disclaimer: the below opinions are based on a small portion of this book so if you are looking for a more comprehensive review of Determination, i recdisclaimer: the below opinions are based on a small portion of this book so if you are looking for a more comprehensive review of Determination, i recommend you check out reviews from readers who have actually finished it.
dnf
not only does her neck grow "taller" when her father praises (one would expect something along the lines of 'she stood a little taller', or that the praise made her 'straighten her shoulders' etc...). a few pages later we get a scene featuring a man whose "winged ears twitched." on the whole, the writing is very unconvincing. the opening scene struck me as particularly clunky, and there are several corny descriptions, both detailing our mc's actions and her inner thoughts/emotions. that is not to say that Khan is a bad writer or this a bad book. i believe that a more thorough editing process would have improved Khan's storytelling or, at the very least, made her writing smoother and more fluid. ...more
It's-a me, Luce, and-a welcome to my review! Bellissimo!
I wasn't a fan of Mcquiston's previous books (I only managed to finish Red, White & Royal BluIt's-a me, Luce, and-a welcome to my review! Bellissimo!
I wasn't a fan of Mcquiston's previous books (I only managed to finish Red, White & Royal Blue, which was childish, even by romcom standards) but I decided to give their latest novel a chance. However, within just a few pages, I found myself cringing at their humor (dildos...ah-ah) and their portrayal of places outside of America (that whole pub scene in London...why?)...it's giving Emily in Paris. Mcquiston writing once again delivers some serious wattpad vibes, or the kind of character interactions and scenarios that would not be out of place in a romance movie of the netflix original variety.
The introduction of the Italian tour guide sealed my dislike for this book. His welcome: "Ah! The last two! Meraviglioso!" It's the same tired caricature of an Anglo-American's perception of an Italian, which is an amalgamation of clichés based on men from Rome or Naples (who are often portrayed as loud, boisterous, charming, handsy even). Imagine someone from northern italy or from a small southern town, working with or for a British company, greeting clients with a 'meraviglioso!'. Ridiculous, right? He also says "Ciao bella" to Theo because of course he fucking does.
And don't get me started on the cheek-kissing... Americans have misunderstood this whole kissing cheeks greeting. Depending on where you are in Italy, you might do it with family, friends, and depending on the setting, with friends of friends or when your friends are introducing you to someone or whatever. The Italians who work in Britain or with a British/non-Italian clientele wouldn't pull this.
It's frustrating how this Fabrizio character, despite his fluency in English, can't seem to resist sprinkling in Italian phrases/words like 'meraviglioso,' 'ciao,' 'grazie mille,' etc. It feels lazy and perpetuates a shallow stereotype. Frankly, it comes across as puerile, so much so that I doubt whether I'll bother finishing this book. Unless it's revealed later on that Fabrizio isn't actually Italian or is just playing up to the expectations of non-Italians (performing his own Italianness, so to speak), this portrayal is just lazy.
I don't care if you want to make fun of Italy and Italians, go for it. All I ask, is that you be clever, witty even, about it. Don't resort to such tired clichés, which are so unimaginative & unfunny that they could have been generated by AI.
Anyway, YMMV, so if you are the kind of reader who likes Emily in Paris chances are this book will be up your street....more
luce (cry baby)
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