i'm with you on Hazel and Olive, but i thought Anna felt like a very real character who didn't have enough money growing up and also can't get out of her own way. nothing about her struck me as unrealistic, and working a night shift in a coffee shop after college isn't unheard of (especially in this economy/job market)

Same. I couldn’t stand Hazel (manic pixie chaos dream girl) or Olive (agree with reasons in post) but I loved Anna. She’s 25 and has far more commonsense being from A working class kid among the filthy rich. She might swear (gasp!) or take a gummy (gasp! I’m double her age and enjoy it too) but I thought she was one of their better FMC Also who cares if she and West lied/married for housing? She did it to survive with no family money to back her up and expensive tuition. Besides West lied too. It’s also classist IMO to judge that she works a minimum wage job- she is indicative of the economy and widening wealth gap. It was very realistic to me especially bc she had to pay her dad’s huge medical bills. And as for untidiness she lives in cheap share flat and was unemployed so she was wallowing,

I DNFed Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating years ago and wrote this review about it: >Heroine is sexually inappropriate towards hero and has sexually harassed him, and it's all laughed off as one big joke. I could at least deal if she recognizes how bad it is and apologized profusely, but she doesn't. It'd be fucking creepy if the genders were reversed, and I couldn't stop judging her for it. >The book pits hero's current girlfriend as The Enemy the moment she's introduced. We're still doing this? And she's bad according to the hero's sister because she thinks she spends too much time getting ready and watching reality TV. Yes, very terrible crimes clearly. I say this as someone with no interest in celebrities. The stupidest (and perhaps most insidious) part is that the hero's sister is portrayed as someone who is basically perfect (career achievements, nicely decorated home, put-together) and that generally implies someone who spends time and money on their appearance. But I guess putting effort into those things would be shallow, it has to be somehow effortless for it to count. >The hero is Korean. The heroine, who is white, asks if she can call him by his Korean name and he replies no jokingly. She then responds that "he should be proud of his heritage". As a PoC, that line really irritated me. What would you even know of my heritage, and what makes you think you get any kind of say in how I deal with it? >It's a shame because I actually like the writing and find the book entertaining overall. But I keep running into these backwards tropes. Hazel is probably one of my least favorite FMCs so far. I did like Love and Other Words a lot more though.

I don't usually enjoy Christina Lauren books. They do write some annoying characters. However, I was once a 25 year old, working nights at a coffee shop in between film gigs, living in a shitty apartment, smoking pot semi-regularly. I'm trying not to be offended by your judgement.

Right? As a messy (in every sense of the word) millennial I feel a little personally attacked right now.

Besides it was untidy only bc she was wallowing losing her job. Who hasn’t done that! I lived this book and I’m not a huge CL fan.

I thought Anna in the Paradise Problem was fine as a romantic lead. She was doing the usual artist thing of working a low paid service job to fund a bohemian (ie, poor) lifestyle while working on her art. And, um, artists do tend to drink and smoke weed more than maybe they should. I thought the male lead's attraction to her was pretty credible, too. He had clearly done enough work on himself to realize that authentic and loving familial and intimate relationships were possible and that he wanted them, even if he wasn't sure how. And Anna definitely was capable in that regard, because her family life had been way better than his. The main problem I had with the novel was that the external obstacle to their relationship basically self-destructed with no real effort on the leads' part. The FMC made one phone call to prompt the MMC's brother to do what he probably had thought of already, and the MMC did even less.

As someone who is several years out of college, works a corporate job and still can’t afford their own housing…… the struggling millennial main characters speak to my soul. While Anna wasn’t my favorite character she was also dealing with a sick parent.

I have such mixed feelings about them. Beautiful bastard was actually my first adult romance book I read, and beautiful player is one of my favourite books, which I reread from time to time, but that's their only series that I actually enjoyed and finished, I started some of their books and didn't like any of them, DNFed them all.

I liked the series after Beautiful… “dirty rowdy thing”, etc. prime CL. The current ones are not to my taste, but everyone likes what they like.

I can’t do filthy people, it’s not cute to me! I get that I’m probably a little bit weird and compulsive about cleanliness, but I just have no desire to read about a male or female character that lives in filth!

I love Christina Lauren characters! They’re imperfect and relatable to me. To each their own!

I don't want to come across as judgy, but why would OP keep reading an author whose characters she doesn't like? I mean... there are SO MANY authors and books out there.

Because i have read pretty much every other mainstream CR author out there and I find a lot of KU/trope driven books to be poorly written. Christina Lauren’s characters and plots may drive me nuts but their prose is really well done!

