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Unperfect #1
Unperfect
When Mia shows up for the interview at a well-known architecture firm, she only has 27p, a squashed loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter to her name. She needs this job. Even if she is scared to death of the owner of the company.
Max has made a name for himself as "that grumpy northern architect off Grand Designs", after he told Kevin McCloud that designing affordable, environmentally friendly homes “wasn’t rocket science” and that most of the other projects featured on the programme were for “reight poncy bastads who want to spend a grand on a shite tap.” It turned out that the whole gorgeous-but-rough-around-the-edges-Yorkshire-man vibe was just what the country was looking for – the episode had gone viral and Max was the new, extremely reluctant, pin-up of the building industry.
But to Mia, huge, grumpy men weren’t sexy, they were simply terrifying. She knows from experience that even men of average size can be dangerous. If she wasn’t so desperate, she’d run. She’s used to running. Running away is Mia’s special talent, together with invisibility – survival techniques she’s perfected over the years. So, she’ll put up with Max and his moods, ignore him calling her a teen emo freak (he’s not to know that her black hair used to be honey blonde or her heavy eyeliner isn’t by choice) and just bloody well jog on. Just try to survive. Try to hide.
It’s easy to hide when nobody really sees you. But what happens when Max finally opens his eyes?
Unperfect a full-length contemporary, enemies to lovers, office romance.
Please be aware - occasional swearing and trigger warning for domestic violence.
Max has made a name for himself as "that grumpy northern architect off Grand Designs", after he told Kevin McCloud that designing affordable, environmentally friendly homes “wasn’t rocket science” and that most of the other projects featured on the programme were for “reight poncy bastads who want to spend a grand on a shite tap.” It turned out that the whole gorgeous-but-rough-around-the-edges-Yorkshire-man vibe was just what the country was looking for – the episode had gone viral and Max was the new, extremely reluctant, pin-up of the building industry.
But to Mia, huge, grumpy men weren’t sexy, they were simply terrifying. She knows from experience that even men of average size can be dangerous. If she wasn’t so desperate, she’d run. She’s used to running. Running away is Mia’s special talent, together with invisibility – survival techniques she’s perfected over the years. So, she’ll put up with Max and his moods, ignore him calling her a teen emo freak (he’s not to know that her black hair used to be honey blonde or her heavy eyeliner isn’t by choice) and just bloody well jog on. Just try to survive. Try to hide.
It’s easy to hide when nobody really sees you. But what happens when Max finally opens his eyes?
Unperfect a full-length contemporary, enemies to lovers, office romance.
Please be aware - occasional swearing and trigger warning for domestic violence.
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2021
7011 people are currently reading
18290 people want to read
About the author
Susie Tate
26 books2,015 followersSusie is a top 2 Amazon bestselling author who writes addictive, feel-good contemporary romance with heroes who may make you a little ragey, but who always redeem themselves in the end! She’s been a doctor in the NHS for over twenty years and lives in beautiful Dorset with her wonderful husband, three gorgeous boys and an even more wonderful dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,933 reviews
October 14, 2021
“Though she be but little, she is fierce.” —Shakespeare
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💜🤎💚💛
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌍
Character development: 😍😕🙃☺️🤩
The heroine: Mia (a.k.a Number Five) - just out of an extremely abusive relationship, Mia is hiding from her ex. She has cut her hair, died it black and wears heavy eyeliner. She is homeless and recovering from a vicious attack which left her with some broken ribs and a fractured and dislocated shoulder.
The Hero(es): Max - a brilliant architect with an up and coming firm. Max has recently gained some fame after speaking the truth in his own grumpy growly way. He is prone to outbursts in the office when things aren’t going his way, and he doesn’t think they need an IT person since he is used to things the way they are.
The story: Mia gets a job working at the architectural firm Max co-owns with his friend Verity, using a fake name and altered references though her background in IT is solid. She tries to stay as invisible as possible but Max notices her from the very start.
I liked how deeply this book went into the psyche of Mia as an abused woman in hiding. However, I thought in this day and age the people she worked with must be pretty dim witted not to have picked up on her situation a lot earlier. There were a ton of things that spoke to her being abused and homeless, not in the least the way she flinched from men and how she almost never ate at work, but the few times meals were provided for her she ate like she hadn’t seen food in days.
Aside from that, the book was very good. I loved that the Author (Susie Tate) put titles on all the chapters, it seems like authors don’t do that much anymore, but I liked how they were a tiny blurb of what is to come in that chapter. The book was told in both the Hero and the heroine’s POV which I love as well.
I liked the fact that Max was grumpy, abrupt and easy to yell out his frustrations, but really was a big teddybear inside. It was cool that his nature was compared against Mia’s abusive husband Nate who was cold and calm but then lashed out violently which made her more anxious because she never knew when it was coming.
I think the author has either been in an abusive relationship or did some great research because some of the situations in this books between Mia and Nate were chilling to read. I was married to a man like that, though not as rich and some of the passages in this book could have been from my life directly. It was that realistic. I liked Mia’s strength and determination as well as the people she ended up surrounding herself with.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💜🤎💚💛
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌍
Character development: 😍😕🙃☺️🤩
The heroine: Mia (a.k.a Number Five) - just out of an extremely abusive relationship, Mia is hiding from her ex. She has cut her hair, died it black and wears heavy eyeliner. She is homeless and recovering from a vicious attack which left her with some broken ribs and a fractured and dislocated shoulder.
The Hero(es): Max - a brilliant architect with an up and coming firm. Max has recently gained some fame after speaking the truth in his own grumpy growly way. He is prone to outbursts in the office when things aren’t going his way, and he doesn’t think they need an IT person since he is used to things the way they are.
The story: Mia gets a job working at the architectural firm Max co-owns with his friend Verity, using a fake name and altered references though her background in IT is solid. She tries to stay as invisible as possible but Max notices her from the very start.
I liked how deeply this book went into the psyche of Mia as an abused woman in hiding. However, I thought in this day and age the people she worked with must be pretty dim witted not to have picked up on her situation a lot earlier. There were a ton of things that spoke to her being abused and homeless, not in the least the way she flinched from men and how she almost never ate at work, but the few times meals were provided for her she ate like she hadn’t seen food in days.
Aside from that, the book was very good. I loved that the Author (Susie Tate) put titles on all the chapters, it seems like authors don’t do that much anymore, but I liked how they were a tiny blurb of what is to come in that chapter. The book was told in both the Hero and the heroine’s POV which I love as well.
I liked the fact that Max was grumpy, abrupt and easy to yell out his frustrations, but really was a big teddybear inside. It was cool that his nature was compared against Mia’s abusive husband Nate who was cold and calm but then lashed out violently which made her more anxious because she never knew when it was coming.
I think the author has either been in an abusive relationship or did some great research because some of the situations in this books between Mia and Nate were chilling to read. I was married to a man like that, though not as rich and some of the passages in this book could have been from my life directly. It was that realistic. I liked Mia’s strength and determination as well as the people she ended up surrounding herself with.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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December 4, 2021
4 💖💖💖💖🌟s❣️
Such a wonderful and very emotional romance read❗️❗️
When I picked up this book, I didn’t expect to be that invested.
