Adrian Lessons is a funny, sexy New Adult read that took me on a roller coaster of emotions. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean I enjoyed the whole thing.
I came in with low expectations. I knew it was going to be a light and quick read and I was right. But I didn't know it was going to be super funny. It started so good. I was giggling uncontrollably at Cleo's failed attempts at writing erotic scenes for Marie's romance book. Looking back, the self-deprecating humor reminded me of Sophie Kinsella's stand-alone novels and I thought, this is going to be so good and I'll probably give this 5 stars. And for a while it was really good. Cleo was laugh-out-loud funny, Adrian's a smart, sexy Greek god and the sexual tension is palpable. For a while there, I had fun.
Then it became too much. I found Cleo's humor to be inappropriate sometimes. It felt like her default reaction to anything is to laugh or to make a joke out of things and it became annoying after a while. Plus, Adrian is not only smart and eloquent and sweet and sexy and handsome as hell -- he's also filthy rich! And he's been obsessed with Cleo since high school. It was so convenient that it felt too good to be true.
I should also point out that Cleo has a secret, which was pretty obvious since the early parts of the book. And oh, she has an annoying sister.
How about the sex, you ask? This book's all about a terribly long foreplay, literally and figuratively. Cleo and Adrian only had actual sex in the last parts of the book and by that time it already felt, at least for me, forced and more of a necessity, something to appease readers like me who got bored with all the foreplay. All the back and forth, especially from Cleo's end, affected the overall tempo of the book, from rushing to dragging to rushing and back again. It's exhausting.
And there's too much sex! Think Fifty Shades-frequency of sex, except this has more foreplay than actual sex. At least with Fifty Shades we know that Christian did it just for sex's sake but here, Adrian's lust for Cleo was disguised as love. Ugh.
Can you feel my frustration? I had high hopes for Adrian Lessons because the first few chapters were really good. It's a real shame that it wasn't able to sustain the momentum. But hey, if you're looking for something funny and sexy, this is it.
As a reader and reviewer, I aim to write fair and honest reviews, both on this site and on Goodreads. Please read my Review Policy here.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the same about the lust-and-love disguise part. Frustrating!
ReplyDeleteAdrian, in totality is so good to be true. Anyway, I still like the humor in this piece( I had a lot of LOL moments)
When I started reading your review, I thought this book sounded really funny. Maybe people should just read the first couple of chapters and then stop xD
ReplyDeletewell this is not unfamiliar territory for me...i think i've read another book with almost the same plot...but still i read same generic book plot for entertainment and whenever i am in a mood for one ;) as long as the funny moments made me laugh then i'm all good...unless i find the MCs annoying then yeah i might give it my stinky eye. i think almost all book boyfriends are too good to be true...that's why they exist on paper only *sigh*
ReplyDeletethe cute hunky guy on the cover is still a plus tho...LOL!
Yeesh. Gratuitous sex, you say? Imma have to pass. Lol.
ReplyDeleteThis book does sound frustrating! I'm surprised it would be so funny, but it reminds me a little of Bad Romeo with all the sexual frustration and whatnot. That book was definitely a joke, so I don't think I would be picking this one up either. I hate when authors attempt to disguise lust as love...we're not stupid. It's pretty obvious. Sorry the ending wasn't as great as the start, I hope your next read is much better xx
ReplyDeleteI hope so, too Joy! Lately I'm being so critical and picky of the books I read and I wonder if it's just a phase. I hope the next good read for me is just around the corner.
ReplyDeleteHi Joy! Yeah, I'd say pass, too. There are way too many books in this world to waste your time on not-so-good ones.
ReplyDeleteIf it's really just for fun, yeah, this book's okay. But if you're looking for something thought-provoking, definitely steer clear of this book.
ReplyDeleteUgh. Yeah. That's sad though, you know? The book really had the potential to be a good, Kinsella-ish novel and I was hoping it'll be my next 5 star.
ReplyDeleteLots of LOL moments, yes! I just wish the sexy parts were more realistic, you know?
ReplyDeleteImagine my surprise when I saw abs at my computer screen lol and it's 9 in the morning, with no caffeine in the system yet haha! You caught my attention with fun and sex, but too much sex? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha! Those abs though, right?
ReplyDelete