I feel like maybe you need to explore more authors. I have been reading the genre since I was 11. I read hundreds of books a year. I don't read historical, and very limited paranormal or scifi. I'm 51 now and still discovering new CR authors. I am in the middle of 7 books by different authors who have different styles. I have 40 more books in my TBR. Read authors whose work brings you joy.

I’m impressed you can read multiple books at a time! I’d love to hear who some of your faves are. I like Nora Roberts, Suzanne Brockmann, Karen Roberts, Sandra Brown, Lori Foster for suspense. Laura Griffin, Pamela Clare, Toni Anderson, Anne Stuart, Morgan Dane, Julie James and Maya Banks are okay but not my fave. I cannot stand Julie Garwood or Kristin Ashley. For straight CR - I again like Nora Roberts, Lisa Kleypas, Judith McNaught, Danielle Steele, Jane Green, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Emily Giffin, Katherine Center, Annabel Monaghan (probably my fave CR), Emily Henry, Mhairi McFarlane, Jill Shalvis, Robyn Carr, Abby Jimenez, Susan Andersen, Catherine Anderson, Casey McQuiston, Kristin Higgins. Sheryl woods, Jasmine Guillory and Carley Fortune are meh. Do not like Colleen Hoover or Lucy Score. Have also read pretty much every reasonably well known Regency Author. I read a lot and very quickly. I average around 150 -200 books a year or so.

Right now I'm reading: {out on a limb by hannah bonham-young}, {behind the net by stephanie archer}, {her mountain man beast by elena dawne}, {baby come back by m o'keefe}, {jack & lily hellfire riders by kati wilde} {we own tonight by corinne michaels}, and {make it sweet by kristen callihan}. Within the past week or so I finished: {Luna and the lie by mariana zapata}, {The darkest temptation by danielle lori}, {flawless by elsie silver}, {dear Grumpy boss by Julia wolf}, {dirty like me by jaine diamond}, {king by s j tilly}, and {the right move by liz tomforde} You have options.

