Stephanie
Written on Apr 25, 2020
The COYER Facebook group decided to give a monthly book club a shot for the year long challenge. We did a Zoom meeting to discuss the book the last Sunday in April. The pick for the first month was Parental Guidance by Avery Flynn. Flynn was a new to me author and I really wanted to participate in the discussion so I made the decision to read the book.
I was not prepared for Avery Flynn but she is now an author that I want to go back and dive into the back list. Bonus: her books are very well priced for acquiring. Flynn writes exactly what I love in a contemporary romance: comedy, passion, and a story that sweeps me up!
Parental Guidance is a fake relationship trope and I was there for it. Caleb and Zara know what they're getting into and believe they don't stand a chance of getting wrapped up in anything. Caleb and Zara made the book fun. They were realistic and flawed and hot damn did they spark. There were laugh out loud moments and genuine emotion. I loved how both Caleb and Zara went about solving their issues.
There were two things that kept this book from being a full-fledged 5 star book. The reason behind the PR event seemed to be largely exaggerated. To me it seemed like the wrong people were being punished. The other issue that I had was that Caleb and Zara were so negative about themselves. I don't know if I'm overly sensitive to it because I struggle with self-confidence. I'm growing out of it but its still there. The problem for me was that Caleb and Zara's negative thoughts about themselves were constant. I understand where it was coming from but it seemed too much.
Once I finished Parental Guidance I did two things. First I looked to see if the series continued and who's story was next. Secondly I looked to see if Zach had a story. I was really pleased to see that he did. Rather than continue with this series right away, I'm going to go to the very beginning with The Negotiator.
I really recommend Parental Guidance for contemporary romance fans. Even if you don't like sports (like me) this book will still definitely appeal!
