Playing House (Uptown, #1)

by Ruby Lang

• ISBN10: 1488055092
• ISBN13: 9781488055096
• Publish Date: 2019
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 113
• Language: English

Reviews

[bookperson]

This is my first Ruby Lang and I don't know how I feel about this story.

On one hand I liked that characters are upfront and no-bullshit, but I felt that it was done in such a way where they don't act like real humans. Maybe my problem was that it was too short and ending was too abrupt for my liking.

I'm not a big fan of novellas, so take my review with the grain of salt, obviously.

[layawaydragon]

I received this book for free from Goddess Fish Promotions in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Welcome back all ya'll! Today I’m talking about Playing House by Ruby Lang, a well-known contemporary romance author. This is her latest novel, a start to a fresh new series, and my first read of hers. No spoilers, but this won't be the last for sure. Check out all the deets, and a chance to win below!

About Playing House:

excerpt from playing house:

IMHO: Playing House

Playing House starts with fake dating between acquaintances that run in the same circles for years when happenstance ensures they get closer than ever before. I love the sparse history between the two that turns out to mean more than anyone could've guessed.

It's a short novel, packed with plenty to love and enjoy, with my only caveat being could’ve been longer! I would've been quite tickled with more fake dating time, more of the real deal, or any stage in between really.

Don’t get me wrong though. The characters are well done, the plot worked through, and it sticks the landing so it’s not like there’s anything missing necessarily. I just would’ve liked more time there, is all. So obviously, I can’t wait to get the next installment in this series. I’m particularly interested in Oliver’s little brother’s story, and as well as Fay’s business partners.

 The Rundown:

• › Cute, short, & sweet.


• › Quick & easy read


• › Left me satisfied & wanting more


• › Knew nothing about urban planning going in. Enjoyed their mutual geeking out and community concern


• › Love their touch flirting and comfort & calm between them.


• › The enthusiastic consent.


• › The hot & realistic sex scene with a bed on the floor.


• › Yesssss my lost struggling millennial cohorts.


• › Real talk about feelings re: traditional jobs and freelancing for Oliver and Fay’s upstart business with friends.


• › Fay’s apartment unpacking stalemate and her BFF chats.


• › Oliver crashing with his gay younger brother


• › Already itching for more of this series!


• ›Haven’t read any of Lang’s work before and will be soon!

 

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This review was originally posted on The Layaway Dragon

[llamareads]

Just like the cover shows, this is a cute and humorous novella about two thirty-something urban planners finding love among NYC architecture.

“I think you might be the most driven person I know.” Then, thinking it sounded cold or off-putting somehow, he hastily added, “That’s a compliment, by the way.”

After her divorce, Fay has little time for anything other her work as a partner at an urban planning firm. So it’s just her luck that when she finally decides to get out and enjoy a house tour, she gets cornered by a creep and has to enlist the help of Oliver, an old friend, to pretend to be her boyfriend so the guy leaves her alone. Oliver and Fay reconnect, and as one thing leads to another, they end up on a series of dates revolving around historic architecture.

This is pretty short – only 113 pages – so there’s not much room for the relationship to really grow. A lot of it is built on remembered experiences from college rather than things than happen in the present day. The fake dating thing is a bit odd. They only pull that out for the initial meet-cute and then again when touring apartments they have no intention of buying, which felt a bit off to me (as well as the fact that they basically go for third-base during a house showing). The main conflict of the story revolves around the fact that Oliver has applied for a job at Fay’s firm, but Fay isn’t aware of it. At several points, Oliver considers discussing it with her, but he never brings it up for one reason or another. I didn’t like this part of the book at all – it verged too close on outright lying, one of my personal pet peeves – and Oliver knows exactly how badly Fay would take it if (when!) she finds out. There is the excuse that Fay refuses to talk about their jobs, as her ex was particularly defensive about talking about his and outright dismissive when she talked about hers. I loved that Fay was a very successful woman, though it was something that her ex deeply resented. I also loved how upfront she was with Oliver about exactly what she wanted in a relationship. After he lost his job when the firm he worked at folded, Oliver has been doing contract work and living with his brother. He feels like a failure, especially compared to Fay. I loved Oliver’s brother Nat, and he absolutely stole the scenes he was in.

Overall, while I had my quibbles with the main plot device, I liked the writing and the humor, and will probably pick up the next in the series.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Fay and Oliver had been running in the same circles for over a decade, but his buried feelings for her emerge, when she unexpectedly kisses him in an attempt to put off another suitor. Their afternoon together blossoms into more, but their insecurities may keep this relationship from taking root.

I really enjoyed meeting Fay and Oliver, and thought the set up for this story was great. Two urban planners, living in NYC, who were both experiencing some sort of transition in their lives. The shared career gave them lots to talk about, and the fact that they had already known each other for so long, allowed the chance meeting to plausibly progress to more, quickly, without all that awkwardness associated with getting to know the basics about someone.

I actually enjoyed taking the architectural tours of the city, and I thought the moments shared with Oliver's family were great. I appreciated the little bits about urban planning, that Lang peppered the story with, and I found both Oliver and Ruby to be interesting and fully formed characters.

I think the only problem I had with this book, which kept my rating in the "good" zone, was that I needed more of their story. What was there was great, and I enjoyed seeing these two wade through their personal baggage and to each other, but I needed a little more.

That said, I am happy with my first Ruby Lang experience, and would love to read a full-length by her. She created characters I was able to embrace, incorporated things that were new and interesting to me, and I would love to read more of her stories.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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