Member Reviews
This book is a clean romance, with no swearing. There is a few funny moments, some sad and a lot of sweet moments. The story is based around a shy and insecure girl, Christie and how a tragedy changes her life. The story shows how she copes with all this and how she eventually grows from it all. We also see a romance unfold. It was great how the author Milly showed some healthy ways to deal with a real issue. Christie had support and also her art to lean on to cope with tragedy she suffered. It would have been good to see Christie learn to overcome her shyness a bit more without the other main character eg making a few more friends on her own but I like that it was addressed a little. It was great seeing Christie grow in confidence and to speak out her feelings without backing down. I love how the main characters get to know each other and really see one another as they are. They had more in common than they realised and they help each other to grow.
Was this book meant to be partially or entirely modeled after Mansfield Park? The main girl is supposed to be shy but she came off as insipid, not shy. Her parents and her theoretically have a good relationship but we hardly see them throughout the book and they constantly tell her to stop asking questions after HER ENTIRE WORLD HAS BEEN SET ON FIRE! It made sense that she was constantly questioning everyone's motives and what they wanted from her because everyone asks like she overreacting all the time and gaslighting her while also reassuring her and or leaving information out.
The love story was okay but the ups and downs of that relationship made sense given the ages of the two main characters. Overall, I thought this was a book full of irritating and contridictory character actions.
#netgalleyarc This was a cute, quick, slightly cheesy read. Is it the best romance story I’ve ever read? Not at all, but it’s also not the worst. The plot was super unrealistic but it was an overall cute story. I’d say it was the perfect palate cleanser after a summer of reading heavier topic books.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the novel in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was intrigued by the idea of a billionaire trope in YA, and while I did enjoy some aspects some of my concerns about such a mix did prove true.
It was interesting to see how the author tackled the challenge of the forced proximity but I struggle to believe parents would be happy to move their children into their boss’s (a relative stranger) family home. Especially when the protagonists show romantic interest in each other (sharing a bed let alone a wall).
I also felt a disconnect between Christie and her parents. For all the claims that they were incredibly close it didn’t feel like the bond was explored in the way it could have been to contrast with Ash’s troubled family dynamics. Christie’s anxiety could have been given more thought - not just ‘it gets better because someone tells me to be confident’ which shows a lack of understanding about such difficulties. Christie’ ‘judgmental’ attitude is mentioned a lot, but no one mentions the other characters judgemental attitudes, angry temperaments or other issues raised.
I liked that the character of Meghan had some character development and that the ‘mean girls’ situation was somewhat resolved (although Hope could have been given more attention in this respect).
The fact that the author gave the protagonists interests outside the usual/tropes commonly found in YA was also refreshing.
The story was good overall but I found it hard to suspend enough disbelief that the parents involved in the story were so unconcerned with the characters relationships and at times the characters lives in general. I think in this case I’m just not the target demographic.
This book was not what I was expecting at all. It would seem as though it is a mystery, but it really is not. It has an air of mystery, but is more of a romance.
Christie and her family have lost everything in a house fire. Standing there lucky to be alive, the family gets an unexpected hand from her father's boss a work. As they pull up to a mega mansion or manor as it is called, the family is surprised by their good fortune to have a place to stay. Things seem to good to be true and Christie runs into the billionaires son Thomas. As a shy girl who is used to being invisible, the new attention she is receiving is hard to comprehend.
Throughout the story Christie embarks on a journey of self discovery. It is not an easy road for her and there will be many obstacles in her path. She has a hard time trusting people and their intentions. Thomas has his own set of problems and tends to take things out on others. He is struggling for some form of normalcy.
Overall the book is full of teenage drama and devastation. There are many struggles with all the characters. But the story line is full of love and caring. It is planned out with depth and intriguing possibilities. It was a wonderful read.
Super cute book that would be safe for anyone to read. Adorable main character that is all sweetness. It flew by and I read the whole thing in one sitting.
Tell me the book has the 'Enemies-to-Lovers' trope and I'm sold! Plus, if you're getting some 'Opposites Attract /Shy girl-Popular Guy' vibes, you're absolutely right. Milly Rose has discovered a winning formula for a gripping romance and of course it works.
