Im torn…
This is not a romance book and unfortunately I went into it thinking it was but according to the girlies it’s an accurate description on what dating in 2023 is …if thats true I never wish to be in these dating streets again because wtf

Men this are scary, they really be out here having top tier chemistry and banter with a girl, sleep with said girl and say things “I wanna be more than friends” but turn around and not want labels and don’t want to belong to someone and want to “go with the flow”

It’s not a bad book, I was just expecting it to be a situationship that turns into a relationship…37 s1 comment constance322 8

????????.5 "I'm not gonna waste time on someone who can't appreciate what's right in front of them." I absolutely adored this book so much more than I expected. I am very sure that I have never read anything as current and relatable to date!

This book follows Tia, an aspiring journalist who has fancied one of her best friends, Aaron, until unexpectedly returns from the US with a new girlfriend on arm. In an act to help her move on her close-nit friend group urge her to download tinder, and after encountering numerous guys who are more suited a jail cell, Nate messages her. The book follows the issues regarding modern dating- the will-they-wont-they, the when do I need to ask them if this is a thing and what is this thing and do they even want to have a thing, and the dreaded "talk." However, this book is so so much more than just a romance. The best part of this book is Tia herself. Who is currently working as a researcher and the struggles she faces each and every day as a black women in the workplace. The book shows the micro-aggressions, the reactions of others to such, and how much extra she had to work to get her ideas across in her job.

I will start by saying how refreshing this book in its reflection in dating. There are barley any books (as far as I have read) so accurate to modern dating where the idea of a meet cute sounds a miracle. The book highlights the difficulties with hinge- the endless unsolicited dick pics. the men who need to touch grass, and the over-sexualised conversations. It runs though the exact conversations many of us I am sure have had with our friends- how long to wait after replying (I advocate that the entire world eradicates this, it is the biggest waste of time) and the idea of the mysterious girl who must be sophisticated and laid back. I adored and definitely appreciate how this topic was approached in this book.

This book is very much current, there is no doubt that this book isn't set now. , right now. I usually despise this and audibly wretch when I read the word TikTok in a book. But here, it just made sense. While reading this book, it was as if I was looking through the window into someones life. The popular culture references did not put me off at all even the mentions of Molly Mae, Hinge, and my beloved Wetherspoons (I wept reading that). However, the downside to this book being so very modern is that I don't know if I would feel the same way whilst reading it in a couple of years. However, for those in their early 20s in particular, I highly recommend (but read it now while the references still stand)

The writing was incredibly easy to read. The start of the book is usually where I can tell whether a book is going to be a good read (yes, I am judgemental) and due to the writing there were characters introduced and I knew what role they held to the story, what relation they were to Tia due to how straight to the point some parts where. Everything was introduced so well without any unnecessary over-explanation. My only issue was that the dialogue felt clunky. One word that irked me was "innit". I use this word a lot in my life, but there was just something about reading it that just didn't work for me.

All in all, I cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you're in your early twenties. It is a very current read and focuses not only the issues of modern dating, but integrally, racial inequality faced in the workplace. Honestly, please read for the ending, it is absolutely perfect. I cannot explain how happy I was reading it. I genuinely could not stop smiling. Thank you netgalley for the arc!netgalley-arc27 s1 comment rach?599 266 Read

DNF @ 15%

I gave this book 5 chapters and unfortunately I just do not want to continue reading the book.

For a group of characters who are supposed to be in their mid-late twenties, they acted immature as hell and quite frankly it felt I was reading dialogue between teenagers instead of adults.

This book is advertised as Merky Books’ “first rom-com” however by the fifth chapter I think it’s pretty clear that this is not a typical rom-com and seems more women’s fiction.

Publishers really need to stop advertising women’s fiction as romance or as a rom-com simply bc there is a romance element to the book. I also think the synopsis on this one is also a bit misleading.

I even decided to skip the rest of the book and read the last two chapters to see if we get a typical rom-com end to the book - eg a happy ever after - and we don’t. The main character ends the book as a single woman. That’s not a romance book.

I understand this is a debut novel but I think it could’ve done with some more editing - the writing was repetitive (if I read the phrase “kissed her teeth” one more time istg) and there were too many pop culture references for my liking.

Thank you NetGalley and Merky Books for an early copy of The Situationship in exchange for my honest review.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full reviewarcs-or-gifted-by-pub dnf-books19 s2 comments BookOfCinz1,473 3,048

I absolutely loved being in Tia's world as she navigates being a writer in a predominantly white space, while trying to date. I loved how relatable she was and how the author really kept us interested in all that she was going through.

