Would You Rather

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Individually, they are both really struggling, with Mia having health problems and Noah still dealing with the death of his brother. They both struggle to let each other in with these specific issues. Usually, I’m one to get annoyed when characters push people away in the spirit of not putting their burdens on others but Ashley does a great job of making me truly understand these characters' intentions. At certain points, this actually made me want to tear up. When Mia tells her best friend, Noah, of the opportunity and having to turn it down Noah comes up with a plan. Being friends forever Noah thinks no one will question them if Noah and Mia suddenly get married and then Mia can use his insurance and pursue her dreams but can the two of them still hide their attraction to one another being so close?

Noah and Mia have been best friends since they were 8 years old. Both of them have very strong feelings for one another, but have kept it secret, not knowing how the other feels. Mia has heath issues, and needs a kidney transplant, so does not want to burden Noah. Noah is happy to have Mia as a friend and doesn't want to scare her off. When Mia gets a scholarship to return to school, she can't go if she has to quit her job as she needs health insurance. Noah is up for a promotion at work, but is willing to take a chance for Mia. He offers to marry her, in name only, so she can be put on his medical insurance and return to school with her scholarship. If the employer or insurance company finds out, there will be consequences. Not only that, but will this fake marriage actually allow them to show what they really feel toward one another? Mia feels she is a burden to people in her life. Cool, common feeling among people with disabilities. But we are NEVER shown how much of a burden that is. She happily goes to her weekly infusions, is positive about it all, and we never see the work, emotional labor, the physical and psychological pain her disability causes her. So it is very hard to buy her "I'm a burden" personality when we never are shown how it is a burden on HER. We never know, emotionally, how she feels about it. She worries about being a financial burden....cool, provide people numbers on the expenses, examples of how navigating the insurance system is infuriating (also, see point 5.) Pros: good jokey jokes throughout, super sweet and cute, solid characters, no Pander Express, just good vibes La trama me recordó un poco a películas como La propuesta o Corazones malheridos, pero tiene elementos que la hacen muy original también y me encantó. En los primeros capítulos ya estaba enamorada de Noah y es que su actitud tierna y a la vez protectora me derritieron. También quedé encantada con los personajes secundarios que son los mejores amigos de los protagonistas y estoy ansiosa por conocerlos más en el siguiente libro de la autora sobre ellos: The Roommate Pact. Espero la editorial también nos traiga la traducción porque complementa totalmente la gran apuesta que fue esta novela llena de emociones pero con un final que es un abrazo al corazón. But, when she shares her news with Noah, he provides a new solution that may solve all of Mia’s problems: marry him so she can quit her job and be covered under his work insurance.

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Her chronic illness isn't labelled. It's kept a mystery, which feeds into feeling like fictional bullshit created for the sake of drama. It appropriates disabilities. Noah keeps dealing with his own baggage and suffering from grief which restraint him come clean about his feelings. Would You Rather by Allison Ashley is a romantc comedy novel. The story in Would You Rather is one that changes the point of view between the two main characters and it is a mix of a friends to lovers romance that also has a bit of fake dating in the mix. From the first chapter both Mia and Noah made you root for them a lot. They have been friends since they were 7 and now they are sharing office space as Noah working on his dream job as aspiring architect at family company and Mia is administrative assistant. I adored Noah as our kind-hearted, still grieving (the past tragic death of his older brother), pining hero, who’d loved Mia fiercely (but secretly) since they were teenagers. His adoration for her was swoonworthy—the kind of respect, pride, and longing for his best friend that made my heart skip a beat and my tummy break out in butterflies. He was an absolutely marvellous male lead.

Mia’s relationship with her parents also definitely had my attention. Wow, there were so many emotions going through me any time they came up. Dual 3rd person POV was perfect for this story. I really enjoyed their easy friendship, Noah's protectiveness (well actually this fits for both of them), the jokes they played on each other, and, of course, the would you rather game they've been playing for all these years. It took a bit, but they finally realize their feelings go deeper and they give in to their desires ~ in a clean manner. Ashley makes favorite rom-com tropes feel new again with a pitch-perfect friends-to-lovers story.” —Publishers Weekly starred review When chronically ill Mia receives an unmissable opportunity to return to college to pursue once-abandoned professional dreams, she is torn and heartbroken to realise she’ll have to decline the offer because her precarious health status demands she stay in her unfulfilling job to keep her insurance relevant. Rarely do I read a romance and can confidently say “These two are meant for each other!” Like “soulmates” kind of meant for each other. This one could have just been a book about Mia and Noah being best friends and I probably would have liked it as much.

Also their "redemption arcs" are done so like "okay now we have to make these annoying characters better so no character development but both of them will do a hurried gesture each to show they have grown". Also they kept harping over Noah's guilt for Rachel but Rachel gets to utter a total of 2 sentences. Way to make it all about Noah ugh. Featuring ~ best friends to lovers, chronic illness, fake marriage, marriage of convenience, no steamage Would you rather play it safe in the friend zone, or risk it all with a modern marriage of convenience?

DISCLAIMER: I am not a seasoned romance reader, so if you are a romcom vet, you may feel very differently about this book. Noah and Mia have been besties since childhood, and although there have been moments over the years when their relationship was on the verge of change, something always happened that would keep them squarely in the friend zone. This is more than a RomCom and dealt with heavier situations. Thanks for friends who push and encourage others and call you out on crap. (And look - it’s like I planned to wear my Friends pj pants on purpose!) 😉 🎶 I’ll be there for you 🎶

Fake marriage- friends to lovers tropes blended in extremely heartwarming, inspirational, genuine love story! You shouldn’t miss Mia and Noah’s amazing story! Unlike Twice Shy which featured my nightmare male character, I was vibing with Noah. He's the ultimate Fridge—sturdy, cold, useful. Just how I like 'em. Apparently the veteran romance readers refer to his character type as a cinnamon roll. I prefer Fridge. I think we all know by now that friends to lovers is my favorite trope, so I was pretty sure I was going to love this one going in. Add in fake dating and forced proximity and it is pretty much a recipe for perfection.