When Christie's house burns down and her family loses everything, her father's boss Mr Ashworth offers a temporary residence in his mansion. Yay! Who hasn't dreamt of living like a billionaire just for a day? add Christie's Dad's promotion, and no wonder Christie's parents are totally charmed. She, on the other hand, is too busy trying to work out what Mr Ashworth's son's problem is. One moment Thomas would like nothing better than see the back of Christie's family, next, he's all kind and sympathetic. He's also drop-dead-gorgeous and seems to be an undisputed king of Christie's new school, where she (as usual) is struggling to make new friends. But then again maybe Thomas or Ash as everybody calls him has his own share of worries and disappointments and being with a shy listener can help?
First of all, the book is all written from Christie's point of view, so, if you are/were shy at school and didn't find it easy to meet new people and open up to strangers, you will relate. On the other hand, it would have been helpful to get a glimpse into what Ash was thinking or other characters. There's quite a lot of first love/ high school drama, so get ready for some misunderstandings, heated arguments, inexplicable conclusions drawn out of sero evidence, and, of course, mean girls. Since I don't think there is anything wrong with being shy, I am more than happy to see more rep for this trait! I love the way Milly Rose gave Christie a perfect creative outlet- painting. Ash also has a passion of his own and it is so romantic the way his nerdy side matches her artistic one.
Christie and Ash are sixteen, so obviously they still have a long way from having everything worked out in life. I didn't find it too credible the way Mr Ashworth provided for everything or some of Mrs Ashworth's actions, while Ash relied on his parents' money a bit too much- it would have worked if the protagonists were older.
Overall, it was a very quick and easy read. Although I would have prefered more humour, Milly Rose did capture how important family dynamics and school relationships are at sixteen. Hope we're getting Nessa's story next!
When I found this book on NetGalley I thought it would be a fun read to switch up what I have been reading lately and it was exactly that. This is a YA novel where Christie a super introverted only child is moved into the mansion of her father's boss after their house burns down and meets her first "friend" Ash, the boss' son.
What I loved:
- Astronomy, I great up being a huge stars nerd and it was fun to have a Ash a teenage boy written with this interest as I feel fewer and fewer people are interested
- Art, Christie uses painting to help work through her feelings and I think it was a great way to show how introverted she is since painting/creating art is normally such an individual activity
- "billionaire living", there are parts of this book that I just got to laugh at cause they were just so unfathomable cause I am not a billionaire and cannot get anything I want with a single phone call
- enemies to lovers, I enjoyed how Christie and Ash's relationship develops from seemingly enemies to much more
Overall this was a sweet YA romance but there are aspects of the "teenage drama" that I felt overpowered the story and took away from the feel of the book. If you would like a sweet, light and unlikely romance I would definitely suggest picking this up!
I’m here to give an honest review, so that’s what I’ll do. I’m not sure if it was the writing or if it’s just that I’ve grown up a bit and YA is becoming more difficult for me to read, but I struggled with enjoying this book until the 70% mark or so. There was something about the narration style that just caught me off guard - like it was a diary but not a diary. The little quips and inserted remarks spattered throughout the normal narration rubbed me wrong. I think the styles clashed.
Now as for the plot, I really enjoyed the story! The romance was sweet and I loved seeing Christie and Thomas break out of the shells that they put themselves in and show each other their true selves. The middle of the night deep talks reminded me of some of my most treasured moments with people as a teen.
Overall I give this book 3 stars and I would probably read other things by this author!
This is for the ones who love reading Mills & Boons/Harlequin romance novels.
This one doesn't read like young adult and I wanted more of the enemies to lover vibes.
Easy fun read. You will have a good time.
Thank you, Halo & Claws Publishing, for the advance reading copy.
Milly Rose's Shy Girls Can't Date Billionaires reads like a first book. Her prose is amateur, does way too much telling to the audience instead of showing. The dialogue between Ash and Christie is awkward, and cringey. Not to even mention Christie's mother, who at best reads like a sister than a parent. This is a clean romance with basically no romance. There seems to be no connection between Christie and Ash. And though she says multiple times how "shy" she is -- mostly she comes off as judging and snobby. Her woe is me attitude is very off putting. I expected a sweet romance with a bit of angst -- instead got a fairly poorly written story that meanders with no driving purpose.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Halo & Claws Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Okay I think this is on me for not looking more closely at the blurb. I thought this was a romance-I had no idea it was about teenagers! So that put me off from the beginning. I found the entire premise just odd! What employer does this? This is for youths-not really geared for adults. I didn't enjoy the teenage angst. I guess its okay-but for me not so much. I think I am just to old for this. 3 stars
I received an early copy of this in exchange for an honest review. Couple has a definite dislike at the very beginning, thrown together to work it out and even now must go to the same school. Couple finds a way to work out their differences become official boyfriend/girlfriend. Couple has a fight and it’s all over.shut the door. Read it to see what happens next. Parts are humorous. It is a quick read but very good if you need a little romance in your life. Yes I would recommend to the YA/NA in your life. Thanks to #NetGalley, # millyRose #ShyGirlsCantDateBillionaires for the opportunity to read this book.