The writing was wonderful, the characters fabulous and the development was deep! Also, it was a slow burn, something that I usually avoid. But this was a great story!
Mia’s journey broke my heart so many times... 💔
I enjoyed it despite there were enough repetitions throughout this story and some things were farfetched.
Such a wonderful and very emotional romance read❗️❗️
When I picked up this book, I didn’t expect to be that invested.
The writing was wonderful, the characters fabulous and the development was deep! Also, it was a slow burn, something that I usually avoid. But this was a great story!
Mia’s journey broke my heart so many times... 💔
I enjoyed it despite there were enough repetitions throughout this story and some things were farfetched.
July 17, 2024
Unperfect
is the classic story of a woman on the run who falls in love, which just so happens to be up there as my number one favourite romance genre trope. I’ve read as many books with this trope as I can find, and I was so excited to see this brand new novel on Netgalley featuring this trope prominently as the main plotline. Be still my heart!
What makes this book really special is the characters. I absolutely love when the hero and the heroine aren’t automatically attracted to each other. There’s no insta love for Max and Mia! On the contrary. Because Mia has dyed her hair black and has been living on the run, she’s lost a lot of weight and resembles a goth (which, in this case, is a bad thing). Max, true to his blunt and harsh personality, rudely points this out in front of her. Despite a rocky start, their romance is incredibly sweet and gradual--a true slow-burn with all the feels. Mia is fragile, yet resilient. Max is gruff on the outside with a soft and gooey interior. It’s clear that they’re perfect for each other, and I loved watching their story unfold.
Even the side characters are phenomenally written, particularly Max’s son and his sister. They’re built up as three-dimensional people who support the plot and even have potential for their own romances down the line. (I know his sister will definitely be getting together with his best friend, and I’ll definitely be here for that.)
While this book is about one of my favourite tropes, plot-wise, it doesn’t really do anything unique with it. The story goes the same way that this story always goes. That said, if you enjoy this trope, the ride is quite enjoyable. It’s just the right amount of angsty. The entire story is laced with suspense, but not so much tension that you can’t pause to appreciate the sweetly romantic parts.
All in all, I recommend this book to those who are love a sweetly angsty romance that features a woman on the run falling in love with an unexpected hero.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ebook to review*
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
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December 30, 2022
Many other reviews on this book have done a great job at airing out my grievances but I still wanted to take some time to rant.
This book was ridiculous which made me angry because it was dealing with such serious subject matter. Mia was a victim of of domestic abuse and on the run from her ex. Somehow, despite the fact that she was severely malnourished, had bad hygiene, was debilitatingly shy and flinched every time someone lifted their arm, no one seemed to realize it.
She was somehow able to get a job with a fake name, no identification and no banking info. I thought ok, let me just suspend my disbelief and keep reading. And during her interview, she takes the hiring manager’s laptop and is able to do a complete overhaul of the company’s software systems and redesign their filing structure in just 2.5 minutes. As an IT technician?? That’s not even her job description. I’m a software consultant and I can assure you that this would take much longer than 2 minutes, let alone the fact that there is no way she would even have access to their systems without some sort of confidentiality agreement/background check. This girl wasn't even hired yet. But again, I thought whatever, let’s keep reading.
Then we were treated to Max’s idiot of a sister who has her own book which I will NOT be reading. This grown woman was doing yoga half dressed in a professional work setting while everyone stared in shock and she could not fathom what was inappropriate about this. I don’t mind quirky characters but I just can’t stand adults who act like overgrown toddlers.
But worst of all, I disliked Max because he was such a bad match for Mia. He was often angry, aggressive, dramatic and would yell and stomp around whenever something didn’t go his way. I might find this funny or endearing in another circumstance but it was just so frustrating to read about his dramatics when Mia was going through actual serious issues. He was also way too similar to Mia's abusive ex and I could not fathom why the author would make this choice (ie., boss/employee relationship, domineering and controlling behaviour, aggressiveness, etc.).
Overall, I'm rating this 2 stars instead of 1 because it did make me feel something, but Mia's issues were moreso used for the sake of angst rather than being handled well. I was simultaneously tearing up and facepalming while reading this.
This book was ridiculous which made me angry because it was dealing with such serious subject matter. Mia was a victim of of domestic abuse and on the run from her ex. Somehow, despite the fact that she was severely malnourished, had bad hygiene, was debilitatingly shy and flinched every time someone lifted their arm, no one seemed to realize it.
She was somehow able to get a job with a fake name, no identification and no banking info. I thought ok, let me just suspend my disbelief and keep reading. And during her interview, she takes the hiring manager’s laptop and is able to do a complete overhaul of the company’s software systems and redesign their filing structure in just 2.5 minutes. As an IT technician?? That’s not even her job description. I’m a software consultant and I can assure you that this would take much longer than 2 minutes, let alone the fact that there is no way she would even have access to their systems without some sort of confidentiality agreement/background check. This girl wasn't even hired yet. But again, I thought whatever, let’s keep reading.
Then we were treated to Max’s idiot of a sister who has her own book which I will NOT be reading. This grown woman was doing yoga half dressed in a professional work setting while everyone stared in shock and she could not fathom what was inappropriate about this. I don’t mind quirky characters but I just can’t stand adults who act like overgrown toddlers.
But worst of all, I disliked Max because he was such a bad match for Mia. He was often angry, aggressive, dramatic and would yell and stomp around whenever something didn’t go his way. I might find this funny or endearing in another circumstance but it was just so frustrating to read about his dramatics when Mia was going through actual serious issues. He was also way too similar to Mia's abusive ex and I could not fathom why the author would make this choice (ie., boss/employee relationship, domineering and controlling behaviour, aggressiveness, etc.).
Overall, I'm rating this 2 stars instead of 1 because it did make me feel something, but Mia's issues were moreso used for the sake of angst rather than being handled well. I was simultaneously tearing up and facepalming while reading this.
March 14, 2023
2*
I didn't want to hate this book and I tried hard not to but there's nothing to love either. :/
With a book about a woman who has suffered serious abuse (and we get more than a peep into that past) - one should be able to expect sensitive handling of a sensitive subject, some serious and sensible writing, and a genuine attempt at empathy.
But disappointingly, this book is just an angst trap with some lazy writing.
Repeated scenes with cringey and contrived situations, a h who instead of garnering sympathy and concern makes you roll your eyes with her inconsistent and un-relatable behavior, and then few unnecessary and annoying bits/characters like the H's sister, Yaz who seems to have the IQ and EQ of a toddler. Who talks and behaves like that? Doing yoga anywhere and anytime in the office with men gawking at her and others stumbling over her unexpected presence on the floor?
I cannot profess to know how an abuse victim/survivor behaves but I doubt this is the correct portrayal. Yes, she wouldn't want to draw attention, but also her survival instincts would be much sharper than this - instinctively.
And so of course, her sudden cute and scrappy acts are jarring.
