Fast-paced and banter-filled, this started off strong before fizzling along the way. I loved the unique premise and the playful feel, which kept things moving fast. It’s not a long book, so it flew by for me. But the romance didn’t keep pace with the rest of it, and the heroine’s insistence that they had zero feelings for each other started to grate on me after a while. She definitely put a damper on their relationship, to the point that I felt bad for the hero. Once the third act conflict kicked in, I totally detached from the story. It ended up being a disappointing romance, but it certainly has some great moments.
The story follows Sophie, a bride who uses an unconventional service to call off her wedding. After finding out that her fiancé is cheating (again), she knows that she needs to end her engagement at the last minute, but she doesn’t want her parents to get stuck with the wedding bill. So she hires an objector – a guy who is often hired to object at ill-fated weddings. The two drink and talk on Sophie’s wedding night, striking up an unlikely friendship. It’s not long before Max is asking for Sophie’s help in objecting to other weddings. They’re both jaded on love, but spending time together feels very right.
The premise is obviously a little ridiculous, but I liked it. We jump right in to things, and the banter between Max and Sophie made their connection obvious. They’re both nursing broken hearts, so neither one even considers a romantic relationship at first. I loved the playful feel, and the vibes were working. However, once things took a turn for the physical, it lost me. Sophie continued to insist that they were just friends, even as Max said that he wouldn’t even consider being friends with benefits. Sophie really started to rub me the wrong way, so once the conflict kicked in, I was well and truly over it. Her views on cheating (that anyone has the capacity to cheat) were uncomfy for me and may be triggering to some readers, especially since she took her ex back after the first time he cheated. The book is also so short that the romance was underdeveloped, and I had trouble buying the HEA. Definitely a fun read for a lot of the time, but certainly not quite what I was hoping for.
Find it on Libro.fm here!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TpShgB
Audio Note:
The audio is great! Absolutely the reason why I found it so easy to get into the story, and it made things fly by. Helen Laser and Sean Patricks Hopkins are both new-to-me narrators, but they did a fantastic job. The runtime is under 8 hours, so easy to binge in a single day. It doesn’t get spicy til the second half, but there’s a decent amount of heat after that. If you’re going to dive into this story, then audio is definitely a great way to do it.
Find it on Libro.fm here!
Audible: https://amzn.to/3PdMXdO
Blurb:
Their name? The objectors.
Their job? To break off weddings as hired.
Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.
When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”
During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.
The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.
And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TpShgB
About the Author:
Lynn Painter is the New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies and Mr. Wrong Number. She writes romantic comedies for teens and adults, and when she isn’t reading or writing, she can usually be found binge-watching rom-coms or shotgunning energy drinks.
Follow Jeeves on social media!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases
Jeeves Reads Romance 