DNF due to the content of this book

It’s 2022, how are people still publishing racial slurs and publishers thinking this is okay?

dnf i’m sorry this was so bad..
i wanted to see what people thought about it and they all agreed + found out there was racism and weird comments so i’ll definitely stop reading it

thank you to Netgalley fr sending me this ARC all opinions are my own

This book had a good concept a girl stuck in a bad situation and the guy who happens to be a cowboy swoops in. Unfortunately I was not a fan of this book. The characters felt flat and Randi was a super cliché main character. As well that were some offensive word choices in this book that ruined the book for me.

I really do hate leaving bad reviews, but this book had so many just horrible things in it. I sincerely wanted to DNF the book after its like 3rd chapter, but I refuse to DNF ARCs. I am honestly shocked that this book is being published and that multiple people read the book and didn't see any problems with the content. Within the like first three chapters, there are slurs thrown around to one of the only (or honestly the only) BIPOC characters who is Native American, sexist language, fat-shaming, and slut shaming. The book makes jokes regarding sexual assault and does not handle the topic of sexual assault seriously except for once in the very end of the book. For reference, there are at least 3 scenes of on the page sexual assault and probably more mentions of it. The main character has absolutely no personality other than working on the 21 credits she is doing this semester (which if you played a drinking game for every time the words 21 credits show up in the book you would die,) I almost liked the love interest, Buck, but there were several instances where he came off as sexist, not chivalrous as he tried to explain it, The best friend character Daisy is almost the most normal of the characters, but Randi treats her like utter crap and is just the most genuinely horrible friend for the majority of the book. Randi ends up having 3 guys interested as plot devices that go nowhere. The ending of the book was so so rushed and unrealistic that it made me want to scream. I really wanted to love this book, the cover is adorable and I loved the title and the summary but it really just missed the mark in every way. Thank you to Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Goodreads review: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61261551-buck-up-buttercup" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Buck Up, Buttercup (Montgomery Brothers, #1)" src="https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/111x148-bcc042a9c91a29c1d680899eff700a03.png" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61261551-buck-up-buttercup">Buck Up, Buttercup</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22469671.Anna_Alkire">Anna Alkire</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4791632479">2 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I really do hate leaving bad reviews, but this book had so many just horrible things in it. I sincerely wanted to DNF the book after its like 3rd chapter, but I refuse to DNF ARCs. I am honestly shocked that this book is being published and that multiple people read the book and didn't see any problems with the content. Within the like first three chapters, there are slurs thrown around to one of the only (or honestly the only) BIPOC characters who is Native American, sexist language, fat-shaming, and slut shaming. The book makes jokes regarding sexual assault and does not handle the topic of sexual assault seriously except for once in the very end of the book. For reference, there are at least 3 scenes of on the page sexual assault and probably more mentions of it. The main character has absolutely no personality other than working on the 21 credits she is doing this semester (which if you played a drinking game for every time the words 21 credits show up in the book you would die,) I almost liked the love interest, Buck, but there were several instances where he came off as sexist, not chivalrous as he tried to explain it, The best friend character Daisy is almost the most normal of the characters, but Randi treats her like utter crap and is just the most genuinely horrible friend for the majority of the book. Randi ends up having 3 guys interested as plot devices that go nowhere. The ending of the book was so so rushed and unrealistic that it made me want to scream. I really wanted to love this book, the cover is adorable and I loved the title and the summary but it really just missed the mark in every way. Thank you to Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/18040789-crystal-nieves">View all my reviews</a>

