Churie
Not an easy read, but was rewarding.
Throughout the novel there is vivid imagery of a gritty dystopian future completely controlled by corporations, with technology restricted and used for the perpetuation of crime and violence. Some aspects are anachronistic (funnily enough usually the technology itself), but the social commentary has - perhaps unfortunately - remained relevant.
The plot is confusing at times, particularly with the amount of jargon continually launched at the reader, making it a dense read that really requires attention. However past that, the plot is paced well, gradually revealing more of the scheme Case and Molly are trapped in. Alongside the plot, the character arcs also progress well, and I genuinely felt quite emotional at the ending.
Additionally I have to mention some of the descriptions of settings are fantastic, truly defining Cyberpunk. In the context of this being a foundational work of the genre from 1984, I enjoyed this read.
> MIGHT reread (if I read the full Sprawl trilogy)
> YES would recommend to fans of the Cyberpunk genre
Not an easy read, but was rewarding.
Throughout the novel there is vivid imagery of a gritty dystopian future completely controlled by corporations, with technology restricted and used for the perpetuation of crime and violence. Some aspects are anachronistic (funnily enough usually the technology itself), but the social commentary has - perhaps unfortunately - remained relevant.
The plot is confusing at times, particularly with the amount of jargon continually launched at the reader, making it a dense read that really requires attention. However past that, the plot is paced well, gradually revealing more of the scheme Case and Molly are trapped in. Alongside the plot, the character arcs also progress well, and I genuinely felt quite emotional at the ending.
Additionally I have to mention some of the descriptions of settings are fantastic, truly defining Cyberpunk. In the context of this being a foundational work of the genre from 1984, I enjoyed this read.
> MIGHT reread (if I read the full Sprawl trilogy)
> YES would recommend to fans of the Cyberpunk genre
This was a lighthearted, easily digestible read that failed to strike a real chord with me. Rating this 3 stars makes me feel like a killjoy since I know it was meant to be a fun story in an idealised world, however the 'idyllic' parts really started detracting from my enjoyment of the book.
On the positive side character voices were distinct and I feel our dual protagonists both had great character arcs and development. There were enough challenges to their relationship that some stakes were introduced, nothing felt too heavy to handle, and there were never any serious consequences. Overall the heart of the story is a feel-good romance and the main couple really does have chemistry.
Unfortunately, I had many issues with this book:
- This is billed as enemies-to-lovers, however not only did they stop being enemies and turn to lovers less than a third of the way through the book, but it never really felt like enmity to me - just a bit of one-sided jealousy that was quickly overcome. The main obstacles they face are not because they're 'enemies' but instead external societal and familial pressures. The enemies-to-lovers tagline feels a bit like false advertising to me, especially as someone who prefers a true slow burn romance.
- There are no real consequences. This was intended by the author, but it felt completely unbelievable to me - very 'and then everyone clapped'. Even things that you would expect to have severe negative consequences instead turned out completely fine, to a suspension-of-disbelief breaking level - in particular thinking about the confrontation with the Queen. And if nothing has any stakes, then nothing feels like it matters in the story, either.
- Many of the political statements have aged like milk in the face of current events (as of Nov 2025). I even paused my audiobook to text my friends a few times with direct, unfortunate quotations. As a cosy read for escapism this could work, but it was just a little too jarring for me considering the current affairs of today.
- Predictable plot twists - I called multiple of the 'twists' ahead of time, and normally I'm terrible at predicting them. This, combined with the lack of real consequences for any of the twists, made the plot deflate for me towards the end, and I ended up just wanting it to wrap up since the tension was gone.
- Nitpick: British slang usage. Most of the instances of 'bloke' had me cringing a bit, and I recall it being used multiple times by supposedly very posh characters speaking with the Queen's English.
- Another nitpick: the audiobook narrator's British accent. The pronunciation of some words threw me off; mostly I would say the narration was fine, but it was just another thing about a book I already wasn't feeling fantastic about.
To conclude, I would recommend for someone looking for a cosy romance that's not too serious. Ultimately I think I went into this in the wrong frame of mind which really impacted my enjoyment of this, but it's not a bad read - just not really a standout for me.
> NO, I wouldn't re-read
> MIGHT recommend to someone looking for cosy romance
(note: it also reminded me of Hetalia USUK fanfic... IYKYK)
This was a lighthearted, easily digestible read that failed to strike a real chord with me. Rating this 3 stars makes me feel like a killjoy since I know it was meant to be a fun story in an idealised world, however the 'idyllic' parts really started detracting from my enjoyment of the book.
On the positive side character voices were distinct and I feel our dual protagonists both had great character arcs and development. There were enough challenges to their relationship that some stakes were introduced, nothing felt too heavy to handle, and there were never any serious consequences. Overall the heart of the story is a feel-good romance and the main couple really does have chemistry.
Unfortunately, I had many issues with this book:
- This is billed as enemies-to-lovers, however not only did they stop being enemies and turn to lovers less than a third of the way through the book, but it never really felt like enmity to me - just a bit of one-sided jealousy that was quickly overcome. The main obstacles they face are not because they're 'enemies' but instead external societal and familial pressures. The enemies-to-lovers tagline feels a bit like false advertising to me, especially as someone who prefers a true slow burn romance.
- There are no real consequences. This was intended by the author, but it felt completely unbelievable to me - very 'and then everyone clapped'. Even things that you would expect to have severe negative consequences instead turned out completely fine, to a suspension-of-disbelief breaking level - in particular thinking about the confrontation with the Queen. And if nothing has any stakes, then nothing feels like it matters in the story, either.
- Many of the political statements have aged like milk in the face of current events (as of Nov 2025). I even paused my audiobook to text my friends a few times with direct, unfortunate quotations. As a cosy read for escapism this could work, but it was just a little too jarring for me considering the current affairs of today.
- Predictable plot twists - I called multiple of the 'twists' ahead of time, and normally I'm terrible at predicting them. This, combined with the lack of real consequences for any of the twists, made the plot deflate for me towards the end, and I ended up just wanting it to wrap up since the tension was gone.
- Nitpick: British slang usage. Most of the instances of 'bloke' had me cringing a bit, and I recall it being used multiple times by supposedly very posh characters speaking with the Queen's English.
- Another nitpick: the audiobook narrator's British accent. The pronunciation of some words threw me off; mostly I would say the narration was fine, but it was just another thing about a book I already wasn't feeling fantastic about.
To conclude, I would recommend for someone looking for a cosy romance that's not too serious. Ultimately I think I went into this in the wrong frame of mind which really impacted my enjoyment of this, but it's not a bad read - just not really a standout for me.
> NO, I wouldn't re-read
> MIGHT recommend to someone looking for cosy romance
(note: it also reminded me of Hetalia USUK fanfic... IYKYK)