nitzan_schwarz
Written on Jan 2, 2018
If you're looking for a quick, fun contemporary romance with little angst that focuses on two people getting to know each other and growing closer while bantering constantly, THE STUDYING HOURS is the right read for you.
I think I read THE STUDYING HOURS at exactly the right time for it; I needed something light and easy to pick me up and it did just that!
I loved that our main female character, James, was studious and serious, but that by no mean made her a prude. I loved that she was not cowed or intimidated by the assholes that make the wrestling team, including our hero Oz.
Fair warning - there is a lot of crude talk, courtesy of Oz's filthy mouth and no filter policy. I really didn't connect with this part of him, and just wished he'd stop. It fits with who he is as a person, so I don't fault the author for making him like this, but I sure wasn't a fan.
I was a fan of the chemistry between the two of them. It really was sizzling and it's the type that just kind of makes you shout in frustration that it's time to stop being just friends and give in to the temptation to make out!
And this relationship does take it's sweet ass time to get started. Unfortunately, there were a lot of things I wanted to see with our mains that seem to have happened off page, frustratingly enough, despite how deliciously long they take about getting romantic.
Like Oz sharing his sister's story with James, or James telling Oz about her family (which I literally know zero about. That's unfair--why does only Oz get to know??) or James and his sister texting... Those are all things that would've added a lot of depth to their relationship, on a non-sexual level. And they would have made great conversations to include! So why waste all these great things we didn't know in two random paragraphs at the end like an afterthought?
Although, I probably shouldn't be surprised, since I did feel like Ney wasn't quite sure how to end this book, so instead, we got an ending that felt really rushed, which is not something I usually say about standalone ish contemporary romance novels. Especially not ones I would classify as "slow burn" like this one is. But, like, there were things they had just started exploring or things that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and it gave me whiplash.
Take for example Zeke. I felt like that was such a sloppy way to set up his story. Dear author, I would've been immensely interested in Zeke's story even without the sudden fights with Oz and the cryptic, uncalled for messages like "you don't know her" and "don't let her get into your head". Especially since there is absolutely zero payout for these, or basis, which makes this part absolutely meaningless to this story. And, in general, I'm not a fan of unnecessary shit being thrown into any form of storytelling (movies included) just to set up the next installment, unless it's the after credit scene in a Marvel movie. Hey, just keeping it real.
So, yeah, there were a few things that stopped it from being a full 4 star, but if what I said in the first paragraph hold true to you, definitely check this one out! You're bound to enjoy it :)
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Original Thoughts
This was a fast and fun read, perfect if you're looking for a contemporary read with little angst, a lot of two characters getting to know each other and growing closer, and a ton of banter. Also, a lot of crudeness, courtesy of our hero. That part wasn't my favorite, but it fits with who he was so who am I to judge. Okay, I'm judging. But only a little bit!
I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed. There were things they had just started exploring or things that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and it gave me whiplash, which is weird considering how long it takes our mains to finally get together.
I mean... Zeke. That was SUCH a sloppy way to set his story. Dear author, I would've been interested in it even without the sudden fights with Oz, and the cryptic messages of "you don't know her" and "don't let her get into your head" or such things, especially since there was no payout for all of these. I'm sure it will be explored in his novel, but for a series of interconnected standalones with a different couple at the helm each time, this shit is NOT necessary. Keep that to his story, or at least make something out of it instead of two random scenes at the end that are connected to nothing.
Also, there were a lot of conversations I would have *liked* to see from our mains. They take such a (deliciously) long time to get together, and the author takes such care with it, that I was super shocked and confused to hear of things we haven't seen that apparently happened between them off page? Like Oz sharing his sister's story, or James telling him about her family (I mean, *I* don't know anything about her family--how come Oz does???) or James and his sister texting... Those are things I SHOULD'VE seen. First, it adds a lot of depth to their relationship. Yes, we've seen it develop and we know it's not all sexual, but still.. those are great conversations to include! And second, it gives us a lot of info about our heroes that we *didn't* get before. So.. why just tack it at the end there in two paragraphs of thoughts like an afterthought?
