Loathe at First Sight: A Novel

'Loathe at First Sight' shouldn't be considered a romance novel. It wasn’t. The storyline primary's focus was on Melody's career and the struggles she faced through the racist (subplot mostly), misogynistic and sexist work environment she was stationed at. The general romance aspect of this read was few and far between and with the minimal interactions Melody and the intern Nolan had, I was surprised that a romantic relationship was established between them by the end of the novel. It was such a disappointment because I was anticipating an enemies turned lovers office romance but ended up getting humorless triggering read that left me irritated enough to not bother finishing this read. There were too many underlying issues with this novel making me realize that this just wasn’t my cup of tea.

This story is about a Korean female lead living the American life who strives to fit herself in a workplace dominated by men. Just like The Perfect Escape, it also has a techie-feels with all the video games info. This character is not your normal whiny young adult who always rants about this or that. She's a force to be reckoned with. She knows how to go well with the flow. But of course, sometimes, it gets too much. For example, the oppression of women in the video game world and stereotyping that they can't do any good. It was mixed with the classic trio girl friendship, a romantic comedy and using popular authors and books as names for conference rooms in the company. I like that the lead character knows how to stand her ground. She's an optimistic character and very funny in an honest way. Although most of the times she chose to neglect her family because Asian families can do that. I also like that the book gives insight to the world of video games and what's really behind the scenes. Not just the process of creating a new hit game. But also the dirty works and oppression that female workers usually experience. It was very fitting in today's world where we are mostly lost in the digital world of video games. You'll know it will be cliche but it was still so cute and funny for me. What made me sad about the book is not the story but those bad people again. You can see clearly how some people will surely do whatever it takes to get their way to the top. Even if that involved hurting others in the way. The story was set in a city just like the normal YA contemporary novels. The romance in the book was so cute. The dedication got me laughing so hard - so witty of Suzanne to do that! I love it! Also, I was thinking it could pass for a new adult if only for some steamy romance in there. To say that it involved adult characters already. I was laughing while reading the book and I didn't notice I was close to finishing it. The atmosphere of it was so light and like Suzanne's first novel, it will surely make you feel good. Okay, the coffee mug got me. That's so witty! Also, the misnomer every time for Melody and how she'd react was so funny. For the characters, I don't have a particular favorite but the funniest of them was Melody herself. She can be annoying at some points but her honesty fuels her sarcasm. The ending was lovely and it was wrapped well. It's a perfect standalone romcom read for the summer. You'll surely laugh then roll your eyes because why not? It's not Melanie it's Melody.