book review: the fine print by lauren asher (dreamland billionaires #1)
booktok romance reviews: #1
what made me fuzzy:
worldbuilding is so beautifully incorporated into the book. and it is absolutely stunning. how the theme park is predicted through the eyes of zahra and rowan genuinely makes you want to read it, for sure. their contrasting perspectives add another layer of depth as well. zahra views dreamland synonymously to happiness. while rowan views dreamland in association to his childhood. these little details are well-crafted and thought out. which is rare for a romance novel to depict that with such neat precision. the worldbuilding in this book also perfectly adds to zahra’s and rowan’s character development.
what i adored:
the spice scenes described through zahra’s and rowan’s perspective gives you the perfect sweet and spicy combo. the first person pov makes it extra intimate to gauge their thoughts. and it’s quite obvious that both of them were attracted to each other from the get go. it is not explicitly stated as an slowburn, i do think that the buildup is perfectly executed. it is hard to not make the smutty scenes fit within the story so it doesn’t ruin the plot. but it somewhat makes sense when you genuinely pay attention to the characters. what makes these scenes even sweeter is that you can tell that it isn’t just about the physical intimacy between them. but there is also the depth of emotional intimacy as well. and that adds a beautiful layer to these scenes, which makes them quite sweet to read.
what i disliked:
it probably would have been better to elaborate a bit more about why rowan and his brothers genuinely dislike/hate being in love. is it because of the fact that their mom died of cancer when they were younger? what about their dad’s behaviour specifically (and how cunningly manipulative he is) leads to them feeling this cynical? it is perfectly understandable to see why rowan is so cynical of zahra’s intentions. but it does sort of border on paranoia and that genuinely gives me the ick. what was even worse is about how he used an whole alter ego just to get a better idea of her and her intentions i suppose.
arguably the worst thing ever to be read. what also hasn’t been made clear is we actually don’t know whether zahra is fully armenian or half armenian. it’s more of an thing that genuinely confused me rather disliking it. especially because there’s some mention of indian culture early on in the book. (zahra’s weekly creator presentations) and it somewhat made me scratch my head. nonetheless, i also do think that it’s somewhat weird on rowan’s part to be attracted to her despite unable to fully trust her??? well, describing as it as weird wouldn’t be the right thing. but that’s somewhat confusing since rowan’s backstory is sprinkled a lot through the book. great that it adds on to rowan as an person.
though i’m not too entirely sure whether it’s even okay to be a little rude on his part, but i digress.
what could be executed better:
it honestly shocked me when rowan finally admitted to his actions. and his reasoning behind for getting closer to zahra, as well as why it made him distrust her to begin with. the fact that he was rude to her at times (very big ick) was honestly painful to read. then again, he is more of an grumpy guy so it is sort of understandable. but the fact that he had hurt her not once, but almost 3 times? yeah, that genuinely made me cry and i don’t think that i’ll ever get over it anytime soon. looking at all this, this could have been executed better through snippets of rowan’s past/zahra’s past as flashbacks. so there would be an better understanding of why they are the way they are. it’s an pretty good way of showing why rowan/zahra had their own emotions/feelings about being hurt. and betrayed, etc.
what could have been added:
it genuinely would’ve been so sweet if there was more highlight (in a flashback at least) of how shitty lance was to zahra. purely because i hate to admit that i am a sadistic little shit for wanting that. but it is also because the sheer mention of him feels very rushed and fleeting. and i would have appreciated a flashback at best, but i guess that’s all we’re going to get lol.
thoughts about the characters:
through the chapters, you can really feel for zahra and rowan. and as they go through character development in each chapter. which is quite rare to that perfectly executed in a book. but they developed as actual human beings made me seriously forget they’re not actually real. but gosh, zahra has honestly such an massive soft spot in my heart. and i honestly just wanna squeeze her cheeks for being so damn adorable. and rowan????? mr rowan kane???? gosh, this man is seriously everything that i want and more, and he honestly deserves a hug. the other characters that were also integral to their character development. nothing makes me more sappy than a supportive sibling. i need a rowan kane EXPEDITIOUSLY.
thoughts about the execution of the plot:
the synposes from zahra’s and rowan’s pov at the back of the book perfectly summarises what the book is going to be about. its just about enough to give you a better idea of what you can expect, but its also excellent to stir curiosity. that being said, i was slightly confused at times when i was reading the book. especially in certain parts at the very beginning of the book and in the middle. i can’t quite put my finger on why i was focused, but i felt like that certain chapters didn’t really mesh together well. nonetheless. the plot of the book has arguably been satisfied in the most heartwarming possible. the chapters truly take you through the entire range of human emotions. i’m not sure if i am capable of experiencing said emotions again. my heart cannot take at how well executed the worldbuilding is as well as the description of imagery. the chapters from rowan’s pov complement the chapters from zahra’s pov very well. those aspects are usually quite hard to balance in a romance book. but it has been seamlessly executed.
overall opinion:
i took everything into consideration. i honestly think that the fine print is the kind of romance book that doesn’t catch your interest initially. you read and get further into the chapters. you actually start to realise how genuine the emotions and feelings are of rowan and zahra. i've said this before. the entire damn book drew out the entire range of human emotions again. and thats not something every single romance book can do. every aspect of the book, both small and large brings the book to life and so are the characters. the book isn’t just about zahra working for rowan as her boss. but it is more about the journey that their povs take you through. and honestly? i loved reading every single second of the book, and i will absolutely read it again for sure.
final thoughts:
reading the extended epilogue in particular made me quite sappy. and i can’t believe i wasn’t shitting out crocodile tears by the end of it. it was the kind of epilogue that really tied the entire book together. and i loved reading every single second of it. if it was up to me, i’d smack rowan against the head for being rude at times to zahra. but nonetheless. this book has earned a pretty soft spot for my second favourite grumpy x sunshine romance. (after king of sloth by ana huang). please, let the world be blessed by more grumpy x sunshine romances. BECAUSE WE NEED THEM EXPEDITIOUSLY!
rating (out of 10):
8/10