Mr. Nice Guy by Jennifer Miller; Jason Feifer

This was a major disappointment for me. I have to like the characters I'm reading about, and I could not stand Carmen or Lucas individually or together. Lucas was insufferable and self-absorbed. Carmen was stuck-up and entitled. Maybe they're perfect for each other, but I didn't care. They have no chemistry whatsoever. There's no romance here. The book is long and slow and nothing really happens. I really recommend not comparing a book to The Devil Wears Prada. My hopes were too high.

This book was not for me. I wasn't wild about the premise and the characters just felt like caricatures. I'm sure there are readers out there who would appreciate it. Not every book is for every reader.

MR. NICE GUY - Jennifer Miller

INTRIGUING - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - After a one-night stand, it turns out that the woman involved was a sex columnist for the magazine that the young man works for, and she gave him a scathing review. When he decides to respond, their "relationship" becomes ongoing (at the request of the magazine), and their dueling columns become a hit among readers.

Writing - 3.5 stars - I was caught up in the story pretty quickly. It's a different sort of book, with flawed characters who are looking to get ahead, but their true colors keep showing. Was it blatantly sexual? Yes, but it's a sex column, after all, and the premise required it.

Characters - 4 stars - Lucas is a naive young man who simply wants to be a part of NYC's up-and-coming scene while succeeding as a writer. His pick-up date, much to his surprise, catapults him into the public eye, even though he's incognito (for part of the time, at least) as "Nice Guy." Lucas is a young, handsome guy with a desire to join the magazine scene in NYC, but he really doesn't know how to do it effectively. Luckily for him, fate takes a hand. But the reader still wonders why he doesn't realize that the big-shot editor has somehow singled him out--there's got to be a story behind that. Naively, though, he thinks he's just lucky and moving upward more quickly than he expected. He's personable and does well in the public eye, while also being willing to be instructed in the art of sex. I liked him. I was surprised to read that many reviewers disliked him intensely. Why? He was struggling for success, just like all of us, and he was friendly and outgoing. Not sure why that was such a problem for so many women. Carmen comes across as the brittle, cynical, hard-core writer, but I liked the relationship with her grandmother and her sense of duty regarding her grandmother's apartment. She also had a softer side, even though she rarely allowed herself to show it. But it was understandable that Lucas might misinterpret that when he decided to make his public announcement. Both characters grew as people and as parts of a relationship, despite their initial expectations, bringing out the best in each other.

Title - 3 stars - Any title that's one-sided doesn't really show what the reader can expect from the contents. First of all, they make a point of changing it from Mr. Nice Guy to just Nice Guy, so why is the title incorrect? And, secondly, there's more to this book than just Lucas, although his point of view is mostly the focus.

Cover - 2.5 stars - Points for being in a bright color that catches the eye, but the giant font was too overpowering, especially when Mr. Nice Guy is the self-effacing part of the relationship equation.

Overall - 4 stars - I think the biggest problem with this book is that it was billed as something it was not. Apparently many people expected something romantic and comedic, and it really didn't fit the bill for either of those categories. I'd call it a character study and even a coming-of-age story (for 20- and 30-somethings) with a sexual bite. Definitely not a mindless HEA romance, so if you were hoping for that, you'd certainly be unhappy. But I personally was disappointed that many reviewers didn't ever give it a chance to shine in its own light rather than under their preconceived notions. I'll admit that the front-and-center sex part of the story was a bit overdone, for me. I know that it's an integral part of the story, but the intimate descriptions of casual and indiscriminate sex were somewhat uncomfortable. That aside, I found it fascinating to watch the individual characters grow and change. Lucas, the original country hick from the suburbs became much more confident. It was fascinating to watch him fall into situations that added to his ability to grow. His roommate Tyler, friend Nicholas, and lover Sofia were all instrumental in his changing into the urban professional that he was hoping to become. And Carmen, of course, helped his professional confidence by challenging him to think about and write about his personal relationship with her. I found it interesting that so many reviewers disliked Lucas and thought he was totally self-absorbed. But isn't everyone? Everyone is looking out for themselves and trying to live life on their own terms, and I didn't find Lucas to be any more personally unpleasant than that. Carmen, yes, is a total control freak and unappealing coworker at first meeting, but I liked seeing her softer side when she visited the art museum and when she spent time with her grandmother. Anyone might become jaded in her situation as secret girlfriend to the big boss and relegated (by him and others) into the sex columnist role, so she developed a strong shell covering a softer personality when she allowed it show. You don't always have to like the people you're reading about to find them interesting and the story fulfilling. Others said that the story was too biased towards Lucas's point of view. It's true that much of the book was from his POV, but it seemed to me that it was the whole point. Carmen has already solidified a strong place in NYC and as a writer, while Lucas is the newcomer who just wants to belong. I enjoyed watching his struggles, while being able to understand his motivations. And the ultimate shift in power made it all the more ironic. The ending was not exactly a HEA, but it was still satisfying and made sense. All in all, I went into this book with low expectations because of its low rating and poor reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the experience. I will look for more from Jennifer Miller.

