The Difference by Kaylee Ryan

New Adult Romance

Publication date: 05/17/2019
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: I dunno
Heat level: I dunno. Didn’t make it that far.

This one might be a case of it’s not you, it’s me, folks. If you look at the other reviews, they’re glowy. Everyone loved this book. I usually love this author. But this one...I couldn’t finish it.

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Brief plot overview: Disillusioned, cranky, “I’ve-dated-every-bad-guy-in-every-romance-novel-ever” Addy meets Luke, the perfect unicorn book boyfriend who wants to mend her jaded heart, but she continually stiff-arms him because of her trust issues. I’m guessing he eventually wins her over, but I didn’t stick around long enough to find out.

First of all, there was NOTHING wrong with the writing in this book. It was totally solid. This author is obviously talented, and I’ve enjoyed her books in the past. So, like I said, this may just be a case of it’s not you, it’s me. But...I hated Addy. Passionately. If I could reach through my Kindle and punch her, I would.

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I get that Addy has been hurt by past boyfriends. Truly, I’m not unsympathetic to her plight. But she was SO distrustful of Luke at all times that it got really tedious to read about this woman who has found this unicorn book boyfriend—he’s hot, he’s wealthy, he’s a hard worker, he’s loyal, and he’s not a commitment-phobic jackass—and she continually questions his intentions at every turn, even though he never does ANYTHING to give her any reason to think he’d hurt her in any way.

At one point, she even gets on the phone with the poor guy’s mom to confirm that he’s not married, engaged, or any other kind of unworthy loser. (And a brief aside on that one: Like his mom’s gonna say he’s not worth dating. Pfffttt. His mom’s the last person I’d call to find out what kind of guy he really is. She gave birth to him. Of course SHE thinks he’s the second coming of Hugh Jackman. But I digress...) Short of punching her in the face, I AT LEAST wanted to tell her to suck up her issues and get over it—acknowledge your past mistakes, and move on.

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Then there was the plot to consider. The problem was that...there wasn’t really a plot. I made it through over 60% of the story and NOTHING HAPPENED. There was seriously no conflict in this relationship other than Addy’s many, many trust issues.   

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And finally, I failed to understand why Luke was so into Addy. She’s pretty. OK. But what else? Why are you so willing to commit to her after a couple of double dates? He doesn’t really know her at all before telling her he wants to be her future. That’s lovely, but frankly, I think Luke can do WAY better. I’d love to fix him up with a heroine from another book.  

So, long-story-short, this one wasn’t my cuppa. But according to all the other reviews, I’m leading the Unpopular Opinion Crew on this one. What can I say?

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Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
No rehab needed. It’s not stigma-y...just boring!

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