I'm not going to lie- when I got this as an ebook for free on Amazon, I wasn't expecting all that much. I thought the premise sounded fun, and I recalled loving choose-your-own-adventure-type books as a kid, so I thought I'd just give it a go. Little did I know how obsessed with this story I would become and how absolutely in love with the characters I was going to fall.
Let's start there, shall we? Though the book is written in second person, our main character Elle Masters is not just some empty husk of a person for the reader to live vicariously through. She is fleshed out, she is complex, she has a backstory, and she has a definable personality. I absolutely loved Elle's sass, but even more than that I loved how much heart she had. She cares deeply about her family and friends, and she knows what she wants in a romantic relationship. What made Elle even more lovable were the interactions with her best friends Rachel and Valerie (who honestly stole the show- the antics the three of them got into were hilarious, and I'm not even exaggerating when I say that the banter between the three of these women had me crying laughing and was the highlight of my reading experience). Rachel and Valerie are also given distinct personalities and characteristics without them becoming the caricatures of best friends that are seen in a lot of "chick lit" (quotations because I loathe that term). Then we have Nick. Oh, Nick. Reed warns us that every so often we will hate him, and she was not kidding. Some of these endings are so brutal that, if I had a physical copy in lieu of my phone, I probably would have thrown the book across the room. I once went on a reading tangent so long that I thought "Yes, this is it! Nick and I are going to get married and be together forever!" only to find he had been cheating on me/Elle for months and he was leaving to be with her. Way harsh. But the beauty of this book is that sometimes Nick acts like a jerk, but in other timelines he lives up to his name of Mr. Wright. When things are going well, he and Elle have the best witty banter, the cutest moments of romance, and even occasionally a happy ending.
I think one of the things I love most about this sort of interactive, nonlinear story is that my anal side can turn it into a mission to read every single bit of book there is and try to discover every possible ending. I wanted to "win" at reading it, if you will. And in Love Him Not, where there are 60 endings (and only two where Elle ends up with Nick!), that's quite a task. If you're going to be a control freak reader like me I cannot recommend enough that you sign up for the doorflower newsletter to get the "Heart-A-Track" sheet, because I never would have made it through everything without it (it was also invaluable for marking off each ending, including the two "happily-ever-after" ones, and for noting the particularly heartbreaking endings). Really my only complaint about this book- aka the reason I didn't give it a perfect 5 stars- was that I was rooting for Elle and Nick so much that it hurt to only have those two good endings for them. Especially so because I had found them both when I was about halfway through my reading experience, so even though I was happy to have read those two parts, I was dissatisfied knowing I hadn't read the rest of the book yet, and had to keep going through all the painful endings afterwards.
Typically I don't address other readers' critiques in my own reviews, but I do want to mention a few points that I read from other people. I don't think this book is at all anti-feminist or setting a bad example for how to behave in a relationship. While there are only two promoted happy endings, there are many others where things are broken off between our couple with mutual respect and a sense of dignity. There are endings where Nick makes terrible choices and Elle lets him have it for the way he has behaved (these are my personal favorites of the bad endings). The point of much of the book is that Elle knows what she wants out of life (Nick does as well), and that she's not going to settle for less, even if that means losing a man as seemingly perfect as Nick. Likewise, this is not a dating advice book (a point Reed is sure to mention in her intro). Love Him Not is not advocating tricking your boyfriend into an engagement or lying to your significant other (sometimes poor choices lead to serendipitous happiness, other times they backfire entirely). I think the point is that there's no one set path toward love- in a story, or in life. People don't always react the way you would expect, and sometimes the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I thought that this book was very realistic in this respect, even if some of the situations Elle gets into are a bit outlandish (but that's part of the fun)!
Overall, I really loved this read. I've been revisiting my favorite quotes a lot (the "pew pew" dialogue between the ladies always gives me a good laugh) and I know I'll definitely go back for a reread at some point. Even more so I can't wait to see what Reed writes next (an alternative history series featuring England's most notorious monarchs?? SIGN ME UP)!
OR
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Customers who read this book also read
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2017
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2021
Top reviews from other countries
romantic_thi3f
Great concept but frustrated by lack of control as a player
Reviewed in Australia on November 3, 2016
Natalie
So Frustrating...But So Addictive!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2016