Can she possibly do the high kicking while recovering from pain and cracked ribs?
Her being an IT expert and her sorting office software stuff within minutes, that should humanly takes hours to days - that too without any need for familiarizing herself with the details - is so ott that I wanted throw my own laptop at the wall.
And most of all - are the people around her IDIOTS? When they employ her especially Verity, I thought the concern in her eyes is because she's picked up the signs and wants to help. Also, after many many many hints and clues with the h's scared, nervy, jumpy and secretive behavior - not to even mention her extreme thinness, her apparent lack of good health, hygiene or appropriate clothing - they act all shocked and surprised when the truth comes out.
*serious faceplam*
I didn't want to hate this book and I tried hard not to but there's nothing to love either. :/
With a book about a woman who has suffered serious abuse (and we get more than a peep into that past) - one should be able to expect sensitive handling of a sensitive subject, some serious and sensible writing, and a genuine attempt at empathy.
But disappointingly, this book is just an angst trap with some lazy writing.
Repeated scenes with cringey and contrived situations, a h who instead of garnering sympathy and concern makes you roll your eyes with her inconsistent and un-relatable behavior, and then few unnecessary and annoying bits/characters like the H's sister, Yaz who seems to have the IQ and EQ of a toddler. Who talks and behaves like that? Doing yoga anywhere and anytime in the office with men gawking at her and others stumbling over her unexpected presence on the floor?
I cannot profess to know how an abuse victim/survivor behaves but I doubt this is the correct portrayal. Yes, she wouldn't want to draw attention, but also her survival instincts would be much sharper than this - instinctively.
And so of course, her sudden cute and scrappy acts are jarring.
Can she possibly do the high kicking while recovering from pain and cracked ribs?
Her being an IT expert and her sorting office software stuff within minutes, that should humanly takes hours to days - that too without any need for familiarizing herself with the details - is so ott that I wanted throw my own laptop at the wall.
And most of all - are the people around her IDIOTS? When they employ her especially Verity, I thought the concern in her eyes is because she's picked up the signs and wants to help. Also, after many many many hints and clues with the h's scared, nervy, jumpy and secretive behavior - not to even mention her extreme thinness, her apparent lack of good health, hygiene or appropriate clothing - they act all shocked and surprised when the truth comes out.
*serious faceplam*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2023
This is one of the most absurd books I have ever read. First, it is beyond belief that no one has any inkling about Mia’s background of abuse. I can’t think of a way that Mia could be more obvious.
Second, the author throws words and concepts together that are beyond belief. For example, when Mia performs for Verity in 2 minutes a miraculous overhaul of ALL possible software solutions…from document management to payroll systems. What??? In the age that we live in, I’m blown away that this author has such limited comprehension of computer systems. It’s also never explained how Mia became the IT wizard that she is when (I assume) she was not a working woman in her prior life. I guess that’s what makes her such a wizard? Lastly, this book was riddled with so many grammatical and spelling errors that it’s clear that no effort at all was dedicated to proofreading.
Overall, this book is bland, uninteresting, does a disservice to the issue of domestic abuse, and is just hard to read with all of the absurdities and spelling errors. I don’t recommend.
Second, the author throws words and concepts together that are beyond belief. For example, when Mia performs for Verity in 2 minutes a miraculous overhaul of ALL possible software solutions…from document management to payroll systems. What??? In the age that we live in, I’m blown away that this author has such limited comprehension of computer systems. It’s also never explained how Mia became the IT wizard that she is when (I assume) she was not a working woman in her prior life. I guess that’s what makes her such a wizard? Lastly, this book was riddled with so many grammatical and spelling errors that it’s clear that no effort at all was dedicated to proofreading.
Overall, this book is bland, uninteresting, does a disservice to the issue of domestic abuse, and is just hard to read with all of the absurdities and spelling errors. I don’t recommend.
March 29, 2023
This was 1% romance and 99% SPOT O TEA GOVNA, BEANS ON TOAST, BLOODY WANKER, PRIME MINISTER
It was so aggressively British that there was a language barrier.
It was so aggressively British that there was a language barrier.
May 30, 2022
DNF: 81%
this book is ridiculous. there is genuinely so much wrong with it that i can't bring myself to finish it.
the FL, who is homeless after running away from her abusive partner, somehow gets a job—even though she provides a fake name, has no address, no bank info... like, huh? was no identification required? there was no mention of her having falsified documents to support this fake identity of hers, either, and she was basically offered a job on the spot for seemingly no reason.
not to mention the fact that APPARENTLY her homelessness is just... not noticed by her coworkers. it says in the book that she only has two sets of clothes—is no one questioning it when she ONLY wears those two sets of clothes, presumably for weeks? i can suspend my disbelief that far, i guess, because some people DO just wear the same outfits over and over again.
but this girl is ALSO sleeping in the alleyway outside of her place of work... does she not smell? there's only like one mention of her taking a shower; otherwise she runs right into the building the second it opens, because, you know, it's freezing outside and she's sleeping in an alleyway.
and is she washing her clothes? how and when? what about her sleeping bag? those things are a pain to clean, and if she's sleeping in an alley every night, i imagine that it would smell. also, the fact that she's not eating is really just glossed over—hunger, especially to the point of starvation, has severe effects on people's ability to function. how is she still operating at full capacity when she, what, steals cereal from the break room once a week?
this all seems nitpicky, but it's important in this context—because, again, HOW is no one noticing that she's having issues?
and even if i ignore all of that, the FL just isn't a good character. she has no personality. she's stupid and bumbling—which sounds harsh, i know, but she's constantly internally monologuing about how she keeps her emotions "brutally in check," and then every chapter she freaks out about something to the point that the people around her HAVE to be idiots to not notice that something is going on. i hate when characters are written about one way and then portrayed in a different way—in this case, the FL is DESCRIBED as being in control of herself, but her actions prove otherwise. i know she has trauma from her abuse and that her behaviors (flinching, stuttering, etc.) are a result of that, but the way it's written here is SO absurd. she has no personality other than being a victim.
also, the 75% breakup was so irritating, just as a forewarning. her actions made literally no sense.
and then... the other characters, all of which were awful. we have:
- a boss (the ML) whose sole personality trait is being a Big Angry Aggressive Man (how unique and charming!) but actually he's a softy because he... has a teenage stepson and an adopted dog. as we know, you can't be a bad person if you own a dog.
- the boss' sister, who is the amalgamation of everything that i hate in a female side character: ~quirky~, loud, nosy, makes the FL do things that she doesn't want to do, etc. she is a genius who thought it was a good idea to force a (recent) domestic abuse victim to play rugby with a bunch of full grown men, if that clears it up any.
also, her brother (the ML) described her as having an "ample chest," which was so incredibly bizarre for a brother to think about that i feel like the author should revisit it.
- the ML's stepson, who was the only semi-decent person in the story. he was an angsty teenager, and i can respect that. except he also got on my nerves, since he refused to let the FL go to a women's refuge because... it was not fancy? lol. just because the rooms are small and the accommodations aren't 5-star doesn't mean that it's some sort of hell on earth. but, again: angsty teenager. he's young, so at least he has an excuse.