Tropes:
*Forced Proximity
*Guy Falls First
*Enemies to Lovers
*Rich Male Alpha
*Teen Romance
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. OMG!! I finished this book in 2 days. That's how good it is. At first I was attracted by the book title but again, who wouldn't. I thought it would be a bit of a cliché.. she moves in, he thinks she's cute, she likes him, a few problems and then BOOM a happy ending.
This book starts when Christie wakes up one night to her families house on fire. Now homeless, her dad's book (who is a billionaire) offers to let them stay in his house that's more like a mansion. Having to leave her school and hometown Christie begins living there. In the same house a few doors away is Ash's bedroom, the billionaires son. At first he comes off as rude and bratty but when they get closer and he starts making her feel welcome, will they have a happily ever after?
This book was honestly amazing! It wasn't only about their relationship but also about their lives, backgrounds and families. I enjoyed the character development and how their relationship developed from the start of the book to the ending. All the character were written really well. The chapters are not overwhelmingly long and that is something that I always appreciate when reading a book. One thing that might make people turn away from this book is the cover. It's really a shame if someone doesn't read this book because of it cover. I feel like more work could be put into the cover because, if I had to be honest, it just looks like a bunch of pictures from Pinterest mashed up together.
All in all, it was a fantastic book and I would really recommend. I hope people enjoy this and I would probably be one of the first to buy it if physical copies were made.
This book was good. Definitely had some funny moments in it and a good story that leaves you informed but also wanting more.
A cute , light suspense read, with great characters the story flowed nicely so this was a pretty quick weekend read..
a shy new girl and a rich boy, enemies to lovers, cute story. was a fast read. was a new author for me and I enjoyed the story.
My Review
I received an ARC from NetGalley. Book comes out 05 Sep 2022
When a book starts off with a fire, it immediately makes me pay attention because I want to know what started it. This is how Shy Girls Can’t Date Billionaires by Molly Rose started. Surprisingly, this is not a romantic suspense. Not that I minded that it was not. It was enough to intrigue me.
Added to which, this book has a favorite trope of mine-forced proximity.
Thomas Ashworth III is a bit of a grump. He doesn’t want Christie and her family, who he views as charity cases in his home, but he has to put up with them because they have nowhere to go. Christie is definitely not little miss sunshine. She’s moody, anxious, and very much a loner. She also doesn’t have a single friend besides her parents. Needless to say, she and Thomas, aka Ash do not get off on the right foot. As the two are forced to be around each other both at home and in school, opinions and thoughts begin to change. Feelings begin to develop.
I liked seeing Christie grow as a person as the book progressed. I also liked seeing the different sides to Ash and I love that they are able to be open with each other. I liked the relationship between Christie and her parents.
All in all, this was a very sweet book. I truly enjoyed it and I want to read more by Milly Rose and I really, really want Ash’s sister to get her own book.
This was a sweet enjoyable book.
I wasn’t too sure in the beginning when the family moved, (like why? What's the motive? So many questions?) but, ignoring that, the book was fun to read.
It was a light read, and I enjoyed the characters together. I liked seeing Christie move beyond her shyness/ stand up for herself and make friends! I wanted more at the same time, I wanted to know more about her, and her art.
I also hoped to have a dual POV, feel what Ash was feeling, I think that would have cemented their chemistry more, made it more real.
All in all, the book was enjoyable, the relationship between her and Ash was cute! I wouldn’t mind reading more about the other characters in the book, maybe Vanessa or Meghan! I think it would be fun to know their stories, see them grow, and watch them fall in love.
Ash is the son of a billionaire and is trying to help repair his parent's broken relationship. Christie is a shy girl who has never had friends and is dealing with the aftermath of losing her home to a fire.
Shy Girls Can't Date Billionaires was a cute story. I loved Ash's character and how attentive and caring he was towards Christie.