TW: Death of a parent, attempted rape

From the cover and the synopsis, I expected this book to be a light read, with some grumpy/sunshine and fake dating in the mix. Turns out, it was both more and less complicated than I anticipated. No fake dating but a meandering evolution of a relationship without any clearly defined reasons or boundaries. I think part of what kept me from loving this book was that everything felt surface level and despite a few internal monologues from the female protagonist, I never felt like I got inside the head of any of the characters such that I was invested in their actions on the page. The little tidbits the author dropped about their backstories (such as Buck's ex in Texas or the family wanting him to join them on the ranch) had potential, both in terms of character development and plot twists but they were never really explored and simply skated over in some cases. Randi in particular felt like a sketch of a character, what the author felt like audiences expected out of a "nerdy girl". The one area that I felt was addressed relatively well was Randi's grief over losing her loved ones. It became clear that her past shaped how she carried herself, though so many of her internal anxieties still went unexplained. Overall, I was unimpressed with the way trauma was handled in this book, in particular the attempted rape that occurs towards the end of the book. At that point, I was frustrated not only by the plot but by how the side characters were being treated. Especially since I've read several books where an attempted rape and the aftermath were deftly and honestly discussed, it felt jarring to see it barely mentioned here, to the point that Daisy goes from comatose on the couch to dancing at a party in the span of a day or two. Not that such a journey isn't possible but I felt like the author owed it to the reader to tease out some of the nuance of experiencing a traumatic event rather than simply mention it and move on. The whole book felt like a whirlwind, with both their relationship and time within the story moving extremely quickly. It contributed to my feeling like I had barely spent time with these characters and frankly I would welcome a sequel if only to get another perspective on characters like Hugh and Daisy who were consistently present but about whom we (the readers) know very little. It's a weird feeling to finish a book and walk away wondering why so many things were mentioned or certain people were introduced because they played such small roles or were so stereotypical they felt superfluous. That being said, many characters had a lot of potential so I'm hopeful that any potential sequel would dive a bit deeper.

I haven't meet a character this judgemental in forever. Seriously, I dislike the "get the stick out of your behind" term but it was coined for Randi. I get it you don't like it or the situation you are currently in but take a moment to be human first. This book was nearly a dnf because of her horrendous aditude. Not that it's all her fault. The rest of the characters are being horrible on purpose to her and it's this vicious circle that just won't quit. Buck is straight up annoying as well. He professes how he is so annoyed that he is a constant target for all the women to seduce but does nothing to actually tell them off.
There is no redeeming this book. No amount of romance between Buck and Randi can ever be worth it.
This book was just not it for me.
I was very clearly wrong reader for it.
I will say it was good writting and editing that kept me on it for so long.

**Received an ARC from NetGalley for review
Mini Summary: Randi is a 24 year old opinionated, introverted college student. Buck is a “chick magnet” cowboy who is getting his Masters in Rangeland Management. The book is a contemporary romantic comedy based in Oregon University.

As soon as I saw the cover on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it; I love the cover’s vibe, colors, and design. Now for the book itself, the ending was honestly my favorite part, it was so cute and it made me smile so much. However, there were some parts of the book that I found confusing and others that I didn’t like. For example, I didn’t like how Randi, the main character, didn’t get along with anyone and always disagreed. The writing style also got confusing sometimes, specifically the perspective. Overall, I really liked the book and will be waiting for the next book in the “Montgomery Brothers” series to come out :)

Check TWs before reading! There are mentions of drugs, alcohol, rape, and assault…

The book follows main character Randi, somewhat uptight aspiring yoga influencer who moves into a detached room of a farmhouse with the promise that she’ll be able to get through her last semester of college in a peaceful place. She shows up in the midst of a rager, however, and realizes immediately, with anger, that she’s been lied to. She locks eyes with Buck, ladies-man and bachelor. Buck has the bright idea of sidling up to “the nerdy hippie” as a decoy to keep the ladies at bay. As the enemies-lovers trope plays out, Randi starts to wonder if the diploma she’s chasing is worth it as she toys with the idea of Buck, and Buck’s plan to just have her as a decoy might not be enough for him. Could these opposites be just what the other needs?

It was a 🤷🏻‍♀️ (3/5) for me. First off, the writing in this romcom kept me into it more than the last one, and the characters had depth and development, however stereo-typy. However, if I hear the word “darlin’,” again, I miiiiight just lose it. It didn’t “wow” me in any way in particular, but it kept my interest and was pretty enjoyable, and as one who isn’t an “aww, cute” kinda woman, that’s saying something.

It’s a romcom that’s good if you’re in the mood to “aww” and have a day to kill poolside.

This one just wasn’t my cup of tea. The opening chapter, the vomit, the strong language….yeah not my thing. Maybe I should have expected that from the blurb, but for whatever reason this isn’t what I had imagined. I did however like the part when Buck and Hugh give her a ride. Their back and forth was cute, and Buck insisting on feeding her and getting her coffee was sweet.

