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The Studying Hours (How to Date a Douchebag #1) by Sara Ney









If I was rating this book solely on the relationship-building between the MCs in this book, I’d give it 5 stars. There’s a truckload of hilarious, sweet, sexy, and irritating moments that the MCs share, that had me smiling and sometimes cringing at.

Unfortunately, this book focuses 95% on moments spent between the two MCs, with little-to-no time spent on developing the setting and fleshing out the side characters. It was as if the MCs were in a bubble, and everything outside of the bubble didn’t matter.

There’s not a single moment in this book where our FMC is spending time with her friends without the MMC either there in person or him texting her. The same goes for the MMC. Yes, we hear about his practices and wrestling matches, but they aren’t actually scenes we experience.

This book was terribly unbalanced. It was 75% sexual tension and 25% sex. We never get to know what the FMC’s goals are, where she comes from, what her relationship with her family is like. She was smart, caring, and confident. Someone I’d totally want to be friends with. But her relationship with the MMC overshadowed everything.

If you’re looking for a fun, mindless read, with a lot of witty banter – look no further. But if you want actual substance – keep looking.

My Rating: ★★★
Publication: September 13, 2016
Publisher: Self-pub
Genre: NA, Contemporary Romance, Sports
Pages: 360
Goodreads Link

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