Title | Lucien and I |
Author | |
Series | Henry & Me #2 |
ASIN | B0B88H7NYJ |
Publisher | Sasha Clinton |
Ed. Language | English |
Format | e-book |
Length | 356 pages |
Pub. Date | September 26th, 2022 |
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5 /5
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
I felt 50-50 after reading this book. On the one hand, I adored their characters and their hilarious bickering; some were clever, while others were amusing. Their chemistry was also good. I definitely got butterflies in my belly. But on the other hand, I didn't get the medical romance vibes from it.
Summary from Publisher:
Grey’s Anatomy meets The Hating Game in Sasha Clinton’s new #ownvoices rivals-to-lovers fake-dating romcom.
Mira Krishnan is a cardiothoracic surgery fellow whose three big goals in life are:
1. Achieve superstardom in the field of heart surgery
2. Crush Lucien Stone by showing him that she’s the superior heart surgeon.
3. Fall in love with someone who is NOT Lucien Stone so she can erase her years-long crush on him.
Lucien and Mira have been rivals since high school, and she’d like nothing more than to wipe that smug, overconfident smirk off his devastatingly handsome face.
But when their rivalry goes too far and they’re caught in the middle of a fight by the program director, Mira’s life changes. To avoid being expelled from the fellowship for failing to conduct themselves in an appropriate, collegiate manner, Lucien and Mira are forced to lie about dating each other so they can dismiss their behavior as extreme flirting. But going on fake dates, vacations, and spending time together makes them realize that underneath all the jibes and rivalry, there's potential for something more…and perhaps, instead of looking into other people’s hearts, they need to look into their own.
So, in terms of the character, I knew that if Lucien and Mira communicated well with each other, this story could easily be skipped. But, when we look at their family history, the most difficult thing for them is to clarify everything. Mira Krishnan, as someone who grew up in an Asian family with a tiger mother, I completely understand her. Your personality will be formed similarly to Mira's, it will be difficult to communicate something because you do not want to disappoint. You'd rather show them the results of your work than explain the process to them verbally. All of this, in the end, will make you feel insecure and sensitive because you need people to acknowledge your hard work. You need others to say it to you because you clearly cannot.
And you can tell a lot about Lucien's character by looking at his parents. I don't want to give any more details away. Mira and Lucien were both terrified of getting hurt and losing each other. They would rather "feel" that they were living a "happy" life, even if there was a lot of unnecessary stuff in their closed baggage that should be reorganized so it does not spill.
What made me wonder was that when I read or watched medical romance dramas, their portrayal of medical jobs was always busy, as if they didn't have a social life. Love must find a way to fit into their busy lives, which is what makes it interesting to read. However, I believe their lives are more balanced in this book. They have time for vacation and can go on dates, and they even have an understanding boss who doesn't always threaten to fire them if they make a mistake, such as fleeing and failing to attend a competition representing the hospital after being chosen for it. I'm not sure which is more real.
Overall, I would have given it four stars if the final 30% hadn't been so cringe-worthy. I enjoyed the plot development, but the way to solve each problem was far too simple.
"Stop it, you two. I can’t believe you’re discussing murder in the hospital. We save people’s lives here."
"He left it on a pic of me during high school that I posted last week. This was when I knew we were soulmates."
"Small things start to mean everything when you’ve lost the big ones."
Recommended for those who like:
Medical romance
Romance Comedy
Enemies-to-lovers
Same age rivalry
Workplace romance
Fake dating
Dual POV
Steamy
Content Warnings: sexual content, childhood trauma
e-ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on September 26th, 2022
Where to buy:
Amazon (kindle)
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