Mr. Right There All Along By Jackie Braun
review Mr. Right There All Along
Could her best friend be her best match?
The one thing Chloe McDaniels has always depended on is her friendship with Simon Ford. Even if it's been tough thinking of the gorgeous guy who makes her heart flutter as just a friend! But now, with their upcoming high school reunion dredging up memories of bullies and broken hearts, she needs him more than ever.
As Chloe plans to unveil her new-and-improved self, Simon creates a plan of his own.
Step One: Show her that love is worth the risk.
Step Two: Give her the happy-ever-after she deserves. Mr. Right There All Along
Rating 3.5
This was a really good friends to lovers story. Simon and Chloe have been there for each other for everything, from her terrible days in high-school to her break-ups, to his father's multiple divorces etc and for some reason Chloe has never liked the women he dated and so when he tells her he just broke off a relationship she is pleased, it is obvious to us that she is jealous but not to her.
When she gets a ten year reunion invitation she changes, becomes crazy about her apperance, losing weight, showing off a man since high-school was hell for her. It wasn't great for Simon but he has moved on and he has always tried to make Chloe see that she is perfect that way she is and deserves better than the losers she dates, but he is a supportive friend.
Her efforts to better herself annoy him, and he snaps when she talks about doing something to her teeth but when something goes wrong with her tanning thing he is there for her. Simon has loved her for years but has never done anything about it because he doesn't want to lose her, like he lost his step-mother after the divorce so he hides his feelings really well.
I loved the moment when Simon tells her that she is not defined by what happened in high-school and that she should stop letting her boss and sister bring her down and that she was perfect. Of course Chloe doesn't catch on to his feelings till the very end and even realizes his fears.
A sweet book with a heroine with too many self-esteem issues. English Tal parece que mi resaca es inmune a los Harlequin así que si saben de alguno muy bueno me avisan porfis!!!! que es lo único que puedo leer :(
La historia es muy cliché y cortita, algunas veces (sobre todo al principio) me pareció un poco aburrida pero una vez le agarré el estilo a la autora me gustó.
Ella se me hizo media insoportable pero es un libro pasable! No es de los mejores Friends to lovers que he leído, ni siquiera en los que son de harlequin pues hay unos muy buenos!
***2.5*** English ~* 4.5 Stars *~
Hit All the Mr. Right Buttons
She's been out of high school for ten years, but the moment Chloe McDaniels opened the invitation to her reunion, panic hits. Three girls had made those years the worst of her life, bullying her and ostracizing her. She never knew why they hated her so, but it left her scarred. If it hadn't been for Simon Ford, her best friend since third grade, she never would have made it through.
Relying on Simon for some much needed emotional support, she laid out her plan to improve herself in the six weeks until the dreaded reunion: lose weight, get buff, and get a gorgeous date, then sweep into the reunion with her head held high to show the three witches that she was over their years of torment. Problem is, Simon keeps insisting that she doesn't need to lose weight, certainly doesn't need to have her teeth capped or her hair straightened, and though he supports a healthy lifestyle, he keeps assuring her that she doesn't need to change to be lovely.
He's her best friend, though. He's supposed to say that. Um...his assurances aren't supposed to send a thrill through her that leaves her yearning...right?
Simon can't even begin to express his frustration. He's been in love with Chloe for years, so he's used to her being completely oblivious to his feelings, but she's also oblivious to her own worth, refusing to see how gorgeous and sexy she is. It's driving him crazy. And now she's asked him to set her up with a hot co-worker of his and the jealousy is killing him. There's no way he'd do anything to risk having Chloe in his life, but just once he'd like her to see herself as the perfect woman she is. Perfect for him.
Okay, I have a confession to make. I'm a sap. It's true. I love feel-good books with feel-good romances, where men and women are swept away by the awesomeness of their everlasting love. Yeah, yeah, I know...that doesn't always come across in my book choices or my reviews. It's a carefully guarded secret, believe me. It's the truth, though. Sap. Me. To make matters worse, I'm also a complete sucker for two particular themes in romance fiction, the friends-to-lovers and unrequited-to-requited love themes. And by 'sucker' I mean those themes are my kryptonite, robbing me of my ability to objectively review the books in which they are featured. If either one of those themes pop up in a book and are pulled off with anything remotely resembling competence, I love the story.
Mr. Right There All Along had not just one, but both themes, and Braun pulled them off far more than competently.
I loved it. I loved it even though Chloe's issues with self esteem would normally have annoyed me. Braun kept the tone light enough that it didn't bother me, and she injected a lot of humor into several of Chloe's improvement attempts that were...less than successful. I'm also a big supporter of books that don't peddle 'classic' beauty as the be-all-end-all, and loved that Simon was so staunch in his enlightened opinions of what makes Chloe sexy and desirable.
The only issue I had at all with the book was the end. It was very abrupt. The shorter length of the book may have been to blame, but the conclusion didn't give me the totally satisfied (*cough*sappy-happy*cough*) feeling I was hoping for. Instead, the characters had a complete reversal of situation without any explanation as to why there was an about face and the relationship leapt to the HEA with very little discussion and negligible development.
Eh, it's a minor complaint. Like I said - kryptonite. Braun's book was a delicious treat and I enjoyed it immensely. Her writing style is light, humorous, and fun. Her characters were likable and had great chemistry. The plot was quick to develop, well-paced, balanced, and entertaining. I enjoyed it immensely. Mr. Right There All Along was like a fudge sundae on a hot summer night...sans cherry, maybe, but still yummy and oh-so-good.
