Light-hearted, enjoyable, easy read
This story was in some ways your typical young adult/happily-ever-after/rom-com kind of story. However, it was a good story in that genre. It was easy to read and also a quick-read. I read it in the space of the day that I started it. It also was something that made me want to keep reading and I found myself enjoying even if at times I was rather frustrated by the characters and in my infinite wisdom of being much older than Hildy wondered whether long-term things would work out for them and if they didn't how this would impact on both of them. Way to spoil the happily-ever-after ending, Emily!
Hildy was someone I could definitely relate to particularly similar to myself at her age (although as an animal lover, I should point out that I never have and never would throw a fish at someone!) She was both a little annoying and quite likeable and obviously Bob aka Paul was similar. A little stereotypical, arrogant, grumpy male but nice underneath it all.
Did it fall into the typical nice girl trying to find the good side to a guy who is being a bit of an arse? Yes, but unlike many he seemed like he was less of an idiot in reality, and had a good reason for putting up a protective front and not letting down his guard easily. I found myself rooting for the two of them to stop being stupid and get together.
Essentially, it was a guilty-pleasure story. It didn't require any thinking or worrying or pose any challenging questions about life. You had a good idea about how the story would pan out so you could enjoy it without the fear of them killing off half of the characters or something equally dramatic like seems to be the case in a lot of teen fiction I've read recently! It was a worthwhile escape for a few hours.
It was also worth reading for the psychology element of it as I know other has been research in the last few years around the idea of these 36 questions & if they can engineer relationships through them. That idea in itself is fascinating.
Would I recommend it? If you want something light-hearted, quick to read, about some typical & slightly less typical teen-drama, with a happy ending then it's definitely worth it. If you're not a fan of them and prefer your stories a little less predictable then stay away. But I personally really enjoyed it!
Hildy was someone I could definitely relate to particularly similar to myself at her age (although as an animal lover, I should point out that I never have and never would throw a fish at someone!) She was both a little annoying and quite likeable and obviously Bob aka Paul was similar. A little stereotypical, arrogant, grumpy male but nice underneath it all.
Did it fall into the typical nice girl trying to find the good side to a guy who is being a bit of an arse? Yes, but unlike many he seemed like he was less of an idiot in reality, and had a good reason for putting up a protective front and not letting down his guard easily. I found myself rooting for the two of them to stop being stupid and get together.
Essentially, it was a guilty-pleasure story. It didn't require any thinking or worrying or pose any challenging questions about life. You had a good idea about how the story would pan out so you could enjoy it without the fear of them killing off half of the characters or something equally dramatic like seems to be the case in a lot of teen fiction I've read recently! It was a worthwhile escape for a few hours.
It was also worth reading for the psychology element of it as I know other has been research in the last few years around the idea of these 36 questions & if they can engineer relationships through them. That idea in itself is fascinating.
Would I recommend it? If you want something light-hearted, quick to read, about some typical & slightly less typical teen-drama, with a happy ending then it's definitely worth it. If you're not a fan of them and prefer your stories a little less predictable then stay away. But I personally really enjoyed it!