@warmheartreads | Bookish content 🌸

Hot Take Alert: When your favorite author lets you down… 💔👇
As a massive Ali Hazelwood fan, it hurts my heart to say this, but Problematic Summer Romance was a huge disappointment for me. Honestly, there were so many moments while reading where I just thought, “Why was this even written?” 😭
Don’t get me wrong, there were parts I genuinely liked:

✨ Maya: I loved her as a main character! Getting to know her and understanding the motives behind her actions felt really rewarding.

⏳ The Flashback Chapters: Switching between timelines was so helpful to map out her history and deepest feelings for Conor.

🐾 The Side Characters: Eli, Rue, and Nyota completely stole my heart!
But here is where it went downhill for me: The chemistry was practically nonexistent.

🛑 I just didn’t feel the spark between Maya and Conor for most of the book.

Also, we desperately needed a dual POV. Because of their massive age gap and Conor’s constant reservations, I was practically screaming to get inside his head! The book would have been so much stronger if we actually got to understand his perspective instead of just watching him push her away.
Overall, this one just didn’t hit the mark for me. 😔

🏆 My Rating: 1.5/5 ⭐ (Generous because I love Maya and the side characters!)

💬 Have you read this one yet? Did the age gap work for you, or were you missing the chemistry too? Let’s talk in the comments! 👇
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