- a doctor who apparently has never heard of HIPAA. he says that he can't tell the ML any details, but i think that very obviously hinting about a patient's medical history is still an invasion of privacy. you would think a doctor wouldn't want to risk it either way.
- the bad guy abusive ex, who is a walking trope with no personality other than being rich guy who wants the perfect wife, abuses said wife, and then of course HAS to hunt her down when she runs away. why was he obsessed with her? no clue—to be honest, i skipped over the part where the FL tells the ML her tragic backstory, because she told the story IN THIRD PERSON and it made me cringe.
TL;DR: absurd book. if i could go back in time and not read this, i would.
this book is ridiculous. there is genuinely so much wrong with it that i can't bring myself to finish it.
the FL, who is homeless after running away from her abusive partner, somehow gets a job—even though she provides a fake name, has no address, no bank info... like, huh? was no identification required? there was no mention of her having falsified documents to support this fake identity of hers, either, and she was basically offered a job on the spot for seemingly no reason.
not to mention the fact that APPARENTLY her homelessness is just... not noticed by her coworkers. it says in the book that she only has two sets of clothes—is no one questioning it when she ONLY wears those two sets of clothes, presumably for weeks? i can suspend my disbelief that far, i guess, because some people DO just wear the same outfits over and over again.
but this girl is ALSO sleeping in the alleyway outside of her place of work... does she not smell? there's only like one mention of her taking a shower; otherwise she runs right into the building the second it opens, because, you know, it's freezing outside and she's sleeping in an alleyway.
and is she washing her clothes? how and when? what about her sleeping bag? those things are a pain to clean, and if she's sleeping in an alley every night, i imagine that it would smell. also, the fact that she's not eating is really just glossed over—hunger, especially to the point of starvation, has severe effects on people's ability to function. how is she still operating at full capacity when she, what, steals cereal from the break room once a week?
this all seems nitpicky, but it's important in this context—because, again, HOW is no one noticing that she's having issues?
and even if i ignore all of that, the FL just isn't a good character. she has no personality. she's stupid and bumbling—which sounds harsh, i know, but she's constantly internally monologuing about how she keeps her emotions "brutally in check," and then every chapter she freaks out about something to the point that the people around her HAVE to be idiots to not notice that something is going on. i hate when characters are written about one way and then portrayed in a different way—in this case, the FL is DESCRIBED as being in control of herself, but her actions prove otherwise. i know she has trauma from her abuse and that her behaviors (flinching, stuttering, etc.) are a result of that, but the way it's written here is SO absurd. she has no personality other than being a victim.
also, the 75% breakup was so irritating, just as a forewarning. her actions made literally no sense.
and then... the other characters, all of which were awful. we have:
- a boss (the ML) whose sole personality trait is being a Big Angry Aggressive Man (how unique and charming!) but actually he's a softy because he... has a teenage stepson and an adopted dog. as we know, you can't be a bad person if you own a dog.
- the boss' sister, who is the amalgamation of everything that i hate in a female side character: ~quirky~, loud, nosy, makes the FL do things that she doesn't want to do, etc. she is a genius who thought it was a good idea to force a (recent) domestic abuse victim to play rugby with a bunch of full grown men, if that clears it up any.
also, her brother (the ML) described her as having an "ample chest," which was so incredibly bizarre for a brother to think about that i feel like the author should revisit it.
- the ML's stepson, who was the only semi-decent person in the story. he was an angsty teenager, and i can respect that. except he also got on my nerves, since he refused to let the FL go to a women's refuge because... it was not fancy? lol. just because the rooms are small and the accommodations aren't 5-star doesn't mean that it's some sort of hell on earth. but, again: angsty teenager. he's young, so at least he has an excuse.
- a doctor who apparently has never heard of HIPAA. he says that he can't tell the ML any details, but i think that very obviously hinting about a patient's medical history is still an invasion of privacy. you would think a doctor wouldn't want to risk it either way.
- the bad guy abusive ex, who is a walking trope with no personality other than being rich guy who wants the perfect wife, abuses said wife, and then of course HAS to hunt her down when she runs away. why was he obsessed with her? no clue—to be honest, i skipped over the part where the FL tells the ML her tragic backstory, because she told the story IN THIRD PERSON and it made me cringe.
TL;DR: absurd book. if i could go back in time and not read this, i would.
November 17, 2024
It's hard to judge because I don't know how DV victims feel/act after being through all of this. So I'll skip that part of the plot (but at the end, it felt weird how she easily gave into being touched, hugged, having sex so I'm not sure if it was poorly written or if that's 'normal' or because time went by... weirdly.) But I know the author did some research so I don't know what to think of it.
Not sure I enjoy both MCs very much. As FMC and co-worker said, he behaved like a toddler and the FMC, except being fragile but not stupid was bland. I didn't feel chemistry either between them. Maybe the need for him to help her after being such a douche? Savior complex? And for her, I guess when you had the worst relationship ever, you would accept anything if it feels a little better than the previous one. I'm really not convinced by this couple so I didn't care that the romance came late in the book. Side characters were annoying (are they 16 or in their thirties?) except Verity. But mostly, how blind are they? I don't understand how they didn't get that something was really wrong with the FMC before she almost died. Or they chose to ignore it, that's the only explanations. That was my biggest issue with the plot, it's how nobody noticed she was homeless/sick/mentally not well enough... And she still was able to get a job.
I didn't hate it but I enjoyed it better until the 60% mark, when the romance actually started after some trauma-dumping (he asked for it, I won't blame her) then it went downhill. They started being all in love 'out of nowhere', the bad 👹ex finds her, she try to save everyone but herself by coming back to him for few months, she 'breaks' poor MMC's heart and since he's blind as fuck, he buys it until every-fucking-side characters tell him she was lying on purpose (let's just mention that even the 16 years old kid knew that), he comes back for her, she almost die but saves herself and the 👹👹👹 goes to fail, there's the prime minister here he followed them and they're being friends: here, happy ending. I expected nothing but I just wanted something less predictable.
I know next book of the series is about Yaz and... I won't read it. What the fuck was she doing in light clothes, doing yoga, in the middle of the office. Yes, her bother owns the office, but what??? I know she's supposed to be the feel good side character, for the comedic side but it was way too much. I might read the one about Verity but I'm scared of what she'll look like, from the inside of her head.
TW:
Not sure I enjoy both MCs very much. As FMC and co-worker said, he behaved like a toddler and the FMC, except being fragile but not stupid was bland. I didn't feel chemistry either between them. Maybe the need for him to help her after being such a douche? Savior complex? And for her, I guess when you had the worst relationship ever, you would accept anything if it feels a little better than the previous one. I'm really not convinced by this couple so I didn't care that the romance came late in the book. Side characters were annoying (are they 16 or in their thirties?) except Verity. But mostly, how blind are they? I don't understand how they didn't get that something was really wrong with the FMC before she almost died. Or they chose to ignore it, that's the only explanations. That was my biggest issue with the plot, it's how nobody noticed she was homeless/sick/mentally not well enough... And she still was able to get a job.
