Too Good to Be Real is the stuff of rom-com fantasies come to life. It offers readers the dream of Notting Hill resort, a LARPing experience that is like if Austenland were all your favorite '90s rom-coms ... The rom-com resort is such an inventive setting, and any lover of those films will delight at the minutiae of the references with which Johnson liberally dots her pages. It's impossible to not wish it was a real place to stay after reading this book ... Luke and Julia's chemistry leaves something to be desired, and their connection doesn't quite spark beyond the cutesy trappings of their rom-com moments. But the various scenarios Johnson devises are laugh-out-loud funny; her cast of characters is vibrant and engaging; and the book as a whole is the type of frothy escape readers long for. We just wish the romantic relationship packed as good a punch as the friendships depicted here.
Too Good to Be Real has all the classic rom-com tropes that readers will rejoice over—an awkward yet kind of hilarious meet-cute, hidden identities, swoony kisses in the rain, and lots of puns that lead to happily ever after ... Julia is a charming and snarky protagonist who has been burned by love so often she’s about to give up on it entirely ... though I thought the fact that both of them kept their identities secret for work reasons was a bit flimsy, I really enjoyed the near-misses and gasp moments when you were sure they’d totally blurt out who they really were during every meeting. Their romance developed quickly and they had some cute moments, but I kind of was missing something when it came to the characters on their own—Luke and Julia are both really defined through their work and sometimes, I would have wished for a bit more flavour to their characterisation. This story also reminded me a lot of Sex and the City in the way that I enjoyed the moments between the trio of friends more than the actual romance?! The trio’s conversations and banter was just so immersive ... Despite the somewhat rocky dimensionality of the two protagonists, I enjoyed the banter, the clever back-and-forth of the dialogue and I was so here for all the romcom references—diehard fans will devour this book for sure! I
Johnson...pulls out all the rom-com stops—and tropes—in this fun and fluffy read ... A setting that readers will undoubtedly wish to visit, a relatable hero and heroine, and a flock of feathered and furry sidekicks make this story memorable. It's sure to please fans of romantic comedies, whether of the in-print or on-screen variety
Johnson’s homage to rom-coms focuses on developing the hallmarks of the genre—quirky secondary characters, outdoors shenanigans, and complicated misunderstandings—at the expense of the romantic relationship between Luke and Julia, which falls flat. The lack of communication between the protagonists and the rushed ending make for an emotionally unsatisfying resolution. The 20-something characters all have extensive knowledge of 1980s and '90s rom-coms but never reference pop culture from their own generation, which gives the novel the feeling of a stale time capsule. A cute premise meant to honor the rom-com genre fails to deliver.
