ARC Review: This Is Not a Love Scene

Author: S. C. Megale

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Genre: YA contemporary

Release Date: 5/7/19

Pages: 320

Rating: 1.5/5 stars

Synopsis:

“Lights, camera—all Maeve needs is action. But at eighteen, a rare form of muscular dystrophy usually stands in the way of romance. She’s got her friends, her humor, and a passion for filmmaking to keep her focus off consistent rejection…and the hot older guy starring in her senior film project.

Tall, bearded, and always swaying, Cole Stone is everything Maeve can’t be. And she likes it. Between takes, their chemistry is shockingly electric.

Suddenly Maeve gets a taste of typical teenage dating life, but girls in wheelchairs don’t get the hot guy—right? Cole’s attention challenges everything she once believed about her self-image and hopes for love. But figuring this out, both emotionally and physically, won’t be easy for either of them. Maeve must choose between what she needs and what she wants, while Cole has a tendency to avoid decisions altogether. And her failing lungs might not wait for either.”

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As much as I wanted to like this book I just couldn’t. The premise of this book sounded amazing but it ended up being full of missed potential. The only thing that kept me from DNFing this book was that it was mildly entertaining, and I liked reading a story that involved film… but otherwise I didn’t enjoy anything from this book. 

My immediate problem was with the protagonist: Maeve. I couldn’t connect with her and sometimes she would say something and I just felt so confused?? She made off hand comments that constantly didn’t make sense and made a ridiculous amount of questionable decisions. She was judgmental and clueless. I found myself baffled by the things she thought internally because I just couldn’t understand her. For example:

• She made several comments about proving she’s “not asexual” that were insensitive and incorrect
• During the beginning of the book she would compare how she would react to something if it were a man or woman doing the action ( ie handing her something or petting her dog). In every situation she villainized the women and would discuss how if a man did the same thing it was chivalrous
• the phrase “no touch nazi” when talking about letting people touch her guide dog, who really did nothing but hang out with her and got petted by strangers rather than serve as a guide dog.

I was really looking forward to the romance in this book, since it did promise that ” their chemistry is shockingly electric”. But to my surprise, it was anything BUT that. Her love interest, Cole, is more of a cardboard cut out than a person. He gets no development, personality, or background info. You could stick any cookie cutter guy in there and it would make no difference. Maeve and Cole had no chemistry and their entire romance was just glorified sexting. It wasn’t cute and felt completely unbelievable. I’m beyond frustrated with how this was written, I’ve never been so let down by a romance.

Unfortunately, all of the other side characters got the same cardboard treatment as Cole. They all had little to no development or depth and only served the purpose of being around Maeve. Only one of the many side characters had a subplot going and it never even got wrapped up. The book straight up SKIPPED the entire chuck of resolution.  Ugh.

These unfinished characters forced alongside Maeve made most of the dialogue awkward and made the friend & romance chemistry feel off. As I said before, you could have stuck any cookie cutter person in for each other the side characters and it would have made no difference in this book. Sigh.

Thank you again to Wednesday Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review, opinions are all my own