I didn't hate it but I enjoyed it better until the 60% mark, when the romance actually started after some trauma-dumping (he asked for it, I won't blame her) then it went downhill. They started being all in love 'out of nowhere', the bad 👹ex finds her, she try to save everyone but herself by coming back to him for few months, she 'breaks' poor MMC's heart and since he's blind as fuck, he buys it until every-fucking-side characters tell him she was lying on purpose (let's just mention that even the 16 years old kid knew that), he comes back for her, she almost die but saves herself and the 👹👹👹 goes to fail, there's the prime minister here he followed them and they're being friends: here, happy ending. I expected nothing but I just wanted something less predictable.
I know next book of the series is about Yaz and... I won't read it. What the fuck was she doing in light clothes, doing yoga, in the middle of the office. Yes, her bother owns the office, but what??? I know she's supposed to be the feel good side character, for the comedic side but it was way too much. I might read the one about Verity but I'm scared of what she'll look like, from the inside of her head.
TW:
May 18, 2024
I was happy to come across this book, you know the girl who has an abusive ex and the hero who saves her... I love this trope. However, I DNFed around 50% of the story. FL was homeless, didn't eat, had no identification and still the character's didn't ask any questions at her weirdess? And the Mc? what an idiot, always angry and in a bad mood. Repeated scenes with cringey situations and lazy writing.
March 26, 2023
Well everything about that experience was painful. This might be incoherent and it’s definitely way too long but here we go…
First and most importantly I want to say I am not discounting anyone’s personal experience with domestic violence. I’m just giving my opinion which comes from a place of higher expectations and frustration from this book and the massive let down it gave me. I haven’t read much of this genre, so maybe I’m out of pocket here, but this was a fucking joke to me.
As someone who grew up with domestic violence, I expected this to much more inspirational and accurate but instead I was given the Hollywood fluffy perfect version…and for a book titled “Unperfect” it was a slap in the face. Everyone was a problem here so let’s just start at the top.
Mia- as our h, I went in expecting a level of victim and trauma that had me forgiving a lot of her red flags from the jump. I’m not mad at her unformed, half-baked plans of strolling around on the street with a backpack hoping to land a professional corporate job with literally no identification, address, resume, clean clothes, or hygiene supplies whilst being extremely injured with broken ribs, fractured shoulder in her dominate arm (doesn’t the backpack fucking hurt) and a busted up face….But I am mad at that she GOT the fucking job. Like?? On what grounds you ask? Oh that she’s a computer genius who’s able to solve all of the very specific problems (she was not made aware of) that this architectural firm is having with every SINGLE aspect of it’s business in under 3 minutes -_- Sure, why not. If we skip over that fantastical bit and assume that Verity was skipping ALL professional protocol including the hiring/onboarding procedure of a fucking application and tax documents AND payroll data to help out someone she is represented in the book to have suspicions about, then sure, let’s say that could happen. (We’ll get to Verity’s problems in a min) So, we have our h setup in her perfect gig, showing off her big brain and incredible (unrealistic) skillz left and right. Now here you may ask if she logged into their system she’s recreated from the ground up in 2 days to check their clientele list to see if they work with any of the high profile scary men that would completely ruin her chances of freedom since survival and secrecy are of the upmost importance to her? Well the answer is no, her big brain didn’t think about that. Even though she admits later in the book that she knew the villain had business with some eco-architects in the area 🙄 ANYWAYS she strolls through the rest of the story with that level of stupidity and lack of future plans so I had zero respect for her and there was absolutely no growth.
Verity- poor poor Verity. Her character had such potential being that she was the ONLY female character that was depicted to have some sort of respect in this world and *seemed* to have good instincts. However, it turns out the author only used her as a plot device to get Mia into the door at the company (did it even have a name lol) and was then promptly uh..left out of the rest of the dialogue in the book 😒 never again to say or do anything of interest. What pissed me off with her though is that we are told she saw Mia come in looking for a job a week before the book starts with a BUSTED UP FACE which is what seemingly prompted her to bring her in for an interview the next week for a position that was already filled!!! So why then, after everyone is noticing her flinching and scuttling about and HR cannot get any info on her and they all find out she lives in a sleeping bag, could she not connect those dots? It doesn’t add up. Also, and this is just some really poor editing, but I’m still mad that at the beginning of the book on Mia’s first day when Verity is walking her around and it comes out that Yaz (Maxs sister) was giving Max emergency reiki, Verity tells Yaz he just wants to get in her pants but then a few chapters later, turns out they are all childhood friends and so clearly she had to know they were siblings right? It was never touched on again, but it niggled at me throughout the rest of the story.
Yaz- this one really pissed me off. She is our second female victim in the story that no one has decided needs help (except maybe Mia who acknowledges it in her head but never actually says or does anything to prevent it) because her abuse isn’t physical. Our strapping hero who is her older brother also couldn’t give less fucks. Actually he is seen on several occasions laughing at her abuse and pain and even joining in. Yaz is disrespected and leered at by everyone at their workplace, constantly bullied by Heath (her future love interest and Mia’s supposed savior who we are told is charming and unfailingly kind) but all we see is him verbally putting Yaz down and dismissing her thoughts, opinions, and successes. And then her own parents roll their eyes at her convictions and perpetuate the disrespect everyone is giving her because she believes in a healing they don’t support? Idk I don’t get it.
Max- lastly, let’s get into this massive piece of shit. Not only does he have the emotional IQ of a 3 year old, he’s also the stupidest hero I’ve read probably ever. He has no common sense, no instincts, and no restraint. The only decent quality he seems to have is his physical prowess so the entire book I’m waiting for the moment at the end where he will inevitably use the only “redeeming “ quality he possesses to beat the hell out of our piece of shit villain, but no… he never even uses all that bulk we’re forced to hear about. Honestly , he does nothing of note the entire story. He doesn’t help her heal, if anything he’s just another controlling rich CEO who wants to own our h and control her life. He doesn’t come to her rescue, he doesn’t support her growth at the end, he doesn’t really do anything but stomp around like the hulk and yell at everyone because he can’t use his fucking computer (when HE was fighting Verity at the beginning for hiring Mia because HE was the fucking IT department and they didn’t need another one 😐) but alas I guess our h needed to be needed by H or it’s not as romantic…
Ugh honestly I’m just so put out by the whole thing. The writing is so incredibly inconsistent. The characters are all too stupid to live. And what really chaffed me was the abuse depictions. All of Mia’s stories and flashbacks were NOT CONSISTENT with the villains character. For example, we are repeatedly told he is all about control and appearances, and how he needs her to be his perfect wife for his perfect world right? A true lord Farquaad. Well then why the hell would he bash her face into the granite counter top DURING a dinner party where her cooking was subpar?? Why on earth would our very controlled, cold anger, calculated calm villain do such a thing where his colleagues could hear or see or whatever? Also don’t worry, it chipped her tooth but only so ever slightly in just the right spot where you would never actually notice and it wouldn’t detract from her beautiful smile 🙄. That’s the second thing that has me so upset. The author made sure that all abuse never actually caused any “unperfect” harm to come to her perfect h. All those face hits and bloodied nose and mouth? Don’t worry her nose is still perfect. Even her fucking HAIR…. There’s a scene where she’s literally begging the hairdresser to cut it all off, to PLEASE cut it off because she doesn’t want anyone to have the ability to pull her around by her hair anymore… so why tf is that a problem? For our healing abused victim whose hair it is???? Oh because short hair would make her unattractive and none of the women in the novel who were with her would let her do it. She was screaming and crying actual tears BEGGING for the lady who she PAID to cut it all off to do it and her “friends” forcibly removed her from the chair and shop and told her “that wasn’t the way” to get over it. 😑😑😑😑😑
That’s just a few examples of how warped this story was for me. The author made sure everything that happened to her was nothing that would detract from her beautiful perfection and honestly she tossed her right back in an abusive, unequal power dynamic for her HEA too. There was one moment at the end where she was having her second panic attack about if she should even be with H (if that doesn’t say it all) and I thought she was finally going to show some growth and leave all their asses but of course no, his mother grabbed her up and told her to get over herself and she literally ran back into his arms so yeah..1 sad, broken star for me.