I definitely could not finish this book. Were these two made for each other? For sure. In my head I think I called them asshole and dumbass. I spent what time I did reading this book in a constant state between boredom and annoyance. I hope for better things with the next book I read by this author.

Devil Wears Prada meets Sex and the City---Mr. Nice Guy follows Lucas, a fact checker hoping for his big break at Empire Magazine. Lucas inevitably has his first one night stand which launches him, unknowingly, into the literary world in a way he never could have imagined. His counterpart, Carmen, is crafted perfectly as both strong yet vulnerable. I couldn't help but root for this couple, and this book was a delight.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

This was a quick fun read. I wasn't completely in love with the characters but I did enjoy the pacing of the books. Again, made for a quick fun read.

I really wanted to love this book! I expected a cute/steamy enemies to lovers romance. However, I thought Mr. Nice Guy was just OK. Not too much going on with both hero/heroine that made me root for them to be together.

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't. I believe that this is marketed as a romance but it really isn't a romance book so I think that is a large part of the problem that I had with this book. The other problem is that the characters are unlikeable. I usually enjoy a good enemies to lovers book but I just couldn't get invested in this book.

This book was very slow for me. I think I expected a lot more from it when it said The Devil Wears Prada meets Sex in the City. I really struggled to get into it, and to like any of the characters. Lucas wasn't a "nice guy", he was whiny and self-centered. Also, where is the happy ending that romance novels have? I really wanted to like this one, but I didn't. It just didn't do it for me.

Dnf. I thought I would like this one but it was just not for me. Did not like the hero and the "romance" was lacking.

It's hard to get into a RomCom knowing that the ending is not what you expect when in the 2nd chapter it tells you that this particular day started the downfall. I more or less stopped reading the book and then forgot about it until I was clearing out my kindle. DNF

The first half of this book dragged for me. It was hard to get into the rhythym I find with most books, but once I got there, the second half of the book flew!

This was a fun book that explored dating, relationships and sex written from and by both a male and a female writer. Each character had some realistic and large flaws, which I appreciated. I enjoyed the setting of the magazine world and they ways the different characters were connected.

I feel like the ending was my favorite part of the book. The resolution feels realistic and not trite, and I believe where the various characters ended up, despite a couple far-fetched pieces.

This would be a fun beach read or book club read.

Well one good thing about this quarantine or whatever we’re supposed to call it is I have got some of my backlogged reading done and this was one of those books! I will make this brief, this was a fun quirky enemies to lovers story with plenty of light banter and humor. The premise was great and it has a definite sex in the city vibe to it. Shame on me for having this one sitting on my shelves for so darn long!

While I enjoyed the idea of this story, it fell flat for me. The description is very intriguing, but the execution wasn't great. I didn't feel like I got to know either character very well, and the dialogue wasn't as realistic as I hoped. Overall, this one was a miss for me.

This book was not great. I tried to push myself through this one, but ended up DNFing at 69%. I just couldn't do it anymore. The concept was interesting, but both characters were boring, unappealing and unrelatable. Lucas is a dickhead and Carmen is the same.

There's only so much time you can waste on two characters that just grates you the wrong way.

DNF @28% / 1 Stars / 1 Steam Fans

This book as painful! It started off with a good idea, Lucas is trying to make his way as a journalist in New York City and with one encounter his life changes. Carmen is a reporter for a rival magazine and when she meets, takes Lucas home, and then writes an article destroying his sexual prowess. The warring editors hatch the plan of setting up Carmen and Lucas aka 'Nice Guy' to continue the sexy warring through a series of articles. By the time I DNFed this story nothing had really happened to move along the plotline. Both have unresolved relationship issues that are complicating the story as much as their fake sexual relationship. It took way to long for the setup and by the 28% mark nothing was starting to form and I was bored with both characters. It was a nice try but really failed to connect with the punch needed.

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This is a fun read and it is very well written. I loved the New York setting and the characters are funny at times. I enjoyed reading this. Thank you for the ARC.

The book is well written and the premise had great potential, but there was a superficiality and meanness, interspersed with stereotypes, that made the characters hard to relate to or care for. Three stars because the writing is solid and I can see how other people may enjoy it.