Want an “at a glance” look at what I thought? Check out my Review On A Post-It or my “Final Thought”
Three girls move in together to an apartment in NYC the summer before their freshman year and gear up for their first taste of freedom and being on their own.
I wanted to love this one so much. It had the makings to be a total Jamie book — great NYC setting, set the summer before college, new friends/roomies — but it just wasn’t at all. In the first chapter or so I was digging the “look at all the possibilities spread out before us/yay grand new adventure” vibe and all the traipsing across the city was making me want to be back in New York. And then I kept reading and it just wasn’t at all what I thought it was going to be.
Here’s why:
1. I was honestly bored through most of it — I was expecting this to be a whirlwind summer of new adventures and just trying to figure your shit out. I eat that stuff up. Instead I just found it dragging on and didn’t really find myself enjoying it. I should have put it down but I didn’t bring another book to the pool so I was COMMITTED. I will say that closer to the end things got REALLY interesting to the point I was devouring it but most of the book I was just bored. I mean, the timeline for this book is really short so it’s not like SO MUCH STUFF is going to happen but that’s also why I felt iffy about how much the romances dominated everything in that short time which I’ll talk about below.
2. I thought there was going to be a greater emphasis on the friendships but no: I was really thinking there were going to be some good friend dynamics with this roomie situation and honestly most of this book was about random boys they meet in like the first 5 days they are there and fall hard for (wow how lucky that all 3 just happen to find these dudes so quickly. THAT NEVER HAPPENED TO MY FRIENDS AND I). I can understand that sometimes people are just your roommates and you aren’t bffs with them but the vibe I got from the summary would lead me to believe it was more about the friendships, too. But it also did seem to act like the friendships between the roommates were so great but we got such a shallow view of it in my opinion of it. So, this was more of an expectation thing that let me down. I thought it would be a great friendship book but no.
3. Ugh the romances: I love romances and love stories and the swoons. YOU KNOW THIS. But none of these inspired any swoons or anything other than UGH. Like at least if I didn’t get the friend dynamics I was hoping for I was hoping I’d at least get some good romance if that was what it was going to focus on. The one romance DID take a turn for the interesting but I just still wasn’t invested much at all. I don’t mind insta-love or attraction in lots of cases because I find it to be very realistic (I mean I thought I was in REAL LOVE like 100 times as a teen let’s be real) but I think I just really didn’t dig that the romance was the MAIN THING going on in this novel when there was so much other stuff to explore and the romances didn’t even feel like anything special enough to incite any feels in me.
4. The 3 POVs blended together so much for me: The 3 girls had such different and interesting backgrounds and stories but honestly when I was reading their voices sounded the same. For how different they all were, their voices were not distinct in my mind at all. At certain points I had to really thing like, “okay which girl’s chapter is this??”
+ NYC setting, the concept of this novel (and planned series)
– expectations of what I got vs. what it was, not shipping any of the romance, blending of the main characters voices, finding myself bored
Re-readability: No
Would I buy a copy for my collection? No
Do I plan on reading the sequel? Probably not unless I hear AMAZING things. I do want to know what happens just out of curiosity but not enough to read it.
maybe people looking for a really, really fluffy romance for the beach (but bring a backup just in case!), people looking for a book set in NYC, younger teens maybe (maybe it will seem more glamorous and romantic than it did to this lady?)
It pretty much comes down to my expectations for what I thought this novel was all about –new adventures, taking a stab at independence, friendship, that moment in time before college where there are infinite possibilities, some romance — and what it actually was/how it was executed which was basically a whole lot of romance and pretty skimpy on the other stuff I had hoped for. I knew to expect romance (what I am so normally there for) but I expected more than JUST that. In addition to my expectations, I just didn’t even enjoy the romance storylines and found the POVs to blend too much together. I think there’s so much to explore with the concept of this series but the first book just didn’t do it for me.
* Have you read this one? What did you think? Similar or different from me? I would LOVE to hear regardless!
*If you haven’t read it, does it feel like something you’d be into?