On second thought, maybe the title is apt because if Mia’s story was anything, it was definitely unperfect.
First and most importantly I want to say I am not discounting anyone’s personal experience with domestic violence. I’m just giving my opinion which comes from a place of higher expectations and frustration from this book and the massive let down it gave me. I haven’t read much of this genre, so maybe I’m out of pocket here, but this was a fucking joke to me.
As someone who grew up with domestic violence, I expected this to much more inspirational and accurate but instead I was given the Hollywood fluffy perfect version…and for a book titled “Unperfect” it was a slap in the face. Everyone was a problem here so let’s just start at the top.
Mia- as our h, I went in expecting a level of victim and trauma that had me forgiving a lot of her red flags from the jump. I’m not mad at her unformed, half-baked plans of strolling around on the street with a backpack hoping to land a professional corporate job with literally no identification, address, resume, clean clothes, or hygiene supplies whilst being extremely injured with broken ribs, fractured shoulder in her dominate arm (doesn’t the backpack fucking hurt) and a busted up face….But I am mad at that she GOT the fucking job. Like?? On what grounds you ask? Oh that she’s a computer genius who’s able to solve all of the very specific problems (she was not made aware of) that this architectural firm is having with every SINGLE aspect of it’s business in under 3 minutes -_- Sure, why not. If we skip over that fantastical bit and assume that Verity was skipping ALL professional protocol including the hiring/onboarding procedure of a fucking application and tax documents AND payroll data to help out someone she is represented in the book to have suspicions about, then sure, let’s say that could happen. (We’ll get to Verity’s problems in a min) So, we have our h setup in her perfect gig, showing off her big brain and incredible (unrealistic) skillz left and right. Now here you may ask if she logged into their system she’s recreated from the ground up in 2 days to check their clientele list to see if they work with any of the high profile scary men that would completely ruin her chances of freedom since survival and secrecy are of the upmost importance to her? Well the answer is no, her big brain didn’t think about that. Even though she admits later in the book that she knew the villain had business with some eco-architects in the area 🙄 ANYWAYS she strolls through the rest of the story with that level of stupidity and lack of future plans so I had zero respect for her and there was absolutely no growth.
Verity- poor poor Verity. Her character had such potential being that she was the ONLY female character that was depicted to have some sort of respect in this world and *seemed* to have good instincts. However, it turns out the author only used her as a plot device to get Mia into the door at the company (did it even have a name lol) and was then promptly uh..left out of the rest of the dialogue in the book 😒 never again to say or do anything of interest. What pissed me off with her though is that we are told she saw Mia come in looking for a job a week before the book starts with a BUSTED UP FACE which is what seemingly prompted her to bring her in for an interview the next week for a position that was already filled!!! So why then, after everyone is noticing her flinching and scuttling about and HR cannot get any info on her and they all find out she lives in a sleeping bag, could she not connect those dots? It doesn’t add up. Also, and this is just some really poor editing, but I’m still mad that at the beginning of the book on Mia’s first day when Verity is walking her around and it comes out that Yaz (Maxs sister) was giving Max emergency reiki, Verity tells Yaz he just wants to get in her pants but then a few chapters later, turns out they are all childhood friends and so clearly she had to know they were siblings right? It was never touched on again, but it niggled at me throughout the rest of the story.
Yaz- this one really pissed me off. She is our second female victim in the story that no one has decided needs help (except maybe Mia who acknowledges it in her head but never actually says or does anything to prevent it) because her abuse isn’t physical. Our strapping hero who is her older brother also couldn’t give less fucks. Actually he is seen on several occasions laughing at her abuse and pain and even joining in. Yaz is disrespected and leered at by everyone at their workplace, constantly bullied by Heath (her future love interest and Mia’s supposed savior who we are told is charming and unfailingly kind) but all we see is him verbally putting Yaz down and dismissing her thoughts, opinions, and successes. And then her own parents roll their eyes at her convictions and perpetuate the disrespect everyone is giving her because she believes in a healing they don’t support? Idk I don’t get it.
Max- lastly, let’s get into this massive piece of shit. Not only does he have the emotional IQ of a 3 year old, he’s also the stupidest hero I’ve read probably ever. He has no common sense, no instincts, and no restraint. The only decent quality he seems to have is his physical prowess so the entire book I’m waiting for the moment at the end where he will inevitably use the only “redeeming “ quality he possesses to beat the hell out of our piece of shit villain, but no… he never even uses all that bulk we’re forced to hear about. Honestly , he does nothing of note the entire story. He doesn’t help her heal, if anything he’s just another controlling rich CEO who wants to own our h and control her life. He doesn’t come to her rescue, he doesn’t support her growth at the end, he doesn’t really do anything but stomp around like the hulk and yell at everyone because he can’t use his fucking computer (when HE was fighting Verity at the beginning for hiring Mia because HE was the fucking IT department and they didn’t need another one 😐) but alas I guess our h needed to be needed by H or it’s not as romantic…
Ugh honestly I’m just so put out by the whole thing. The writing is so incredibly inconsistent. The characters are all too stupid to live. And what really chaffed me was the abuse depictions. All of Mia’s stories and flashbacks were NOT CONSISTENT with the villains character. For example, we are repeatedly told he is all about control and appearances, and how he needs her to be his perfect wife for his perfect world right? A true lord Farquaad. Well then why the hell would he bash her face into the granite counter top DURING a dinner party where her cooking was subpar?? Why on earth would our very controlled, cold anger, calculated calm villain do such a thing where his colleagues could hear or see or whatever? Also don’t worry, it chipped her tooth but only so ever slightly in just the right spot where you would never actually notice and it wouldn’t detract from her beautiful smile 🙄. That’s the second thing that has me so upset. The author made sure that all abuse never actually caused any “unperfect” harm to come to her perfect h. All those face hits and bloodied nose and mouth? Don’t worry her nose is still perfect. Even her fucking HAIR…. There’s a scene where she’s literally begging the hairdresser to cut it all off, to PLEASE cut it off because she doesn’t want anyone to have the ability to pull her around by her hair anymore… so why tf is that a problem? For our healing abused victim whose hair it is???? Oh because short hair would make her unattractive and none of the women in the novel who were with her would let her do it. She was screaming and crying actual tears BEGGING for the lady who she PAID to cut it all off to do it and her “friends” forcibly removed her from the chair and shop and told her “that wasn’t the way” to get over it. 😑😑😑😑😑
That’s just a few examples of how warped this story was for me. The author made sure everything that happened to her was nothing that would detract from her beautiful perfection and honestly she tossed her right back in an abusive, unequal power dynamic for her HEA too. There was one moment at the end where she was having her second panic attack about if she should even be with H (if that doesn’t say it all) and I thought she was finally going to show some growth and leave all their asses but of course no, his mother grabbed her up and told her to get over herself and she literally ran back into his arms so yeah..1 sad, broken star for me.