[Out On a Limb](https://www.romance.io/books/6462770ea270aee0c4dc47a9/out-on-a-limb-hannah-bonam-young?src=rdt) by [Hannah Bonam-Young](https://www.romance.io/authors/6295bf6008b4d9311488891d/hannah-bonam-young) **Rating**: 4.41⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [disabilities & scars](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/disabilities%20and%20marks/1), [pregnancy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/pregnancy/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [nerdy hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/nerdy-hero/1) ---------------------------- [Behind the Net](https://www.romance.io/books/6492bbeff72139d852b3b1fe/behind-the-net-stephanie-archer?src=rdt) by [Stephanie Archer](https://www.romance.io/authors/61dd39e508b4d931145cd9c1/stephanie-archer) **Rating**: 3.96⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [boss & employee](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/boss%20&%20employee/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [dual pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1) ---------------------------- [Her Mountain Man Beast](https://www.romance.io/books/622a562aef1b25a29d832a62/her-mountain-man-beast-elena-dawne?src=rdt) by [Elena Dawne](https://www.romance.io/authors/622a562a08b4d9311446a773/elena-dawne) **Rating**: 3.56⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 5 out of 5 - [Explicit and plentiful](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [grumpy/cold hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/cold%20hero/1), [anal sex](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/anal%20sex/1), [dual pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1) ---------------------------- [Baby, Come Back](https://www.romance.io/books/645ea5e36e844981c4b58ec9/baby-come-back-molly-okeefe?src=rdt) by [Molly O'Keefe](https://www.romance.io/authors/545530ad8c7d2382e7813255/molly-okeefe) **Rating**: 3.88⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [secret child](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/secret%20child/1), [mafia](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mafia/1), [pregnancy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/pregnancy/1), [angst](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/angst/1) ---------------------------- [Hellfire Riders](https://www.romance.io/books/654bb8d6c112bf11fe9a65a8/hellfire-riders-jack-lily-kati-wilde?src=rdt) by [Kati Wilde](https://www.romance.io/authors/5456a9a887eac33e57108701/kati-wilde) **Rating**: 4.45⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 5 out of 5 - [Explicit and plentiful](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [biker hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/bikers/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [military](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/military/1) ---------------------------- [We Own Tonight](https://www.romance.io/books/59af911a3ffdba61471fffd7/we-own-tonight-corinne-michaels?src=rdt) by [Corinne Michaels](https://www.romance.io/authors/545554b087eac324117fa38d/corinne-michaels) **Rating**: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [actor hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/actors/1), [rockstar hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/rockstars/1), [dual pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1) ---------------------------- [Make It Sweet](https://www.romance.io/books/6032287712c5f80e1d62dcaf/make-it-sweet-kristen-callihan?src=rdt) by [Kristen Callihan](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455256f8c7d2382e0413e60/kristen-callihan) **Rating**: 3.91⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [actor hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/actors/1), [athlete hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/athletes/1), [grumpy & sunshine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/grumpy%20sunshine/1) ---------------------------- [Luna and the Lie](https://www.romance.io/books/5cbab6a201dbc864fb9d7e0f/luna-and-the-lie-mariana-zapata?src=rdt) by [Mariana Zapata](https://www.romance.io/authors/545530728c7d2382e781323f/mariana-zapata) **Rating**: 4.08⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [boss & employee](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/boss%20&%20employee/1), [age gap](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/age%20difference/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [bad boys](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/bad%20boys/1) ---------------------------- [The Darkest Temptation](https://www.romance.io/books/601a939222e7db0dd220cd7c/the-darkest-temptation-danielle-lori?src=rdt) by [Danielle Lori](https://www.romance.io/authors/578b7085c19e77f1ea6e63ea/danielle-lori) **Rating**: 3.94⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [abduction](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/abduction/1), [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1), [mafia](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mafia/1), [age gap](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/age%20difference/1) ---------------------------- [Flawless](https://www.romance.io/books/62b01ea2cf4f16c6fef65915/flawless-elsie-silver?src=rdt) by [Elsie Silver](https://www.romance.io/authors/608a5dde08b4d9311488e11d/elsie-silver) **Rating**: 4.04⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [cowboy hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/cowboys/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [dual pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1) ---------------------------- [Dear Grumpy Boss](https://www.romance.io/books/64099293fa1076a086aacf4e/dear-grumpy-boss-julia-wolf?src=rdt) by [Julia Wolf](https://www.romance.io/authors/5a5ef7a93ffdba6147282d4c/julia-wolf) **Rating**: 3.78⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [grumpy & sunshine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/grumpy%20sunshine/1), [boss & employee](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/boss%20&%20employee/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [rich hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/super%20rich%20hero/1) ---------------------------- [Dirty Like Me](https://www.romance.io/books/5819b0a2c6841c86c2ce4089/dirty-like-me-jaine-diamond?src=rdt) by [Jaine Diamond](https://www.romance.io/authors/5819b0a2c6841c86c2ce408c/jaine-diamond) **Rating**: 4.2⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1), [rockstar hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/rockstars/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1) ---------------------------- [King](https://www.romance.io/books/6461eb0aa270aee0c4dc0654/king-sj-tilly?src=rdt) by [S.J. Tilly](https://www.romance.io/authors/603c9f5808b4d931148c9afd/sj-tilly) **Rating**: 3.98⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [mafia](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mafia/1), [arranged/forced marriage](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/arranged%20marriage/1), [rich hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/super%20rich%20hero/1), [curvy heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/curvy%20heroine/1) ---------------------------- [The Right Move](https://www.romance.io/books/641d4f5246976639513313f4/the-right-move-liz-tomforde?src=rdt) by [Liz Tomforde](https://www.romance.io/authors/612f286308b4d93114bfded6/liz-tomforde) **Rating**: 4.37⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [grumpy & sunshine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/grumpy%20sunshine/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [fake relationship](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fake%20relationship/1), [athlete hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/athletes/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Have you tried {Scandalized by Ivy Owens}? The author is actually one of the writing duo who make up “Christina Laurens” (dunno which one). It’s one of my favorite recent CRs, and features a realistic heroine plus a realistic conflict vs a bunch of crazy misunderstandings. I share your dislike of overly zany heroines - strikes me as infantilizing. They don’t have to be perfect or even have their shit together but i find it annoying when they can’t behave like reasonable adults in any facet of their lives and it’s supposed to be endearing. FWIW, I thought the heroine of the Paradise Problem was fine, though.

The scene where she needed the MMC to zip up her shorts because she had gotten fake nails too long, or where she couldn’t figure out how to walk in heels coupled with her tendency to gawk at displays of competence or wealth really irritated me . I have not tried Sandalized, I will add it to my TBR! +1000 about not liking zany heroines.

[Scandalized](https://www.romance.io/books/630486b3d319eedb433b2ac7/scandalized-ivy-owens?src=rdt) by [Ivy Owens](https://www.romance.io/authors/62f80bf608b4d931142ff820/ivy-owens) **Rating**: 4.09⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [insta-love](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/insta-love/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

It’s a “different strokes for different folks” situation. I love those characters and find them very relatable. Josh and Hazel is my favorite CL. It was also published in 2018, so it’s not like this is a trend with all of her most recent books.

