men are red flags!!

plot line:
When the love of her life shows up with a girlfriend, Tia decides it's time to put herself out there.

Expectations of dating apps are low, so it's a surprise when she instantly connects with handsome photographer Nate. He's everything she's looking for; he makes her feel safe, seen, and desired.

Tia assumes they're on the same page - the only catch? They're yet to have The Talk.

In a generation that's normalised competing over who cares the least, can Tia overcome her fears and lay her cards on the table, in the pursuit of something real?

my thoughts:
after having this book on my kindle for a while and wanting a quick and easy book to read I thought I would give this new author / book a go!

I really liked how the story interconnected tia’s relationships with her work as (in my opinion) it gave an honest and modern approach to dating in this generation.

despite the book being enjoyable , i was quite disappointed that the plot was somewhat predictable and in places used teenage slang such as “bruv” and “innit.

up until around half way through the book I believed that the characters were younger than in their mid twenties not only due to the amount of slang used but their behaviour towards some of the events that took place and other characters in the book

overall, this was an enjoyable book that (for me) needed some adjustments but i know that this book will reach its target audience and I look forward to read more of Rumble’s work in the future.

thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review

I really enjoyed this. The strong character depiction really brought them to life and I loved that the ending wasn’t entirely predictable. Highly recommend for an easy to read but brutally realistic summer read.

Even though The Situationship has a very predictable plot. It's still a fun, quirky read that lots of readers will relate to and will have you laughing out loud at times. It's an enjoyable read.

I really liked this one. This feels fresh, relatable and super modern. Love how we're seeing a slight twist on the girl meets boy, happily ever vibe to fit a more realistic mid 2020s dating landscape.

I really loved this book. We've all experienced it, we've all had friends experience it and we all rage about it when we see it. Witty and all too familiar. A really entertaining read.

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

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I'd like to thank NetGalley for Approving me for an ARC of this book.

📱Modern Dating
🗣️Mixed Messages
😁Humour
🏢Careers

This was a really quick and easy listen for me. I liked the glimpse into the modern dating world with all its ups and downs. I did find Tia frustrating at times but I could also sympathise with her situation. I wish the male characters had been likeable and not as predictable as I'd thought.

⭐⭐⭐💫

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

I thought that the first chapter was okay, but by the end, I lost interest in the characters.

I enjoyed how relatable the book felt in terms of modern-day dating, although I felt sometimes it leaned too much into pop culture and became gimmicky. I'm not sure this will age well.

“this will remain a situationship unless someone makes the first move”

Solid first novel from Taylor-Dior Rumble. The Situationship is an unravelling of a 20-something working girl in media. Much like most young women her age, she’s learning what a healthy relationship looks like, how to set and maintain boundaries, and defining what success looks like in her career.

“She was tired of overthinking her way out of the happiness and excitement”

I love how authentic the protagonist’s voice is, with slangs and jovial rhetoric flowing so casually between characters. Not contrived at all. Also, I’d liken Tia’s (the main character) growth to Issa’s on Insecure, so it was a full circle moment seeing Issa Rae credited in the final acknowledgments.

Two lessons stuck out to me from this book & I’ll share direct quotes:

1) “I’m not begging people to see my worth anymore.”

2) “if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to go where you are loved and valued.”

Expectations of dating apps are low, so it's a surprise when she instantly connects with handsome photographer Nate. He's everything she's looking for; he makes her feel safe, seen, and desired.

Tia assumes they're on the same page - the only catch? They're yet to have The Talk.

In a generation that's normalised competing over who cares the least, can Tia overcome her fears and lay her cards on the table, in the pursuit of something real?

I enjoyed this book. While the writing style wasn’t my favourite that didn’t alter the reading experience too much. I still found it easy to get through and found the characters relatable and the storyline enjoyable. A pretty middle of the road book for me but still one I’m glad I picked up.

I enjoyed this book, I liked the main character Tia, I was routing for her, in both her professional career and her love life. The book has a bit of spice, and some strong language, which won’t be for some people, but did make it feel very real. Thank you #netgalley

I'm afraid I found this difficult to finish - the story wasn't compelling and I hated the characters, to be completely honest. The main character complains that she's not getting the promotion she deserves, while sneaking into the bathroom every five minutes to update her dating profile.
Her male friend, who's been away for months, comes back with a girlfriend and she's a) surprised and b) hatches a plan to break them up. He should have told her he had a girlfriend, but when she found that out, why not move on?
I struggle with books where the characters battle through challenges of their own doing, and this is what Tia does in all aspects of her life, then wonders why nothing is going her way with little to no effort on her part.

I found this book very difficult to finish. I couldn't stand the constant use of the word 'babe' and the fact that the characters kept 'kissing their teeth'.
The characters were just annoying and immature. The slang was completely over the top and it felt like I was reading something that a young teen had written, rather than reading about people that are supposedly in their mid to late twenties. I understand wanting to make dialogue relatable but the excessive use of the words 'bruv' and 'innit' just made the whole thing feel very over the top.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read and review!

I enjoyed the author's writing and the relatability to the characters in terms of age and London vibes. I think that I was just disappointed that it wasn't the situationship dynamic I was expecting. I thought it would be over a longer period of time, which I would have preferred. But overall it was still an engaging read.

Enjoyed reading this one. Very easy to read, nice quick and easy read . Would definitely recommend to friends

A really interesting read, and much deeper than I expected! Tia enters the world of online dating and juggles a difficult work environment as a young, black female researcher/aspiring journalist. She is personally and professionally slighted throughout.

I so enjoyed how realistic this was. The characters are in their mid twenties and all still living at home, despite having good jobs, because this is set in London. It’s also an ode to the plight of the young single woman, dealing with fuck boys - again, realistic as this is essentially what dating is for most young women.

I did go into this expecting a romance read, but really this was about developing self respect. It was a fascinating journey and dealt with heavy topics. I seethed alongside Tia as she dealt with disrespect and injustice from her peers and colleagues. She never had her “fuck this” moment, which again was probably more realistic, but the ending was very fitting and hopeful.

What to expect:

- online dating
- workplace drama
- realistic mid twenties characters
- banter

Thank you to Merky books and Netgalley for this advance copy (and sorry for the late review!).

What a book. I laughed out loud yet felt all the feelings over this witty and raunchy romance book. So much fun!!!

I absolutely adored this book and reading it just genuinely felt like such a warm hug- this book was just a cosy read that I spend through! Cannot recommend enough

📚Book Review: The Situationship by Taylor-Dior Rumble

I got given an advance copy of this from NetGalley which I’m always very appreciative of! Unfortunately this one wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read. I personally didn’t like all the slang and modern day lingo used by the characters, it made me feel sooo old as I didn’t understand half of it 🤣

The story itself had potential. It’s about Tia who is in love with one of her long term best friends from school. They’ve kissed once before he moved away, and then they were texting like mad whilst he was away so she is full of expectation when he comes home to visit… and then he turns up with a girlfriend in tow.

Tia throws herself into dating apps to try to get over it, and finds herself meeting a nice boy called Nate. But she struggles with the realities of modern dating and the fact that it’s early days so they’re not exclusive and she wants to have the chat with him about it, but how soon is too soon?!

All in all it wouldn’t have been a bad story if it wasn’t for the language. Maybe it’s just not for me! Let me know if you’ve read it and thought differently!