Review: Arranged

Arranged by R.K. Lilley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have been excited to read this book since I first learned about it (despite the reading slump, hoarding for the TBR pile is still in full force). When my first real breather in several weeks happened a few days, I sat down with it and prepared to get mindblown.

Sooo...I liked it but yet, just can't get to the loved-it-and-I-need-to-make-everyone-read-it-too level. The antagonism between the two main characters was understandable at the very start of the story, considering their situation. Unfortunately, it just took a while for their background stories to come up in the narration. I usually sort of go back to those things when characters become negative. But although the chemistry between Calder and Noura was palpable, I just wasn't feeling Calder's character as a whole. Never mind that he really turned out to be such an a** when I was really counting him not to be.

Yes, there was some sort of epilogue but I just felt like it was too rushed. That was supposed to be Calder's time to shine after his a**holery but it was just put down as a foregone conclusion. I think that would've have actually made a much better read than where this story focused on. The more I think about it, the sadder it makes me that I have "missed" a more detailed part in that point of their story.

I might not be reading this book again anytime soon but if there was something this book achieved for me, it was that it made me sit down and go through a book from cover to cover in one sitting--which is a rare occasion these days. With said looong reading slump, I was only glad for that to happen for the first time in months.

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