Mini reviews: Only Mostly Devastated and The First Date

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

Ollie is out. Will is not. In fact, he is beyond terrified of being outed. So when Ollie, his summer fling, transfers to his school, Will turns up the jock jokes, the mask, in an effort to deflect any possibility of their secret coming out. 

This was a super cute story of falling in love with a side story of family grief. The way the warm fuzzies of Ollie and Will are intertwined with the gut-wrenching ordeal of a family member with cancer was incredibly and carefully written.

I adored this story; the “Grease” influence was subtle and adorable, everyone’s feelings were equally valid – even when Will was a right idiot – and the friendships were spot-on. The trio of girls that Ollie befriends were all amazing in their own right, and Will’s basketball buddies weren’t just meathead jocks. I mean, there were moments but the whole toxic masculinity in sports thing was handled and then dismantled, as it turns out that men have feelings too!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The First Date by Zara Stoneley

Rosie needs help. After a long term relationship ends, Rosie finds herself in the mysterious and dangerous world of dating but ends up being ghosted. Noah rescues her ego and she agrees to allow him to teach her the ways of men. Fun and witty, this book delves headfirst into the realms of online dating, the different expectations of men and women, and loving yourself before expecting someone else to love you too.

I expected a lot from this and unfortunately it didn’t quite deliver. Rosie and Noah were entertaining to read but I didn’t root for them, nor did I really learn anything about them. The one trait that Rosie had were some major daddy issues, which was constantly bought up, which might make her somewhat relatable but it was very annoying and when that’s the most interesting thing about you? That you’re constantly comparing men, especially Noah, to her dirt bag of a father? No thanks.

Also, Noah’s “teaching”: I found some of his advice sexist and also just non-existent; how is it helpful to push a friend to ask out a guy, without any hints of any kind? And then, to be angry with her for agreeing to a date! Sure, he likes her and is pettily jealous but don’t go all passive-aggressive on her for it!

Despite the lack of proper character development, I did enjoy this. It didn’t quite live up to the promise of the synopsis but a cutesy, fun read nonetheless.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.