Hopes and Dreams by PJ Trebelhorn
- Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, August 11th 2020
- Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
- Format: Paperback (eARC)
- Page Count: 242 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
I am extremely conflicted about this book. The overall idea of Hopes and Dreams was great, and both Riley and Vic have believable insecurities and are really relatable. I also root for the pair, but I feel like something was missing in the story and that made it hard for me to feel at ease with their relationship.
Riley Warren grew up with a negligent alcoholic mother and was relentlessly bullied by Vanessa Thayer and her friends in high school. The Thayers own the Thayer Group and are richer than Riley could imagine. When Riley’s then-crush Vic Thayer, Vanessa’s twin, comes back to small-town Wolf Bay for her sister’s wedding, Riley does not want to see her. But Vic intends to convince Riley that she is a changed woman. As the pair reconnect, Vic is not sure if Riley is also after her money and Riley doesn’t think Vic is serious about her.
The last name Thayer reminded me of Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. No doubt it helped paint a picture of the big family name. Trebelhorn did a wonderful job at creating the awful yet almost comical Vera Thayer, Vic and Vanessa’s mother. I don’t know if I was seething or found her laughable whenever she showed up. The prologue of the story was also a nice touch. It features Riley and Vanessa, providing a bond between Riley and her love interest’s twin whom she otherwise have nothing in common with.
This book is angsty with a lot of miscommunications. I think while Riley’s and Vic’s insecurities were strong, they were also the very reason I had a hard time believing that the relationship would work out in the long run. One of the issues I have is Riley’s character inconsistency. When they exchanged ILYs, I had to go back and reread one of their first encounters because I couldn’t quite believe it. I fully understand that Riley and Vic are both acting very reasonably throughout the development of their relationship, but I don’t think I was let into their lives enough to actually understand what they are going through. There were a lot of convenient time gaps that led to my confusion over their romance working out. Also, Vic has some really horrible friends and that is not very convincing when she says she is a changed person. I honestly fear they would break up very soon.
There were also a few instances of fattism. Since a lot of the characters haven’t seen each other in twenty years since high school, there were a lot of comments on how some did not become “fat” while others did. Twice, was “fat” and “ugly” used together, and that is not okay. Also, the cover is rather questionable. Who are the two women? With Vic’s short hair barely reaching her shoulders, I doubt either of them was her.
Hopes and Dreams has so much potential and I found it mostly enjoyable. However, considering the big picture, it did not work for me. If you like rich girl/poor girl romance or twenty-year-crush romance, this book is for you. [14 Jul 2020]
I received an e-ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