On second thought, maybe the title is apt because if Mia’s story was anything, it was definitely unperfect.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2023
Started out good, but as it continued, it just became repeative, and I had to start skimming to make it through.
September 5, 2022
This is a contemporary romance dealing with a domestic abuse situation. For the most part, it was well written just also slightly long-winded in places. For me, it had equal positives and negatives and some of the described situations mostly regarding Mia’s initial living situation and the fact that nobody seems to pick up on it we’re dumbfounding. Here Mia escapes her violent husband after he severely beats her finding herself homeless and without any form of employment. Taken on by a firm of architects for her computer skills she soon encounters Max a grumpy brusque Yorkshire man with a heart of gold. Also included here is an extensive cast of side characters but each seemed to be equally as obtuse as the next and not one of them seemed to pick up on the blatantly obvious clues and signals Mia is projecting.
The romance here was Slow-burn which I did find authentic to the situation. I did like Max he was such an up-front transparent character but I equally found Mia to be totally infuriating especially in the final quarter of this when she then seemed to make numerous bad decisions and then I did think the resolution to the finish dragged. This was a long drawn-out read that concentrated more on the domestic violence side of things and all of its repercussions rather than the romance itself. It also felt quite bleak with a constant dark overtone
This was an ok read though it didn’t blow me away but it was well written and the portrayals of Mia did feel well researched and her behaviour and beliefs authentic. I get why she was the way she was but it also made for quite a depressing story. I found I was invested in the outcome I just also believe it could have been condensed slightly and a few more lighthearted moments added to break up the constant gloom.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/63435390
October 17, 2024
4.5 stars
This book had me in my feels.
This book had me in my feels.
August 18, 2024
It was an emotional, slow burn, enough in depth story. Lots of TW but nothing extreme. I was a little bit weirded how oblivious they were of her situation in the beginning but I guess unfortunately many women that are abused are between us in everyday life.
May 9, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ i loved this so much, honestly made me cry a number of times, mia was such an amazing character
please check your trigger warnings <3
please check your trigger warnings <3
July 20, 2024
This was ridiculous in so many ways.
The way that this author dealt with the very dark subject of spousal abuse was the most melodramatic way possible.
The heroine is naive and a bit dumb. She might be excused because she's been married to a controlling abuser for 10 years... but at the same time, she is also strangely competent. A "technical genius" who can create an organizational system in minutes and knows how to use architectural software. Seriously... does this author know what IT folks do? My favorite part was when she said "I organized your files. See, there's a folder called Max's Stuff".
Ya, if that's the kind of file organization you're doing, I can see why you could do it in minutes.
The hero is also a prick. He yells at everyone and calls them names. But "he's kind". Ya, I don't think so. Kind people don't yell at people. That's not a sign of a grumpy kind person. 🙄
At the same time, I did finish the book. The narrators do a good job.
The way that this author dealt with the very dark subject of spousal abuse was the most melodramatic way possible.
The heroine is naive and a bit dumb. She might be excused because she's been married to a controlling abuser for 10 years... but at the same time, she is also strangely competent. A "technical genius" who can create an organizational system in minutes and knows how to use architectural software. Seriously... does this author know what IT folks do? My favorite part was when she said "I organized your files. See, there's a folder called Max's Stuff".
Ya, if that's the kind of file organization you're doing, I can see why you could do it in minutes.
The hero is also a prick. He yells at everyone and calls them names. But "he's kind". Ya, I don't think so. Kind people don't yell at people. That's not a sign of a grumpy kind person. 🙄
At the same time, I did finish the book. The narrators do a good job.
October 12, 2021
Even though this story deals with a serious subject of domestic violence in a very respectable yet emotionally palpable way, the rest of the story was very predictable and a bit cliche, and I was distracted with the Yorkshire accent in writing, as the main character is from that part of the country and very authentic...as much as it's interesting to witness, it's also distracting while I try to percieve the seriousness of certain situations the characters get into...
But I guess, that's all subjective as much as other things in life...but kudos for reaching out with such a grieve and horrific actions of domestic abuse and giving a voice to the victims of such crime.
But I guess, that's all subjective as much as other things in life...but kudos for reaching out with such a grieve and horrific actions of domestic abuse and giving a voice to the victims of such crime.
September 3, 2024
is it wierd to say this story about abuse was sweet and cute? yes, do i care? no,no i do not
October 25, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️ three stars -
First read for me from this author. This was a good read, not the best, and not the worst. Major triggers for those sensitive abound - strong domestic violence theme.
The reason for the three stars is because of the writing, tbh. It was a very emotional read for me, which I love. Those sensitive should have a box of tissues handy. Sometimes you need an emotional read, and this did it for me.
That being said, I kept thinking that the story needed more. It dragged, dragged, dragged. I couldn’t understand the character development. The h gets somewhat of a pass due to her life experience, and the trauma she endured, but how did the supposedly educated people around her not see what was happening? She was cowering in fear every other page, for goodness sakes! It went beyond the line of plausible.
For me, I felt this story was just good, would not be a reread, wished it could’ve been better, so a solid three stars just for the tear-jerk factor alone, which I’m a sucker for.
First read for me from this author. This was a good read, not the best, and not the worst. Major triggers for those sensitive abound - strong domestic violence theme.
The reason for the three stars is because of the writing, tbh. It was a very emotional read for me, which I love. Those sensitive should have a box of tissues handy. Sometimes you need an emotional read, and this did it for me.
That being said, I kept thinking that the story needed more. It dragged, dragged, dragged. I couldn’t understand the character development. The h gets somewhat of a pass due to her life experience, and the trauma she endured, but how did the supposedly educated people around her not see what was happening? She was cowering in fear every other page, for goodness sakes! It went beyond the line of plausible.
For me, I felt this story was just good, would not be a reread, wished it could’ve been better, so a solid three stars just for the tear-jerk factor alone, which I’m a sucker for.