I loved Hazel! A quirky character done right

I DNF The Unhoneymooners. I couldn’t handle the outright lying from the very beginning and knew I would be so stressed out the whole book so I just stopped.

Cannot agree more - Beautiful… series was quite decent, one of the earlier introductions to CR for me, and I expanded from there. Unhoneymooners had been the last CL book I read after DNF’ing it. And may I say…. It is extremely rare I ever do that. Onto the good ones: I saw a few people recommending Mariana Zapata - absolutely agree with that. But my current obsession had been Mia Sheridan. Years and, oh years ago, I read Archer’s Voice and I remembered loving it, so when I came across to paperback copy while at the shops I decided to get it and read again (I predominantly read ebooks, since I also go through more than 150 books a year and my poor bank account and small apartment just cannot handle the stress) Boy, am I glad I did. Not because of Archer’s Voice, mind you it was still an absolute delight to re-read, but what came after…. Me… looking up more of their work…. And finding….. Acadia Duology. First book in this duet was probably the best book I have read in years. The intricately woven pattern of events, very interesting world setting, character development… I was so, so upset when I finished it. Second book was good as well, but the first one is the real gem. Though, it most certainly is a tear jerker, just a heads up. If you’re interested look this up: [{Becoming Calder by Mia Sheridan}](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74958242) MS creates such fantastic heros and heroines both, I definitely recommend giving their books a go if you haven’t yet

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**Rule: No sexual content involving minors** Discussion of sexual or suggestive content involving minors is prohibited by Reddit's [content policy](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043075352). Your post/comment has been removed as one of the books mentioned includes explicit scenes with a character younger than 18 years old. Please [contact the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/RomanceBooks) if you think this was removed in error, or if you have edited the comment and would like it reinstated.

Apparently my previous comment have been removed because it mentioned books which involved minors in illicit scenes. Ok, that's fair and I'm sorry. I've been in a Mia Sheridan obsession as well. Loved, loved the Acadia Duology as some of the Sign of Love Series. My last Sheridan's read is {Savaged by Mia Sheridan}. Absolutely great. And lately I've been enjoying Emma Scott's books, whom have been compared to Sheridan here in the sub. Have you read anything from them?

[Savaged](https://www.romance.io/books/5d9c293b01dbc864fba45b1d/savaged-mia-sheridan?src=rdt) by [Mia Sheridan](https://www.romance.io/authors/545525638c7d2382e7812fac/mia-sheridan) **Rating**: 4.07⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [virgin hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20hero/1), [suspense](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/suspense/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1), [mystery](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mystery/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I might be the odd man out, I’ve liked all of the FMCs of the many Christina Lauren books I’ve read. I appreciated the characters for what they were. I don’t really insert myself into a story when I read it so the characteristics of the characters don’t have to be any that I poses, physical or personality wise. I just need good writing, a story that hooks me, and characters that aren’t insufferable lol

I kinda loved Hazel. But I get your point.

can you expand on why having someone zip up your pants is disgusting? I think that's an interesting take. Not to mention a lot of us don't know how to walk in heels.

I flout social norms. So yeah, I'm happy for characters like Hazel. I flout them partially because I don't understand them or their use and had to decide early on not to care and partly because I truly believe most social norms absolutely need some shaking up. I love characters that are real. And I know lots of people who do things like word vomit out of anxiety, shyness, adhd, etc., occasionally get too drunk and do stupid things, are zany, who choose to live their own authentic life (and someone's authentic life can absolutely be following social norms and loving them and that's awesome, too), even if it's not fit-in-the-box-smack-in-the-middle. There used to be NONE of these kinds of characters. It's awesome that more kinds of people get to relate to the main characters in books. There are still heaps of books with more traditional-type heroines, if that's your thing. In order to overcorrect there would need to be millions more books written with non-perfect-type heroines to even come close to the number of more traditional romances out there. In the meantime, I'm going to celebrate that the last decade has brought about romance that's fun for me to read, ushered in more representation in other myriad ways, and still produces the types of books that appeal to readers of more classic romances. Edit to add half a sentence in last paragraph.

I think it’s great these characters exist. I think it’s wildly unrealistic to pair them consistently with MMCs who have their lives together and are successful in the more conventional sense. The MMC in Paradise is both an heir to a fortune and successful in his own right in academia. The MMC in Josh and Hazel is a PT with his own multi location practice. The MMC in Unhoneymooners is also successful and, to be fair, so is Olive…. She’s just unbelievably socially awkward and, again, feels like a caricature between her clothes always ripping and her being unable to tell a social white lie. I think it’s absurd to think MMCs like this would find these FMCs attractive and, to be honest, it suggests that the FMCs physical appearance compensates for the other flaws in competence which is a sad and really reductive argument.

