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aftereliza 's review for:

Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone
3.5
funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was a really sweet book from two perspectives, Vera, who's racing towards a big deadline for her business launch and Cal, the guy who picked up the phone when she called customer service for her website issues. They talk on the phone for over 9 hours that first day, while Cal worked tirelessly day and night on fixing complex issues with the website before the big convention for Vera's debut, all the while dealing with his own family issues and while Vera feels the pressure from her family for this business venture to succeed and from her brother to date his best friend. The story of Vera and Cal is a fast-paced series of conversations over the phone and text, with one key email, and it takes place over the course of a week.
It's really fascinating to think about our conversations online and how they could be fateful and connect us to the right people. It was also about standing up for yourself, trying a variety of things before you find that one thing that's your calling and making sure you have the right kind of support from the people you care about most. I loved the plot and the trope, though some of the conversations seemed unrealistic and didn't read like how people talked. I will say that there was no shortage of miscommunication which I found slightly annoying due to the characters' awkwardness and inability to communicate clearly. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a light-hearted, fast-paced romantic comedy, especially with conversations over digital means.