The ending was perfect!2023-reads 2023-releases debut ...more13 s Lauren ?415 9

I feel I'm on an absolute losing streaks with what I'm reading but for me, this was awful. I gelled with absolutely nothing about this book.

For one, it was overly descriptive. I was told, told, told until I wanted to scream. I don't think I've read, and enjoyed, a story where the main character describes every detail of not only her own, but all of her friends outfits, from their shoes to the jewelry they have on, since I was at least fourteen. If it isn't important to the story, you're just adding unnecessary word count. I just don't care. The same happened whenever a new character was introduced, no matter how minor their role. We'd get 2-3 paragraphs about their life or their role within Tia's life and again, I cannot stress this enough: I did not care!!!!!! I'm not here for useless filler. I want information relevant and important to the story. The author really struggled with that throughout this entire book - deciding what was important enough to include and what could be left out.

Secondly, the dialogue. It felt really immature at best and very repetitive at worst. I'm sure I counted three, maybe four times by the 15% mark that Tia had 'kissed her teeth'. I also just didn't gel with the dialogue in general. Slang has it's place in a lot of places but personally I've never enjoyed reading it in books. A lot of words were shorted: cos in place of because, haps in place of happy and colly instead of collage. It just didn't feel necessary. It almost read how I imagine a group chat of fifteen year olds speak to each other. It gave me the same vibe as people who say amazeballs unironically.

I also didn't the notion that Olivia was a bitch just because she was dating the guy Tia d. If Aaron never mentioned Tia to Olivia, that's on him. The fact they'd never talked about their 'situationship' or set boundaries with each other wasn't Olivia's fault, either. Kinda perpetuates the idea that women need to be in competition with each other when it comes to men, ya know? Not my style. Also - if I was Olivia, coming to meet my boyfriends friends for the first time and a girl he's talked about a lot (since she referred to her as the famous Tia) jumped all over my boyfriend as soon as he walked through the door, I'd have my back up a little, too. But then again, that's on Aaron, for not telling his friends or Tia about Olivia.

Do you see the problem here? It felt very juvenile.

As well as all of that, there were points in the book that were just page after page or either inner monologuing from Tia or more descriptive nonsense about what she was doing, what those around her were doing, useless background information that I glazed over.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Merky Books for the ARC*2-star cheesy contemporary-romance8 s2 comments nas118 17

3.5 ??

Mixed feelings on this but for the most part, I did enjoy it.
The humour and dialogue between Tia and other characters were perfect. I that this wasn't a conventional romance and that there was a focus on Tia's career and personal growth.

But and this is my main gripe with this novel, I think it could've definitely done with a LOT less pop culture references. It did get to a point where it was frustrating because it felt the writer was trying to pack in as much as possible to make Tia relatable.

p.s. there's something so satisfying about reading a scene where a black girl is getting ready to go out (It just gives me endorphins!)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.contemporary7 s Jake HallAuthor 1 book13

TURN THIS INTO A SERIES!!

Definitely a 4.5 read for me. I don't usually go for rom-coms, but this is an unconventional rom-com, one about navigating modern dating in-between work, friends and everything else life throws at you. There's loads of detail about Tia navigating structural racism at her office, the struggles of elevating Black stories in overwhelmingly white newsrooms, which I was expecting, as I was lucky enough to hear the author chat about the story at a Merky Books event, where I was v kindly gifted a proof.

I made the mistake of reading some negative on here, some of which were pretty coded. One reader says they want the characters to "speak properly" as opposed to using slang. It's pretty clear the author uses the slang of actual Black Londoners - the dialogue would feel super jarring otherwise - AND switching in and out of slang based on context seems to me a pretty obvious depiction of Tia having to code-switch in and out of the office. If you want characters to "speak properly" then find another - whiter, posher - rom-com.

Another says they didn't expect to hear so much about racism, and it turned them off the book. Anyone who knows anything about Merky's mission would roll their eyes at this statement, and I personally love that Tia's life was more fleshed out than endless dates and romantic scenes.

Some of the writing was sporadically repetitive, but I - everyone else given an ARC - was reading a proof, so I reckon some repetition will be changed before the book goes to print. More than anything, I really warmed to Tia; I wanted her to WIN, and I love that this book centres friendship, as well as romance. I also finished 340 pages in two days- perfect summer read, I reckon!5 s marnie ?102 8

grateful to the publisher for gifting me a copy because i LOVED this! the writing flowed effortlessly to make for an easy, but enjoyable read. the friendships all felt authentic and i really appreciated how Tia’s personal storyline got as much attention as the romance. will definitely be recommending this to everyone
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