling men, wild but brilliant children, horrible childhoods, crazy old people etc � all things that could be done well, but felt more like they were thrown in there and then supersized.)
If it was worth mentioning/doing in this book, it was overdone, multiple times (binge eating, crazy fashion mishaps, sneaky bossy unfeeling men, wild but brilliant children, horrible childhoods, crazy old people etc � all things that could be done well, but felt more like they were thrown in there and then supersized.)
March 28, 2024
I can’t believe an adult wrote this..and I, an adult, read it. All of it.
It was so bad I sometimes thought it was intentional. I will forever remember Beck who not only escaped a cult(?!), he also became a billionaire alongside all of his brothers. They didn’t even have a TV growing up, but they did make billions in the tech industry.
And this is the least insane thing in the book. But it was impressive to see a protagonist’s whole personality summarized in the title.
It was so bad I sometimes thought it was intentional. I will forever remember Beck who not only escaped a cult(?!), he also became a billionaire alongside all of his brothers. They didn’t even have a TV growing up, but they did make billions in the tech industry.
And this is the least insane thing in the book. But it was impressive to see a protagonist’s whole personality summarized in the title.
July 5, 2022
Plot jumps around. Characters that you think will have a big part are introduced and then never heard from again (crazy ex boyfriend) but the 🌶 is 💯. Also literally dead that they’re ex FLDS members. What a wild book.
February 24, 2024
This was bonkers and I absolutely loved it! Funny, weird, sweet, spicy. I'm not entirely sure how the roof of your apartment can leak when it rains if you have upstairs neighbors, but I don't care about any of the unlikely stuff. A great binge read.
March 21, 2025
3.75*
I enjoyed this book. I skimmed over a fair few of the spicier scenes because I just felt like they were repetitive and at one point, happened every chapter but didn't seem to add anything more to the story. A fun read though and I am a fan of the authors writing.
I enjoyed this book. I skimmed over a fair few of the spicier scenes because I just felt like they were repetitive and at one point, happened every chapter but didn't seem to add anything more to the story. A fun read though and I am a fan of the authors writing.
January 12, 2024
Corny, cute, and I actually laughed out loud.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 446 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.