Unfortunately, I DNF’d at 15%

Randi is a soon to be college graduate returning to Oregon to finish her last year of school. She finds some affordable housing a little bit out of town. She’s been assured it is a quiet place filled with other studious women. Surprise surprise, it’s not, it’s a party house filled with lots of intoxicated people. She obviously freaks out and makes a scene right then and there.

Buck is planning on moving his trailer to the property. He wants a little more space to move and he has a friendship with the girls living there. Buck steps in and protects Randi when she gets upset for being lied to about the condition of her room and the quality of the house. A friendship slowly blossoms from there and as things tend to do, one thing leads to another.

This book has a lot of promising attributes: Opposites Attract, Grumpy and Sunshine, The Cowboy Love Interest, etc. all really great stuff that readers love to read about. However… there was the non-necessary thrown in racial slur towards an indigenous character that happens so casually but it’s never brought up again or used a plot device to correct other characters behaviors so it just feels gross. Secondly, there is the completely unnecessary use of the “r” slur which just makes the book feel tone deaf. These things are not useful with the plot and I think they are very distracting from the story when it feels like the author isn’t aware of anything that has happened in the last 15 years in this country.

Randi spends most of this book being a mother hen. She saves Sarah from repeatedly making bad decisions, and literally saves her life. She prevents Daisy from partying and doing what she wants to do. And she acts like she’s in charge of literally everyone and tells them when they can sleep, when they can be loud, and if/when they can have “a large gathering”. I totally get why most of the other characters find her to be off putting.

I didn’t love that Randi was a complete Mary Sue who has no idea how beautiful she is and that her “quirkiness” is what makes her sexy. Because of her complete inability to ever notice herself she also has the short sightedness to realize how rude and condescending she is to everyone else. She’s clearly a confident woman and she should know without multiple guys telling her that she’s “the hottest girl on campus.” If anyone does anything she doesn’t approve of (drinking, smoking pot, or hooking up), she looks down on them from her high horse. I’m truly surprised her neck doesn’t hurt by the end of the book.

I personally am not a fan of girls being nasty with each other just because. Angie is that character that completely takes me out of the book because of her atrocious demeanor. She’s just offensive and vile right from the get go and I just couldn’t get over her character. Yes, there is a time and a place for the “villain” of the story, but girls being snooty with each other is not what I’m looking for in a romcom. However I did feel bad for Angie at times because Randi judged her for every behavior. She ridicules her for using chewing tobacco, which according to Google over 2% of the population uses it, so it’s not that surprising that someone in this “cowboy” book would use it. Randi needs to turn her judgmental thoughts about people down a few notches.

Sarah is another instance of just pure frustration. She is so mad that Randi doesn’t let her die in a bar bathroom because of alcohol poisoning that she is downright nasty to her afterwards. She doesn’t want the medical bill of being kept alive so she would have rather died. My mind doesn’t comprehend that level of pure misguidedness.

Trish is essentially nonexistent. She’s supposed to be the person renting the house and land and she is who convinced Randi it would be a good place for her to rent for the semester. After the first night she just is gone from the narrative. She pops up now and again through text messages and the other characters reference her but that’s it. She’s woefully underdeveloped compared to Sarah and Angie and it leads me to believe the author created the character and didn’t have anything better to do with her after that and just shoved in her a corner and said: “good riddance.”

Daisy and Randi’s friendship feels like it shouldn’t pass the Bechdel test for the most part. Little phrases get thrown in like: “I’m sorry about you losing your dad” or “remember that time in English last year?” Those small instances tend to save them for literally only talking about sex, partying, and boys.

Honestly the biggest slight I have in this book is the completely unnecessary sexual assault of Daisy. It doesn’t add to the plot in anyway. Her trauma is barely discussed and she just “gets over it” and is down with going to another party barely a week later. I was not okay with that at all. It trivializes people who have actually suffered through rape and sexual assault by making it seem like it’s no big deal. That part of the book is what really brought the entire story down from my original rating. It didn’t add to the story so therefore it shouldn’t be in it at all. The characters could rebuild their friendship on their own, they don’t need to use rape as a plot device to forgive each other.

