TEST
Maybe it’s appropriate to give a book called Fight or Flight an F. Although in this case, F is for Failure to be worth reading, Full of terrible tropes we should let die, and Frightfully hard to read. The book tricked me with the cutesy, cartoon cover and then delivered a story that was anything but fun. I love this new cover trend, I really do, but maybe if I had taken time to check out who the author was (I’ve heard a few things about her On Dublin Street) I might have been warned that I was not in for the light, modern rom-com I expected.
Where to begin? The book’s description will tell you “The universe is conspiring against Ava Breevort.” Let me correct that. Ava is annoying and insufferable and the sorts of things that happen in the course of everyday life turn her into a brat. Her flight has been delayed by acts of nature, which isn’t anyone’s fault, but she’s busy making it all about her when a man-brat comes in and takes the last first class seat on the plane she wants to catch. So now she hates him and he’s the worst person ever.
The jerk who literally shoves her out of the way and takes the last seat is a Scotsman named Caleb… Scott. And he talks like Jamie Fraser from Outlander, so it’s all “tae” instead of to and “aye” for yes. Apparently the author is Scottish but this came off so silly; I was expecting him to call Ava “Sassenach” and get it over with. He has a terrible attitude and shows no real redeeming qualities. For example, he’s at a meal with Ava and says he is rude to waitstaff because they’re doing their jobs do why should he need to be polite or friendly to them? He describes it as some crappy management technique to make people perform better but all I could hear was ‘get out of there!’ If I go on a date with a guy who is rude to the waiter and then brags to me about what a genius he is for being rude to the waiter, I’m walking out and deleting his number.
These two get off on the wrong foot because of Caleb shoving Ava out of the way for the plane ticket, then again over coffee. They bicker. They bicker again when they sit by each other on the plane. And then they never stop bickering. The book was somewhat readable at the start. I like enemies-to-lovers and I don’t might a little verbal sparring at the start, or a guy who seems like a jerk but comes back from it. The thing is, the fighting just keeps going. And going. The only time there’s a break in the fighting is for screwing – and given I still couldn’t stand either character that wasn’t going to do anything for me. I also want to point out that Ava is one of those women who is drooled over by every guy in the book and is hit on non-stop – yet has been celibate for seven years… until she meets Caleb and her panties melt off, of course. This trope makes me grind my teeth. The gorgeous girl with huge knockers who is the constant recipient of male attention but who keeps herself under a cloche jar until the hero charms her into bed point two seconds after they meet just makes no sense.
I want to share my throw-this-book-across-the-room moment, but I must point out that you may consider it a spoiler, so if you’re worried about that, stop reading now. I’m mentioning it, in spite of our usual avoid-spoilers rule because I consider it a huge, mega, ultra deal-breaker and I don’t know how I could fairly review this book without addressing it.
The second time Ava and Caleb have sex, (I think it’s the second time) they’ve previously had a discussion about protection and getting tested, and he says he’ll show her his paperwork to prove he’s clean. She’s on the pill (of course, in spite of being abstinent) so they say once they’ve done their due diligence they’ll go condom free. Rather than any of that happening, however, Caleb ignores Ava’s desire to use a condom and goes in without one. She tries to stop him and asks him (again) to get a condom. He ignores her – again. She is actually thinking to herself that he never showed her any test results like he promised and stops him and makes him pull out to get a condom, at which point he’s annoyed and harassed at her insistence. Then they both brush it off and go back at it.
Uh…what now?
So we have the ‘hero’ of this book actively ignoring the heroine’s request to use protection more than once, even after she withdraws her consent? Are you friggin’ kidding me? The F here is for Friggin’ kidding me.
I’m sorry, there’s a zero percent chance I’m going to like this dude after this. I kept reading and could not stop thinking about it, and how I would feel in that situation. I don’t find anything about this sexy or romantic.
I want to tell you it got better from here on – but I can’t. Caleb is plain awful. There’s plenty of shaming women, heavy topics that come as a surprise from the look and description of the book, and a general feel that sometimes enemies should just stay that way and be miserable alone, and not become lovers. This book is a mess. I don’t have an F word for ‘I don’t get what people see in this at all,’ but that’s how I feel.
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Grade: F
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 03/12/18
Publication Date: 10/2018
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
Haley K is a librarian-of-all-trades, book reviewer, writer, perpetual student, as well as a pretty crafty chick. She lives in Texas with too many pets and too little sleep.
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I was honestly hoping for the main characters to not end up together(wishful thinking I know). I seriously hated them but the dude was the worst!
I had a hard time getting into the book and then it went more smoothly but the characters weren’t well developed especially the “Hero” who wasn’t much of one except for looks and sex. I persisted because the writing itself wasn’t bad, but the ending was truly an awful car crash. This book looks whatever comes before a first draft in terms of story line and definitely needs a new editor—not for typos but for story development. Very, VERY disappointing, most especially the half-crocked ending which was one of the worst I’ve ever read.
Just for an alternative POV, Kirkus said this: “Passionate, pure, and a perfect addition to the genre; a romance with real heart.” Goodreads gave it a 3.94 out of 5 with nearly 6000 reviews ( (91% liked it). I’ll read it myself to see what I think since I wasn’t on the same base with others about the new Sally Thorne book. And then try to remember to get back to say how it went.
I told a guy that I wouldn’t have sex without a condom and he just went ahead and did it anyway even with me saying ‘Stop, this isn’t safe’ the whole time, and I still haven’t recovered from the trauma, so… yeah, no, not going near this one. Haley, thank you SO MUCH for departing from the usual no-spoiler policy to warn us about this.
That is awful. I am so so sorry that happened to you. Hugs.
It sucks that this one turned out to be a dud. The sex sounds so creepy and coorsive.
Such a shame about this book. Author Penny Reid had highly recommended it and so I took note and was thinking of reading it this upcoming winter break. I’m definitely a reader who puts mutual respect front and center when reading and so this book probably wouldn’t work for me, but people whose opinions I trust and tend to align myself with have really liked this book. I’m very curious now.
Incidentally, I’ve read recently that STDs are on the rise and so it doesn’t surprise me that readers are accepting of sex without protection. Not a good trend.
I absolutely agree! I hated this book.
I only wish I had read your review before I wasted my precious Saturday on it. :(
I have read a few books by this author that I like, there is one in which the issue of protection comes up with the heroine insisting on condoms (trust issues) and the hero absolutely respects her decision (As he should!) which makes it all the more frustrating to read this book and see an author who handled this issue well bungle it completely!
It’s interesting to read the positive reviews. The things that Haley cares about–consent, kindness, women who seem real–aren’t mentioned much. Even in 2018, there is still a huge appetite for alpha-hole heroes, sex unfettered by a need for birth control or protection against disease, and women straight out of traditional male fantasies. I haven’t read this book, but it sounds like the leads are rich–first class seats are prohibitively expensive. Is this a 90s Regency masquerading as a contemp? ;)
Gosh! Great review, Haley, with strong reasons for your F grade. A peek at Amazon shows the opposite POV, pretty much, except for one reviewer posting as Leigh Kramer who gave it one star with a good analysis and admitted she’d received an ARC. Good going for you both for being up front and honest about this book which appears to be a complete car crash.