Early Book Review: Weekend Arrangement by Sophie Penhaligon


Weekend Arrangement
 by Sophie Penhaligon is a contemporary romance currently scheduled for release on August 1 2021. When opposites attract, sparks fly … Aspiring travel writer Olivia Jefferson has a penchant for tequila and an interesting dress code. When she discovers her live-in boyfriend in a compromising situation, she realizes she will either have to face poverty or buckle down and get a proper job. A call from a prestigious publishing house interested in her travel guides appears to be the golden opportunity she’s been waiting for, along with a proposition she wasn’t expecting. Suave & sophisticated businessman Daniel Lane has been living his life on autopilot. When circumstances force him to take over the family publishing business, he finds himself living a life that lacks the adventure he so desperately craves. That is until Olivia walks into his life and turns it on its head. He finds himself drawn to this rather unconventional girl, but can he have his cake and eat it too, or will he have to sacrifice his well-ordered lifestyle in order to live the life of his dreams?

Weekend Arrangement is a book that left me with mixed feelings. In fact, there were moments when I almost put it aside and marked it as DNF. I thought Daniel came off a bit creepy on the beginning, verging on stalker and more than a little arrogant. The creepy, stalker vibe got worse rather than better as the story continued. He was sneaky and controlling- and things that should have come off as caring or thoughtful only made him feel more manipulative to me. On the other hand, I liked Olivia but then she was framed as the sterotype of the perfectly imperfect girl that everyone wants but does not recognize her own worth.  I love an honestly quirky character, but I felt that that's not what she turned out to be. The innocent but crazy drunk and seductive dichotomy just did nothing for me. I thought the set up and story line really could have worked, I liked the secondary characters for the most part, and the occasional commentary from their thoughts that came into the story worked fairly well.   However, I felt so weary of Daniel through the whole book- like it was an instruction guide for falling into an emotional and financially abusive relationship rather than a romance. 

Weekend Arrangement is a romance I found to be a bit problematic, but others might enjoy it.


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