The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

“A pure delight! Effortlessly cool, razor sharp, and crazy fun—I couldn’t put it down.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling authors of Daisy Jones & the Six 

"The complex, Hollywood love story we've all been waiting for—I couldn't get enough."—Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read
 
Faking a love story is a whole lot easier than being in love . . .

The world can see that international A-list actress Whitman ("Win") Tagore and jet-setting playboy Leo Milanowski are made for each other. Their kisses start Twitter trends and their fights break the internet. From red carpet appearances to Met Gala mishaps, their on-again, off-again romance has titillated the public and the press for almost a decade. But it's all a lie.

As a woman of color, Win knows the Hollywood deck is stacked against her, so she's perfected the art of controlling her public persona. Whenever she nears scandal, she calls in Leo, with his endearingly reckless attitude, for a staged date. Each public display of affection shifts the headlines back in Win's favor, and Leo uses the good press to draw attention away from his dysfunctional family.

Pretending to be in a passionate romance is one thing, but Win knows that a real relationship would lead to nothing but trouble. So instead they settle for friendship, with a side of sky-rocketing chemistry. Except this time, on the French Riviera, something is off. A shocking secret in Leo's past sets Win's personal and professional lives on a catastrophic collision course. Behind the scenes of their yacht-trips and PDA, the world's favorite couple is at each other's throats. Now they must finally confront the many truths and lies of their relationship, and Win is forced to consider what is more important: a rising career, or a risky shot at real love?

The View Was Exhausting is a funny, wickedly observant modern love story set against the backdrop of exotic locales and the realities of being a woman of color in a world run by men.

I am easily sold on books – it turns out. You see, I went to the Forever/GCP Open House via Crowdcast and one of the books discussed was The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta. With how this book was presented, I just knew I had to read it. It sounded like it would be this amazing read. Turns out maybe it would have been amazing if I was still in my 20s or just in another season of my life. But for the me right now? This book just wasn’t it.

Whitman “Winn” Tagore is the star of The View Was Exhausting. This book follows her as she deals with a blow to her reputation. You see, Winn has been fake dating Leo who is a society party boy. Word gets out that it was fake and Winn loses out on movie auditions. Some of her famous friends drop her. Also her mom is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Winn’s childhood best friend is getting married to Leo’s best friend. Also, things are getting awkward for Winn.

When it comes to things that I liked about Clements and Datta’s book, I felt like the portrayal of Winn as a British-Indian woman in Hollywood was really interesting. She was portrayed as a woman who had to be on top of reputation and be a master of her craft. Due to racism in the industry she has to be better than everyone else just to be given a chance. So, I wish that part had been explored a little more in depth.

Anyways, I ended up feeling like the pacing of this book was really slow. I wanted a read that kept my attention and this was not it. Also, I just wasn’t really feeling the romance aspect — there was a lack of chemistry for me. I felt like Winn was using Leo and her realizations were too little too late.

@aprilbooksandwine

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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