Jasmine Guillory is the New York Times bestselling author of five romance novels, including The Wedding Date and The Proposal. Her work has appeared in Real Simple, Cosmopolitan, and O, The Oprah Magazine. She lives in Oakland, California. You can find her at at jasmineguillory.com. You can find more of my reviews of Jasmine's works here.
Dating is the last thing on Olivia Monroe's mind when she moves to LA to start her own law firm. But when she meets a gorgeous man at a hotel bar and they spend the entire night flirting, she discovers too late that he is none other than hotshot junior senator Max Powell. Olivia has zero interest in dating a politician, but when a cake arrives at her office with the cutest message, she can't resist—it is chocolate cake, after all. Olivia is surprised to find that Max is sweet, funny, and noble—not just some privileged white politician she assumed him to be. Because of Max's high-profile job, they start seeing each other secretly, which leads to clandestine dates and silly disguises. When they finally go public, the intense media scrutiny means people are now digging up her rocky past and criticizing her job and even her suitability as a trophy girlfriend. Olivia knows what she has with Max is something special, but is it strong enough to survive the heat of the spotlight?
Olivia Monroe might seem like a familiar figure to those who've read Guillory's first novel, The Wedding Date. Alexa's older sister, Olivia, is the star of her own novel in Guillory's fifth release, and she's back to writing with her strengths—particularly, writing younger, single, career-oriented women. Entertainment Weekly was spot on with their assessment, that "Guillory's greatest gift as a writer is her ability to weave romance into the aspirations and minutiae of female existence, giving voice to their ambition, friendships, and fears against a happily-ever-after backdrop." It was so exciting to read about a female business owner, being her own boss, taking care of her needs, moving across the globe—in all of these things, I saw my future self in Olivia, which is probably why she's my favorite Guillory romance novel heroine yet. I also enjoyed how Olivia was confident and professional, which was tempered by her anxieties and cautions. It really goes to show that someone can be incredibly confident, but that there's so much going on beneath the surface. I appreciated this depiction of Olivia's character, and I related to it very intimately.
Max, simultaneously, also has to be my favorite of Guillory's romantic interests. He is charming, spontaneous, and quick on his feet, some of these to a fault. While I was reading, I couldn't help thinking that he would be the perfect date—there's no way a man like this exists!—but even when he felt perfect, he was still very flawed. Guillory doesn't work to make him perfect, because there is no such thing as a perfect character, but works to make him perfect for Olivia. That's part of the reason why their relationship felt so real, is because their characters worked so well with one another. Their conversations were deep and not fake or forced. Their maturity level matched their ages and professions, almost to a fault, which made reading their dialogue easy and fun (and, if I may say so, the dialogue was so well-written it was perfectly subtle character-building device!). Because of who they were, they didn't let stupid drama interfere with their relationship—instead, Olivia hesitated because of serious and valid concerns, and Max had to look past his quick-thinking and think about how others worked. Their character arcs, in kind, responded to the other, which made for a rewarding read and a well-paced and believable happy ending.
Guillory's writing sparkles off the pages of Party of Two. From the very start, I was incredibly engaged and invested, not only in Max's and Olivia's relationship, but in Max's and Olivia's careers and personal lives. It was clear to me that Guillory did a good amount of research into Max's and Olivia's respective careers. All of the behind-the-scenes moments of Max and Olivia at work felt authentic, as if Guillory were a lawyer and politician herself! This not only goes to show that there was a lot of thought and research behind making their characters at work were believable, but also that their backstories aligned with interests and strengths that would get them to end up at that career. It can be very difficult to align all of that (backstory, characterization, and authenticity of detail), especially in fiction where it can be easy to make mistakes, and on this front, Guillory did not disappoint.
If it wasn't clear already, I really just loved Party of Two. Guillory implemented text messaging and emails in a relatable way, developed relatable female characters, and a thoughtful, real relationship within the pages of this novel. She really took her time to develop Olivia's and Max's relationship without sacrificing any of the conversations the characters needed to have, or without sacrificing their thoughts and worries about their lives or the relationship. That is what makes Party of Two a gem out of Guillory's collection—the thought behind every element of this novel shines through, making it almost inevitable that any reader would get so deeply invested in every aspect of the story.
Party of Two ends on the sweetest note, making me positively giddy to read her newest release, While We Were Dating. Stay tuned for my review, and in the meantime, check out more of my reviews of Jasmine's works here.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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