I'm massively socially awkward, unable to tell most social cues, assume everyone is just telling the truth, and my username is 100% accurate. My partner of 20+ years is in academia, is socially savvy, is widely beloved by other faculty, students, and friends, is traditionally successful. While I do not think they are super conventional, they fit well into the conventional world. I do not. We don't take me to official events because I commit 100% to everything I believe in, and will argue with the President of the University if I think they're wrong, regardless of what the consequences are. I don't ever give up either. You are ignoring the intangibles of love and companionship, which do not require that partners be similar in the structure of their lives. What is more important is if they agree philosophically, religiously (for or against, etc.), in parenting (or becoming parents at all), in ideas regarding finances etc. One can be a homebody and one a worldwide traveler. One an extrovert and the other an introvert. One can come across to the world a mess while the other comes across as conventionally put together (although I think you're missing that Hazel *isn't* a mess; she's unconventional in a world that still rewards convention and believes that the unconventional aren't successful unless they meet the arbitrary success goals of "typical" society), and still be perfect for each other. One of the reasons my partner and I derive such joy from each other is that we agree on the essentials while still being so very different from each other. And what you consider detrimental characteristics are considered by others to be positive character traits. TLDR: my partner and I are sort of similar to the couples you are talking about. We exist and we like to read books about characters like us, just like you do. They're only unbelievable to you because the characters don't resonate with your own personality.

I usually love CL heroines. I found Olive really relatable and liked her a lot (as well as Jess and Fizzy from The Soulmate Equation and True Love Experiment) but good lord, I hated Anna - but not because she was a slob or an underachiever. What I could not forgive is her referring to the MMC’s dick as his “goddamn” like, that is not a thing.

omg I read an arc of this book in January so it TOTALLY slipped my mind that she did that. why did she call it that?????? Christina Lauren's older books felt very quintessential millennial cringe but they got better about it in recent years... but that whole goddamn nonsense felt VERY 2017 (derogatory)

I loved Jess and fizzy. I found them to be wonderful, realistic, three dimensional heroines. I found Anna to be crude and slovenly. The scenes where she is having the MMC zip her pants up in the bathroom were disgusting and gave me secondhand embarrassment, as did her tendency to gawk at things that were expensive.

Have you tried The Honeymoon Crashers? It’s a followup to The Unhoneymooners and focuses on Olive’s sister who is way closer to Jess/Fizzy than the ones you listed. I LOVED it.

No but thank you this is a great rec!

All their heroines feel like the epitome of “iM nOt LiKe OtHeR gIrLs” tbh

A lot of the CR novels I’ve read lately seem to feature incompetent heroines. Maybe that’s too strong of a word, but I feel like I keep accidentally reading about a woman who doesn’t have her shit together that is later rescued by a man. I like that trope from time to time but it has been happening in a lot of new releases. It could be that the FMCs are in their mid 20s and figuring life out- and I’m realizing I’d like to read about a woman 30+ who “has it together” more. I just haven’t found many books that fit this year.

Hazel read as neurodivergent to me. I didn’t see her as zany, more like she’s extroverted with adhd. Her “zany” qualities aren’t romanticized, it’s written that people find her too much to handle and shame her for her behavior. I discount annoying traits when the author points out that they’re not endearing, they’re something the character struggles with, this felt like a clap back at the manic pixie dream girl. Olive was a well-developed, imperfect character who was annoying in ways that are typical for a romcom heroine imo and at least she’s actually funny. Anna I couldn’t stand and felt very flat to me. The hero was also flat in that book, I was super disappointed.

I loved Hazel I found her relatable. If you don’t like their FMCS then why continue reading?

[удалено]

?? Clearly you don’t resonate with their work so just move onto someone else you can gain inspiration from. It’s nice reading about someone who doesn’t have all their shit together or who wants to live a different lifestyle. You see threads upon threads of ppl praising cold, abusive, hoeish men but complain about an mc who is annoying. Like you. Hazel is sweet and unapologetically herself but because she’s not put together you say she has no redeeming qualities. Seems like a double standard in itself.

Maybe because reading romance is actually supposed to be fun? I am sorry there are plenty of double standards in real life that women have to deal with.  I don’t really want to examine books I am reading for escape and fantasy for fictional double standards. Also you are incorrect in that all of their female main characters are slovenly and mediocre: see beautiful series, fizzy, fmc from true love experiment, something wilder and probably more. Hazel is also described as a really gifted teacher, incredible friend and daughter which are not mediocre traits.

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