April 25, 2023
Admittedly I skimmed a lot of this book the longer it went on. I liked the concept of it but the execution didn't have me loving it or the characters. It felt very drawn out and Mia was a little too all over the place for me. It had the book feeling choppy and not well put together.
Bottom line, I can see why a lot of people liked this book but it wasn't for me.
Bottom line, I can see why a lot of people liked this book but it wasn't for me.
January 5, 2025
Wild story. My heart broke for Mia. Seeing the character growth in her and Max was heartbreaking and so good.
What can I say, I love this book. Will be a reread for a long time.
What can I say, I love this book. Will be a reread for a long time.
February 28, 2025
i love this book
April 9, 2024
This was…okay. I never really felt the chemistry between Mia and Max.
April 7, 2023
This story was an emotional ride!
It starts off with Mia looking for a job, clearly in trouble and running from someone/something.
Max is one of the owner, and not convinced that they need someone working with IT, something Mia is really good at.
As the time goes Mia has a hard time hiding the fact that she has no money or nowhere to go after work hours. Sick and broke, Max finds her sleeping on the office floor. His protective instinct kicks in and it’s the start of Mia finally finding refuge and friends she can trust.
This story is one big trigger about domestic abuse and what that does to a person self worth and family. I couldn’t keep my tears at bay when Mia and Teddy (stepson of Max) visited the women shelter 😥😢
- Cheating: h meets H when she technically still is married to the abusive asshole
- OW/OM drama: h has a psychotic ex-husband. H ex-girlfriend left him after 8 years, he and her son are still hurt by her choice.
- Triggers: domestic abuse
- HEA with epilogue
This story continues with Max’s sister Yaz and his best friend Heath’s book “Unworthy” 📖
It starts off with Mia looking for a job, clearly in trouble and running from someone/something.
Max is one of the owner, and not convinced that they need someone working with IT, something Mia is really good at.
As the time goes Mia has a hard time hiding the fact that she has no money or nowhere to go after work hours. Sick and broke, Max finds her sleeping on the office floor. His protective instinct kicks in and it’s the start of Mia finally finding refuge and friends she can trust.
This story is one big trigger about domestic abuse and what that does to a person self worth and family. I couldn’t keep my tears at bay when Mia and Teddy (stepson of Max) visited the women shelter 😥😢
- Cheating: h meets H when she technically still is married to the abusive asshole
- OW/OM drama: h has a psychotic ex-husband. H ex-girlfriend left him after 8 years, he and her son are still hurt by her choice.
- Triggers: domestic abuse
- HEA with epilogue
This story continues with Max’s sister Yaz and his best friend Heath’s book “Unworthy” 📖
October 11, 2021
Wow... this was heartbreaking, seeing Mia running for her life after an abusive relationship. Mia's trauma and ptsd was so real, yet the author managed to inject so many light-hearted moments, and Max's crazy hippy sister stole a tonne of scenes. When Max found out Yaz had left a vagina-recharging crystal in his living room, and Mia was unknowingly fiddling with it... 😂
And Max, big grumpy Max, his bark scared Mia at first but his heart of gold shone through and seeing him care for Mia was so sweet.
I expect a story, hopefully a bit lighter, between Yaz and Heath (doctor who treated Mia in emerg) next, because I really didn't want to leave these characters.
And Max, big grumpy Max, his bark scared Mia at first but his heart of gold shone through and seeing him care for Mia was so sweet.
I expect a story, hopefully a bit lighter, between Yaz and Heath (doctor who treated Mia in emerg) next, because I really didn't want to leave these characters.
June 21, 2023
the mmc is a fucking man-child. a toddler in the body of an adult. i kid you not he throws tantrums—like fully screaming and whining—in every single chapter and has his best friend calm him down so he stops acting like an overgrown toddler. so yeah i think you get the gist of how icky this man-child is.
July 28, 2023
This one just didn’t hold my interest, which is a surprise when it comes to Susie Tate. I’m not quite sure why. I’m wondering if maybe she should remain closer to the medical profession, not because she is limited in any way, but because she really has great success setting ups situations in that world.
March 30, 2023
Wow!
Excellent writing, fantastic characters, and an emotional story added up to one amazing book. I loved this story and its sequel. I will definitely be reading more from this author!!
Excellent writing, fantastic characters, and an emotional story added up to one amazing book. I loved this story and its sequel. I will definitely be reading more from this author!!
October 7, 2021
Four and a half stars.
Mia Lantum (not her real name) is homeless, suffering from cracked ribs and a fractured collarbone, and practically penniless when she gets a job at a small but famous eco-architectural practice owned by Verity Markham and Max Hardcastle in the English south-coast seaside town of Bournemouth as an IT tech support person.
Max is a big, brash, grumpy, Northern architectural genius, he takes one look at Mia with her (dyed) jet black choppy hair, black eyeliner, and tatty black clothes and labels her a teen, emo freak, which is a bit insulting for a woman nearing thirty, he is resistant to change and technology but begrudgingly appreciative of the changes Mia makes to the practice's systems.
Max terrifies Mia, whose injuries are not an accident, but under his large, angry exterior is a kind, caring man, and when Mia falls ill, it is Max who rides in to the rescue.
From sulky teenage stepsons, gruff architects, caring A&E doctors, kooky vegan Reiki practitioners and surly pub landlords these characters just jump off the page.
Words cannot express my joy at a new Susie Tate novel. There is something about her quintessentially British characters, their quirkiness, their real-life issues that just resonates with me. Suffice to say, I didn't start reading this until gone midnight and had finished it before lunch the following day. My only regret is that I will have to wait ages for Yaz and Heath's story. For fellow fans of Susie's books we also get to see (briefly) Kira, Barclay and Sam.
Loved it, loved it, loved it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
Mia Lantum (not her real name) is homeless, suffering from cracked ribs and a fractured collarbone, and practically penniless when she gets a job at a small but famous eco-architectural practice owned by Verity Markham and Max Hardcastle in the English south-coast seaside town of Bournemouth as an IT tech support person.
Max is a big, brash, grumpy, Northern architectural genius, he takes one look at Mia with her (dyed) jet black choppy hair, black eyeliner, and tatty black clothes and labels her a teen, emo freak, which is a bit insulting for a woman nearing thirty, he is resistant to change and technology but begrudgingly appreciative of the changes Mia makes to the practice's systems.
Max terrifies Mia, whose injuries are not an accident, but under his large, angry exterior is a kind, caring man, and when Mia falls ill, it is Max who rides in to the rescue.
From sulky teenage stepsons, gruff architects, caring A&E doctors, kooky vegan Reiki practitioners and surly pub landlords these characters just jump off the page.
Words cannot express my joy at a new Susie Tate novel. There is something about her quintessentially British characters, their quirkiness, their real-life issues that just resonates with me. Suffice to say, I didn't start reading this until gone midnight and had finished it before lunch the following day. My only regret is that I will have to wait ages for Yaz and Heath's story. For fellow fans of Susie's books we also get to see (briefly) Kira, Barclay and Sam.
Loved it, loved it, loved it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
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