Lastly, the author was very clear on what she finds appropriate behavior. No drinking, no drugs, no sleeping around (of course Randi has to be a virgin, otherwise she would be as “bad” as her roommates). Seriously. Everyone who does something that Randi doesn’t approve of has something bad happen to them. Sarah (drinking) ends up in the hospital and almost dies due to her binge drinking. Angie (drinking and violence) gets thrown out of her home. Buck (drinking and flirting) gets drugged while at a party and looses control. Daisy (partying) gets sexually assaulted and is saved in the nick of time before actual penetration could occur. Oh… and the worst thing that happened to Randi? Poor girl had three different guys interested in her and they all wanted to date her. The author shows her beliefs that if you are “good” then you will be desired and if you are “bad” then you deserve bad things to happen to you. It’s not a very subtle message that is being portrayed and I’m not interested in that type of toxic subliminal messaging.

I did clearly have some issues with the content in the book but the worst were the racial slurs and the toxic slut shaming, and the sexual assault. I am personally not a fan of the over sexualization of virgins, and this book definitely has that. The quote: “is it bad I find you hotter?” Just completely turned me off from Buck both as a character and as a love interest.

Needless to say I had some things I didn’t enjoy about this book. Here’s the thing though: the plot was solid. I would love to read this book if the characters were reworked and made to be less toxic (both to themselves and each other). Every character doesn’t have to be good, but they need to be written as more than two dimensional stereotypes.

A not-so-classic college story.
Randi and Buch happen to end up in the same house, but unlike the party makers, Randi just wants to rest and complete her studies.

The attraction between the two is almost instantaneous and I felt very comfortable reading with both of them.

I can understand Buck's problem but have no solution for it.

Both of them are great characters, even if only one of them really knows what he wants.

I look forward to more.

Have fun reading!

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book! These opinions are my own and I am reviewing voluntarily.

I was fairly excited about this book based on the cover alone. It looks like a cutesy romcom, perfect for it's summer release. However, I quickly became...disenchanted with it. The IDEA of the book was good. It had your typical romance trope of quirky/quiet/studious girl who meets a guy who "rescues" her from a situation. Oh, and the guy also happens to be a cowboy. But, the "good" parts of this book stop there.

The book is trying too hard. I have read a lot of these romcoms by now and I can see what the author was trying to do with the writing. But, the jokes were not landing, the analogies were not good and were just...weird? And the characters were not believable. It was all too on the nose, if you know what I mean? The main character was *too* annoyed and frustrated by the college party at the start of the book, the mean girl was *too* villainous for no reason, and the cowboy , Buck, was trying too hard to be country. They were all very unbelievable.

Unfortunately there was also some questionable language in this book. Racism and the R-word too.

It had potential, but didn't land.

Thank you NetGallery for providing this ARC copy of Buck Up, Buttercup - in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

24 year old Randi is in her final year of college, taking a double course load in desperation to finally finish out her college career. After moving home from Argentina - she is in need of her own place... with her own space close to campus. Luck seems to be on her side when she finds the perfect little country home with a detached garage (converted into an adorable, furnished bedroom). But usually when things seem too good to be true... they are. Things are not what they were supposed to be and things spiral from there.

Enter - Buck, the golden cowboy every woman seems to want. He has a way of capturing the attention of everyone around him... including Randi's (even if she's in denial about it). Soon - he comes up with solutions that make sense for everyone involved, and they find themselves housemates (sort-of). Naturally they are drawn to each other, creating waves of drama no one was prepared for.

That was what got me to be honest. The insane amount of drama was rough to get through with this book. Massive trigger warning for sexual assault (multiple times). This book is based in a gross party focused atmosphere that holds some sense of truth - but greatly exaggerated at times. Many characters were dealing with grief, loss, substance abuse, and mental health. The title is very fitting, as this story was definitely a wild ride. I see this was mentioned as book one of the brothers series - I cannot say that I will honestly continue after this one.

It was impossible to connect with these characters. I was also so confused about the back and forth between the new dwelling and her aunt's house. And Buck's immediate and constant ogling of Randi wasn't romantic--just irritating. I don't think I'm the right audience for this book

Randi is that most cliched of NA/YA heroines, an orphan with a silly name from a low socio-economic background whose only relative is in poor health and emotionally needy. Randi has show-horned 21 credits into one school year to try to graduate early and get a job, but to do so she needs a place to study. She has paid a deposit on a all-female house-share but turns up on the first day to find a raging party taking place, is almost assaulted by a drunk man, is abused by one of her new housemates, and is generally harassed and made to feel uncomfortable - oh, and the room she was promised is a filthy mess. Despite her misgivings she is persuaded to stay (and not call the cops) by promises that her house-mates will clean up and significantly reduce her rent.

