Queen B’s Decree: The Dead Romantics was a book club pick, and it’s one that I’ve kept my eye on since it released two years ago.
But it didn’t take long for me to lose interest. The older I get, the less tolerance I have for the “FMC is a hot mess” trope. Florence is a ghostwriter to a popular romance novelist, but hasn’t been able to write about love since her break-up—A YEAR AGO. This woman, waits until the day before her draft is due to ask for an extension. And when she is told no, instead of writing she goes out to a bar with her roommate/best friend. It’s not even your book! You’re under contract with an author for a book that doesn’t even have your name on it, so it’s not even your reputation at stake if you don’t meet deadlines.
So I was close to quitting at that point. Then she just goes into great detail about her ex-boyfriend and I didn’t understand why I was listening anymore. A shame, really, as the narrator was doing a wonderful job on differentiating the dialogue.
Add that to the 2024 DNF list.
Book: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Series: standalone
Genre: Paranormal
Hotness: mild salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: enemies-to-lovers