Take a photo of a barcode or cover
paragraphsandpages 's review for:
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
by Megan Bannen
2.5 stars, rounded down because I really did not like certain aspects of the ending and romance.
Usually, when a romance starts as strongly as this one did for me, I'm hooked. Unfortunately, it felt like each consecutive time I picked this book up to read, I liked it less and less. It felt more and more like a chore to finish it, which was disheartening because I found the beginning so adorable and fun.
I think my biggest issue is how shallow every aspect of the book was forced to be due to how many storylines and plots it contained. It felt like we couldn't actually dive into any of it, and instead were just pinballing between each option. This was most obvious in the ending, where I felt like I couldn't get a satisfying conclusion to any of the big issues because there just wasn't the space for it. I think the book could've benefitted a lot from having the plots weave together a bit more, rather than everything feel as separated and isolated as it did. (Another big issue for me here: it felt a lot like Mercy and Hart were solving their individual issues on their own, and only came together for the emotional/romantic plot sometimes, rather than the pair tackling things together. This definitely contributed to me losing interest in them as a couple as well).
I also just became extremely frustrated with the romance, on top of all of the above. I never like miscommunication plots, but I can't even blame most of my dislike of the romance on that aspect anymore. Sure, the extreme frustration of this specific miscommunication led me to look at other things more critically, but I also just couldn't forgive some things Mercy said to or thought about Hart during/afterwards, and I absolutely hated the reconciliation scene. It was just so horrible, how.
Overall, I had such high hopes for this book after positive reviews from my friends, and even from the first half of this book even, but it just was not for me at all in the end.
Usually, when a romance starts as strongly as this one did for me, I'm hooked. Unfortunately, it felt like each consecutive time I picked this book up to read, I liked it less and less. It felt more and more like a chore to finish it, which was disheartening because I found the beginning so adorable and fun.
I think my biggest issue is how shallow every aspect of the book was forced to be due to how many storylines and plots it contained. It felt like we couldn't actually dive into any of it, and instead were just pinballing between each option. This was most obvious in the ending, where I felt like I couldn't get a satisfying conclusion to any of the big issues because there just wasn't the space for it. I think the book could've benefitted a lot from having the plots weave together a bit more, rather than everything feel as separated and isolated as it did. (Another big issue for me here: it felt a lot like Mercy and Hart were solving their individual issues on their own, and only came together for the emotional/romantic plot sometimes, rather than the pair tackling things together. This definitely contributed to me losing interest in them as a couple as well).
I also just became extremely frustrated with the romance, on top of all of the above. I never like miscommunication plots, but I can't even blame most of my dislike of the romance on that aspect anymore. Sure, the extreme frustration of this specific miscommunication led me to look at other things more critically, but I also just couldn't forgive some things Mercy said to or thought about Hart during/afterwards, and I absolutely hated the reconciliation scene. It was just so horrible, how
Spoiler
utterly terrified Hart was of Mercy, of being near her and going against her wishes for him to stay away. And for Mercy to turn around and want him to be sorry for following her demands? It ruined any good I still saw in this relationship, and soured the rest of the book so quickly for meOverall, I had such high hopes for this book after positive reviews from my friends, and even from the first half of this book even, but it just was not for me at all in the end.