I bought this book because it was on the Goodreads daily deals...I think it was only $.99...I kind of feel like I was ripped off.

I originally rated this 2 stars, but when I tried to think of something I actually enjoyed about this book I came up empty. I can't think of a single redeeming quality of this book. Also, I found myself hate reading from about the 15% mark on.

What I liked:
1. It was only $.99
2. It was a quick read

What I disliked:

Oh boy, where do we start?

1. The concept. Now, I should say that when I skimmed the synopsis, all I saw was that it was about an actor who found out he had a five-year old child he didn't know about. That intrigued me and I bought the book without fully reading the synopsis. Even if I'd realized the romance was between the dad and a nanny, that would've still intrigued me. It's a trope I kind of like, to be honest. But the execution of this concept was so incredibly poor. So little of this book actually dealt with any real connection between Brad (the actor) and Nicole (the daughter). It was all about how horny he was for Cara and how he hated that he could no longer party like a frat boy, even as he spent half the book doing just that.

2. The characters. I hated them.

Cara was a spineless and hypocritical. She made excuses for her behavior the entire way through the book, rarely taking any ownership of her actions.

Examples:

Pg. 23 "Moving around that much meant I never had a chance to fall in love. And if I couldn't fall in love, I was just going to let my body have a party."
*So it's her parents fault that she was promiscuous in her youth...okay

Pg. 128 "This was a symptom of being a heterosexual woman of childbearing age Who hadn't had sex or male attention in too long."
*This is her internal justification for the fact that her boss sexually harassing her (pulling his pants down and mooning her) is actually arousing her. Gross.

Pg. 178 "I don't know why I felt as if I had to compare myself to her. My name on the lips up a pack of paps had left me exposed to my vulnerabilities."
*Cara justifying her comparing herself to one of her ex-bosses. She just never takes any accountability. It's human nature to make comparisons but she feels like she needs to act like it's not a natural part of her character. It's completely disingenuous.

Brad was a one-note clichéd piece of trash. Sorry, not sorry. I'm not going to mince words. He was a possessive, aggressive asshole. He spends the majority of the book sexually harassing Cara.

He walks in on her taking a shower and watches as she masturbates. Then he blames it on her by saying that where he comes from it's acceptable to walk into someone's home if the door is unlocked. Ummmm...WHAT THE FUCK?! Even if it was considered acceptable to walk in the front door (which it's not, especially when that person is IN YOUR EMPLOY), that doesn't mean it's in any way acceptable to go into the bathroom!! And it wasn't like he walked in, realized what was happening, and walked out. No. He stayed in the room. He stepped closer to the shower. Later that night he comes to her home again, wasted, and proceeds to harass her again. The following are quotes from their exchange. (All Brad quotes)
"You know what bothers me about fantasies? You never know if you're getting it right. Like when I fantasize about fucking you."
"Do you come with a dick? Just a dick? Or do you need a little help? I have this one fantasy where you come without help, and one where I touch you. I want to know which one's right, then I won't ask again. And what do you call your...you know...girl parts?"
"You know the best part of them? The part where I spread your legs. I'm looking in your eyes, and you say yes. You bend your knees. And I...God."
"Do you shave? Landing strip? I don't care, but I want to get it right."
"I bet you taste like strawberries."

So yeah...that's just ONE of the many instances where he sexually harasses her. Another time (again while he is wasted) he pulls his pants down in front of her (and a big group of people) because she tells him he shouldn't be throwing a huge party with a bunch of naked girls while his daughter is in the house...and his daughter walks out and sees all this happen. He is a selfish pig.

Nicole was written as a very spoiled child. I felt bad for her, having lost her mother, but no one told her no, and that was aggravating. Brad actually says, "No one tells my little girl no." And Cara acts like it makes him a wonderful parent, instead of addressing the fact that he was putting off any actual parenting by just giving her everything she wants.

The side characters are all one-dimensional and forgettable. There were so many characters brought up once or twice and never again. So many people popping in or out who had nothing to do with the story.

3. The writing.
At first I thought it was because I read this when I was tired, but I really disliked the writing. I don't even know if I can describe what it was about it that I hated, and I know writing style is subjective, but I hated this. There were so many awful clichés thrown in here, and the dialogue made me cringe, especially anything that dealt with sex.

Pg. 41 "My real name is Blair. But I hate it. It tastes like lemons."
*umm, what the FUCK?!

Pg. 75
"But people want to see her, I have to go, and life goes on. I'm not like those people. I'm not my parents. Not those parents back there either. I'm me. This is the hand we're dealt. We gotta play it."
*so many damn cliches. He says so much without saying anything at all.

Pg. 80 (one of Cara's sex dreams...there are several)
"His eyes on me while he ripped me apart with his dick."
*fucking OUCH! What the hell? This is just one of several times one of them talks about being ripped apart by his penis. Is it just me who doesn't find that arousing?

I also want to mention the fact that the above quote is the full quote. She has an abundance of these types of 'sentences'...as in, phrases that aren't actually complete sentences. They are just these little phrases strung together. It gives the narrative a very choppy, disjointed feel, especially when the characters are attempting to speak metaphorically, which unfortunately happens a lot as well.

Pg. 130 (Right after he moons her and then steps on glass and she has to fix him up.)
"I was going to take it easy on her. I was drunk on pain and forgiveness."
First of all, he thinks that SHE is the one in need of forgiving, after he was completely inappropriate. Secondly, what a pretentious line of crap. 'Drunk on pain and forgiveness'?! That doesn't mean anything!!

Pg 148 "I ain't had a chance to hope for much, ma'am." Brad slips in and out of this southern boy schtick in some attempt to charm Cara and minimize his disgusting treatment of her. It's annoying and the fact that she buys it makes me want to slap her.

They also have these long, sexual conversations in a twin bed that they share with his daughter. She's supposedly sleeping, but still. He tells her, "if my daughter weren't in this bed, you'd be moaning so loud." Ew.

The dialogue is so awful, as is the prose. I don't think there was a page that went by where I thought it actually worked.

4. The romanticizing of sexual harassment. The worst thing about this book is that all of his awful behavior is justified by Cara. Every time he makes an advance, she immediately thinks about how hot he is and how much she wants him. Every single time. It's done in an attempt to normalize his behavior and make it seem sexy and romantic instead of completely inappropriate and creepy. Meanwhile, there are other men in the story doing the EXACT SAME THINGS, but we are supposed to think that they are pigs...it's just gross.


A few other things:

1. They go to Disneyland in the book, and I found myself wondering if this author had ever been there. First of all, there is no helipad at Disneyland. There used to be, but it stopped being used in the 1970s. Also, she says that they went on the 'Haunted Mountain' ride...there is no such thing. Also, they go on the teacups and she writes the scene as if it's whipping them around like crazy...that is not how that ride works. Yes, you can get it to spin faster, but it doesn't jerk you around. I know this may seem nitpicky, but for me it was just one more thing that didn't seem realistic about this book, because it wasn't.

2. The first time they have sex and she says that they don't have to use protection because she can't get pregnant...if I had been reading a physical copy of this book I would've thrown it across the room. Honestly, that would be the LEAST of my worries if I was getting involved with a guy who was well-known for his many sexual exploits.

3. The relationship between Cara and her parents is so surface and we get no resolution until the last damn page, and it's not really 'resolved'. Instead, it's just swept under the rug.

I really disliked this book. I could write a book about the reasons I disliked this book (if I haven't already). I don't see myself picking up any more of her work, especially if I have to pay for it.