| Series: | Bad Bachelors #2 |
| Pub. Date: | Aug. 7, 2018 |
| Publisher: | Sourcebooks |
| Length: | 379 pgs |
| Source: | Publisher |
Bad Reputation is the second book in the Bad Bachelors series, which revolves around a dating review app a la the former DontDateHimGirl.com. I recommend reading these books in order so you have the backstory on the app, its creator, and the circle of female friends serving as our heroines. Note: This review may contains spoilers for the first book, Bad Bachelor, so proceed at your own risk.
Our hero is Wes Evans, dubbed The Anaconda on the Bad Bachelors app. Unlike our first hero, Reed McMahon, Wes' reviews are largely positive, but very sexual in nature. Initially, he doesn't heed his own objectification and stays above it all. But when it starts to have an impact on his business, a fledgling Off-Broadway show, Wes' life becomes infinitely more complicated. I thought Wes was a great hero. He was a nice guy with a unique profession, yet he didn't seem overly arrogant or snobby. I appreciated his desire to break away from his family and make it on his own. He had great work ethic, and was willing to risk everything to see his dream to fruition. Well, almost everything.
Our heroine is Remi Drysdale, a ballerina that fled to New York after ballet and relationship drama in her home country of Australia. The whole situation shook Remi's confidence and she seems to have been hiding from her aspirations for a few years. But she gets the chance of a lifetime with Wes' show, if she only has the courage to get out of her head and get back into dance. Remi was a pretty good heroine. She also worked hard, but she tended to panic and hold herself back. Luckily, Wes was very good at getting her out of her head, altering her focus, and making her shine. She did have a couple of annoying traits, namely a tendency to run off, which is one of my pet peeves. But overall, she was relatable and didn't push too many annoying heroine buttons.
The relationship between Wes and Remi was slow-building, but not quite a slow burn. The chemistry was there from the beginning, but they agreed to table any romantic interest for the sake of the show. So we see resistance to an entanglement, but more so on the part of Remi than Wes. Once they do get together, they steamed up my kindle screen. I liked that it was just "them" during those times and they seemed to shut out work and the rest of the world.
I still have a huge problem with our secondary character, Annie. She is just a loathsome person and character. I thought she may change a bit after the events of Bad Bachelor, when her app so clearly impacted our hero's life to his detriment. But the Bad Bachelor app is still going strong, and still hurting people in the process. She clearly thought her app was more important than her friendships, even though she acknowledges that not all reviews are done with good intention. So I don't see that her character will ever be redeemed for me, especially given her willingness to sacrifice good men for the sake of her perceived masses.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca.
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