Based on what I had HOPED this book would be like, do you have any recs?
Amber @ YA Indulgences says
Wow. I agree. A lot. I have to admit that I didn’t even make it through the book, I put it away around 40% because it was just not working for me. At all. Like you, I wanted to see some housemate bonding, I wanted to see friendships form, I wanted late nights talking or throwing parties or SOMETHING. I didn’t want this to focus on three girls who all have the same type of thoughts and voice and all find love in like a week. I wanted substance and I didn’t really find any in the 40% I read. I’m going to stop now before I just totally type up my (yet to be written) DNF review. I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. 🙁 Or me. NYC setting, three girls, summer before college….I should have loved it.
Jamie says
Honestly if I wasn’t at the pool and too lazy to walk back to my apartment to get another book I wouldn’t have finished it either. Lesson: ALWAYS BRING A BACKUP BOOK OR MY KINDLE.
YES YES YES to all the things you wanted to see. That’s what I had hoped to see too!! You were smart to quit because UGH. None of that happened. I just…yeah…wow. Not at all what I had hoped for. Glad I’m not the only one! I saw fairly good ratings from friends on my Goodreads.
Michelle @ Pink Polka Dot Books says
I am very hit and miss on this author’s books. There have been some that I LOVED (Like Keep Holding On) and then others that just don’t seem to be ABOUT enough things to keep me interested. This sort of sounds like the latter 🙁
Jamie says
This was my second book from her (the first was All I Need which was just okay..like a fun mindless beach read) but I’m thinking she’s not the author for me honestly. I would skip City Love just based on what you’ve said here. I’m curious to check out Keep Holding On since you did enjoy it.
Allie @ Little Birdie says
I kind of find this is a problem with a lot of Susane’s books. I’m always intrigued by the premise and excited to read it and when I do . . . I’m disappointed. Romance is always such a focus, and yet I never feel like it’s developed well enough for me to care. It’s such a shame, because I think the plots have the potential to be awesome!
Jamie says
This was my second book from her and YES SO MUCH TO WHAT YOU SAID. It’s not like I have a problem with romance as a focus…but it better be damn good if that’s what the whole book is relying on. And agree. Her plots all sound so great but the execution doesn’t seem to be what I hope for.
Kristin @ Simply Bookish Things says
Sad to hear that this one isn’t so great 🙁 Also 3 POV’s. Eh not my thing in a contemporary novel, especially if they blend together too much!
Jamie says
I don’t typically mind multi POVs if they are done well and the voices are distinct and each is compelling and essential. This was just like WAIT WHOSE CHAPTER IS THIS AGAIN?
Katherine says
I read this one right as it came out and I ended up in the middle, a 3 star book for me. I love NYC, so I loved that aspect of course. I did have a lot of trouble with the three perspectives sounding exactly the same and the predictability of the book and the romances. I knew where everything was going the entire time. Plus, I thought it was a standalone so I was kind of upset by the open ending! I’ll probably continue on with the series because sometimes I just need a fluffy read.
Emma @ Miss Print says
This makes me so sad! You are not the first blogger friend I have seen have mixed (or negative) feelings about this one so I am really concerned. I love Susane and I’ll still read it but against all odds I am still desperately hoping to love this one. *bites nails*
Kaitlin @ Next Page Please! says
I agree with you review! I gave this book a 2 or 3 stars? I can’t remember. I really liked the characters but the plot was just not for me. It got predictable and that’s not cool because I am the last person you would ever expect to create a prediction, and the fact that my prediction was correct just means the book is predictable. That took away what was the left to enjoy because I was being proven correct in my predictions more than enjoying the book. I may read the next book just to find out how the girl’s relationships end up to be. Great review! 😀
~Kaitlin
Alison says
Your review brought back all the feelings I had when I read this. I’ve read all of her other books, and have liked a fair number of them, but this one was not great. I really felt like nothing happened the entire book, and then once things finally got a bit interesting, it was over. I really dislike not finishing series, but this one might be a wash for me.