As another cliché, Randi is an old-fashioned, repressed girl who wears clothes more suited to a librarian and a virgin to boot. Nevertheless her prissiness catches the eye of good ole boy cowboy Buck, THE man on campus who has a trail of besotted women throwing themselves at his feet. Even Buck doesn't really understand what he sees in her. Despite her sheltered upbringing, Randi has no difficulty giving Buck back-chat (and honestly how realistic is that?) and bossing him around, even if all he seems to want to do is look after her.

Finally, of course Randi has a totally obnoxious and toxic friend Daisy who only wants to get drunk and hook up with random guys and drag Randi along for the ride.

Also, despite being quirky and dressing like a little old lady (velvet collars and prissy bows), not one, not two, but three great looking guys are all pursuing her - sheesh, I should be so unpopular!

Sorry, this did not work for me. None of the characters were realistic or more than two-dimensional. I can't think of any female character (other than Randi) who wasn't unpleasant if not absolutely foul. And most of the male characters were portrayed as drunks and practically rapists, or at least enablers.

I get that the author was trying to get us to sympathise with Randi but frankly she was such a doormat that I just wanted to shake her and tell her to dump her friends, house-mates, and aunt ASAP.

Allegedly this is the first in a series about the Montgomery Brothers, but Buck is such a nothing character who only serves as a foil for Randi that I couldn't see him as a real person.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I really tried to like this book. Unfortunately there were way too many plot holes. Things throughout the story were not explained or hashed out. The main characters hated each other until one day they just didn’t… but we don’t know why. The end felt so rushed. the protagonist decides to flip out and then the couple breaks up but surprise they’re back together also he’s a millionaire and they’re engaged!!!! What?!?

This book was not for me it had some terrible comments and I hated honestly every single character. I was so disappointed because between the title and cover it looked so cute! But this was a struggle to get through probably won’t be reading others from this author in the future

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Man, this book was genuinely bad. When skimming other reviews I noticed several comments about racist language directed at an Indigenous character and, knowing the scene they're talking about, it's not great. However, my half-Indigenous self couldn't even process the not greatness because the poor writing and UNBEARABLE characters were somehow more offensive. I think Randi might be the most unlikable main character I've ever read. She's mean and uptight and judgemental AF. I could've gotten behind this if she underwent some growth, but she's just as awful at the end. Add to that Buck having the personality of celery and you get just a really bad romance novel.

Oof. That’s all I have to say about this one, seriously.

The cover pulled me in but everything else pulled me out.

Before going in I added it to my “currently reading” on Goodreads and immediately saw the star rating. I was curious so I checked the reviews. There was some not-so-great things said about it, but I still tried it out for myself. By the way, spoilers are ahead.

This book starts off with partying, very heavily, from her soon-to-be roommates. I figured that it was just the stepping stone for the book to start the book and it would die off. Boy, was I wrong about that. The whole partying thing, not my thing. That’s not even the worse of it and I could have easily looked passed it, but in the first 20 pages there is sexual harassment aka groping and a derogatory term used.

The male lead made me want to puke with how many times he said “Darlin”. I am not a fan of pet names and will overlook it but not when he uses it way more often than not. He tries to play off his antics but he was gross. He literally gropes her while she is sleeping and it made me quite uncomfortable. I don’t think he is this “good guy” and I just didn’t vibe with him at all.

The female lead is just dumb and gets herself in a lot of situations she shouldn’t be in. She tries to act tough but still gets treated like a doormat.

There was not one character that I liked. They were either disgusting or downright vile. Hard pass.

The romance was slow and then took off like a rocket. By the end they are already engaged without really knowing each other.

There are other things that could be said but you get the gist of it.

Overall, not for me. Would not recommend.

(1/5) I initially requested this book because of the cover - the illustrator did a great job! I did not finish reading this book because the characters fell flat, and the author used derogatory language that was completely unnecessary. This book desperately needs a sensitivity reader, even based on the small part of the book that I finished. I would not recommend it.

I will not be posting this review anywhere (and that's probably for the best)