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Harlequin via NetGalley. The rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
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Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another. English This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic
Expected Release Date: August 2, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: HarlequinRomance
Author’s Website: http://www.jackiebraun.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: No
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Warm
Chloe McDaniels and Simon Ford have been best friends since they were kids. She, the unpopular geek with glasses and frizzy hair, and he the studious nerd who liked to blend into the woodwork, their friendship has lasted through all sorts of ups and downs. Now, with their upcoming high school reunion rapidly approaching, Chloe has begun to freak out about facing the people who made her school life miserable, and Simon has finally had enough of Chloe's self depreciation.
Terrified that his long-time attraction will ruin their friendship, Simon is finding it harder and harder to maintain the status quo between him and Chloe, and Chloe's newfound attitude is not making things any easier.
A very fast, light-hearted read, this book was absolutely wonderful.
While at times it bordered a bit on chick-lit, in that there was a great deal of pressure on Chloe to accept herself for who she was, and to stand up to the people who were constantly taking advantage of her and making her feel inferior, there was a strong emphasis on the budding romance between best friends. Simon was delicious, and Chloe felt real, and I simply could not wait for them to get together.
While I was disappointed that there was no actual lovemaking in the story, explicit or otherwise, I still greatly enjoyed it.
Recommended for fans of heroines who finally realize that nobody can make them feel inferior, of heroes who finally gain the courage to reach for their greatest desire, and of finding out that love has been waiting for you in the most unexpected place all along.
4.5/5 Stars English Nombres: Chloe & Simon
Profesiones: Diseñadora Grafico & Empresario
Pais: USA English
2.5 English This was a very nice friends to lovers story. I loved how the hero kept telling the heroine all along that she was perfect and didn't need to change a thing. She was preoccupied with getting all skinny and dolled up to go to their 10th year high school reunion. Well written and sweet it took place over 6 weeks and was a series of scenes showing her determination to change herself and his efforts to help her even though he thinks she's already perfect. This was a chaste story with only a couple of kisses and one aborted (non explicit) love scene. Very enjoyable. I would try this author again.
I received this story free from netGalley for review. English 1.5 estrellas. Redondeo porque la protagonista me ha caído bien. Pero estoy siendo generosa, en mi opinión.
A ver, es un libro cortito, bastante flojo y usa algunos de los clichés del género que más me fastidian. Aunque al final parecía que la escritora iba a redimir la historia, se precipitó y al no hacerlo hasta las últimas páginas, la verdad es que me dejó a medias.
La protagonista es un desastre con patas, parece que todo le sale mal. Eso sí, es el estereotipo de chica normal con baja autoestima pero que por lo visto es maravillosa. El problema que tengo con esto es que la escritora demuestre lo especial que es la prota anteponiéndola a otras mujeres, haciendo comparaciones en las que la falta de sororidad brilla por su ausencia.
Luego está él, el mejor amigo. Resulta que . Me fastidian bastante este tipo de tramas. Sobre todo porque parece que las mujeres con las que ha salido antes no sean personas y tengan sentimientos. Por lo visto, como no es la protagonista, está bien usarlas y meterse con ellas. Esto es lo que menos me gusta de este libro. No llega a ser tan exagerado como en otros que he leído, pero ahí está. Ejemplo:
Shauna sacudió su perfecta melena. Era una mujer guapísima, aunque un poco soberbia. A su lado, Chloe parecía sencilla pero en el mejor de los sentidos. Tenía una autenticidad que todas las Shaunas del mundo nunca podrían copiar.(pág. 108)
Además, ¿de qué sirve que me intentes vender que la protagonista es perfecta tal y como es si la pones a dieta y haces que haga deporte? Al final, ella ha adelgazado:
De modo que se vistió para la reunión, pero no con ilusión a pesar de su nueva figura, sino deseando dejarla tras ella de una vez por todas.(pág. 154)
Es que no me termina de gustar este asunto. Hay algo en el libro que me chirría. Por eso no he podido disfrutarlo, ni siquiera dejar que me entretuviese.
Tengo el libro de bolsillo de tamaño enano (esa edición no está aquí), publicado en el año 2011 por Harlequin Ibérica para su colección Jazmín, que no está triunfando conmigo, la verdad. Este va a la librería benéfica de cabeza. Lo compré junto a otros cuantos a 25 céntimos cada uno así que seguirán apareciendo de vez en cuando entre mis reseñas.
English This book was a wonderful surprise. I have little experience with Harlequin romance stories except in manga and they are usually ridiculous and filled with ridiculously overexplained love scenes that the characters most often rush into or the romance is disturbingly controlling from one side. I'm so glad to say this incredible experience was none of that! It was heartwarming, relatable, heartbreaking, hilariously embarrassing at times in a good way and not over filled with raunchy and rushed love scenes. Thank you! It's why I don't read adult fiction as much and this book gave me hope! Nerdy friend turned hot shot, and hot apparently, Tech company owner with serious mommy and daddy issues and his quirky, nerdy, low self eteem based, talented and decent young woman who have been best friends for years trying to protect their valuable friendship while attraction grows and challenges their relationship forever. It was relatable, her self esteem, body image, low self worth being further smacked down by family(sister)and stalled in a job that takes advantage of her. While her bff deals with a lifetime of love and attraction he's afraid to give into for fear of loosing her like his mom who walked out on him and his father's second wife did too after giving him a taste of lovingmotherhood. Watching his dad serial marriage and divorce track. It wasn't annoying or eye rolling and I couldn't put this book down. I downed the last half this book until 4am. If I'd had time, I'd have finished it in a day. Thank you for a wonderfully heartwarming change to the overly dramatic, graphic, stale and rushed garbage I usually get tricked into when I try to read adult fiction English It's a lovely story, and almost chaste. I like the characters, the dialogue and story, but it lacks in passion to be perfect. Or maybe I'm just spoiled... English
