Last updated on March 5th, 2024 at 02:07 pm
Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher: Is the Billionaire Romance Worth the Hype?
Who hates billionaires in real life but goes wild for them in books? Yes, count me in! I’m just stepping into my billionaire romance era, and my first experience was a good one. The book had 10/10 banter, spice (admittedly cringe-worthy at times!), a heartwarming touch with family dynamics adding a good touch to the narrative.
If you’re a fan of dual POV’s and classic tropes like family frenemies-to-lovers, childhood rivals, grumpy-to-sunshine, friends with benefits, and the infamous ‘one bed’ scenario, then this book might just be your cup of tea.
Overall thoughts
A 1 minute review of Love Redesigned
About the plot & character chemistry
The story is set in a sweet historical town nestled around a lake, and follows Dahlia, who is recovering from a failed engagement,, and and Julian, her childhood rival turned family frenemy who’s become a billionaire in the past decade. They haven’t seen each other in ten years, and the tension between the two sparks right from the beginning and sustains throughout the narrative.
The banter between the main characters was top tier, with pranks that, though somewhat cringey, added a humorous touch. The relationships between both families brought a lovely layer to the plot. Other than Dahlia and Julian, Julian’s mum stole the show for me, closely followed by Dahlia’s sister Lily. I know there’ll be more books to come so I wonder if Lily will be a MC* in one of them…
Dahlia, a talented designer with her own TV show and designer line, battles personal problems and depression throughout the book. Lauren Asher’s portrayal of mental illness felt realistic and relatable, particularly for someone dealing with anxiety like myself. I found Dahlia’s character compelling, strong willed and hilarious but her story felt rushed in parts leaving me wanting more.
For fans of charismatic yet petty male characters with a dirty mouth, Julian won’t disappoint. While I cringed at some of his lines during those heated moments, the sheer pettiness and jealousy of this man were unbeatable. I found myself cheering every time he got possessive over any man interacting with Dahlia. Despite my occasional frustration with his actions and disagreement with some of the things he did (they didn’t quite fit his character!), his antics were entertaining.
Here’s a glimpse of what to expect from Julian: removing men who speak to Dahlia at work, splurging £££ to get back at an ex, and delivering death stares to any man daring to approach her at bars. Unsurprisingly, I loved every bit of it
Despite my enjoyment, the book was somewhat predictable, the internal monologue repetitive, certain situations felt forced/rushed and the nickname “Sweetheart” gave me an ‘ick’ factor that I couldn’t get over.
In conclusion, it’s an easy-to-read romance (I finished it in three days) that will make you laugh, cringe, and root for Dahlia and Julian.
Book rating & bio
/5
Title: Love Redesigned.
Author: Lauren Asher.
Genre: Billionaire romance, romance, new adult.
My Score: 3/5.
StoryGraph score: 4.2/5 (at date of review: 05/01/24). View book in StoryGraph.
Good Reads score: 4.16/5 (at date of review: 05/01/24). View book in Good Reads.
Publisher: Piatkus.
Format: Paperback.
Pages: 518.
Buy on: Amazon | Amazon – Kindle edition | World of Books.
JulianÂ
If I ever caught on fire. Dahlia Muñoz would fan the flames with a smile. So, when she returns to Lake Wisteria, I fully intend to avoid interior designer. At least until my meddling mother exploits my saviour complex. The faster I help Dahlia find her creative spark, the sooner she will leave town. But while I was busy getting rid of Dahlia, I overlooked one potential issue. What happens if I want her to stay?
DahliaÂ
People say the devil has many faces, but I know only one. Julian Lopez – my childhood rival and family frenemy. I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer. Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits. Out temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years’ worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions. Giving into our desire is inevitable… but falling in love? That isn’t part of the plan.
Disclaimers
Content warning: Depression, antidepressants, anxiety, mentions of death of a parent (off-page), grief, infertility, sexually explicit content.
Spoilers: This review is mostly spoiler-free. I’ve placed all spoilers within an accordion, leaving the choice to you if you fancy reading them.
Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through those links.
My favourite book quote
“If you have to change yourself to fit someone’s ideal version of you, then that’s not love.”
“Sorry. The feminism left my body the moment you mentioned spiders.”
What I loved about Love Redesigned
- Hilarious one bed scene: The morning after Dahlia and Julian stayed at the hotel and had to share a bed = hilarious, sexy and had me squealing!!!
- The Banter: Omg I would not of enjoyed this book as much as I did without it. The witty and engaging banter was a constant throughout the book, making it so entertaining and light-hearted. Honestly I couldn’t get enough.
- Julian’s Mum Josefina: Josefina has my heart, I loved everything about this women I loved! Her character stood out for various reasons, including;
– Her attempts to meddle in Julian’s love life.
– The strong bond and shared humour between Julian’s mum and Dahlia was so heartwarming and cuteee!
– Her contrasting personality with her best friend Rosa but understanding her in and out, coupled with her understanding of others, added depth to the narrative and pulled at my heart strings.
– The story of her welcoming Rafa’s into the family 😢. - Julian 🔥: I know I’ve already mentioned it was his pettiness – yes yes yes.
MY FAVOURITE moment was when Julian bought Dahlias ex’s dream home for 9 million pounds. I was laughing my head at the pettiness!!!! Oliver’s family can suck it.
What I disliked about Love Redesigned
- Repetitive Internal Monologue: The internal monologue, expressing conflicting emotions like love, hate, and attraction, became repetitive and, at times, felt excessive. The constant reiteration of the characters’ inner conflicts on nearly every page affected the pacing and depth of character development. I get it, I don’t need to hear it so often!
- Limited Billionaire Spending: Hear me out, Julian does some extravagant spending throughout, but I wanted a bit more crazy over-the-top, billionaire-style spending. As it’s a billionaire romance, I was expecting larger-than-life financial gestures (more than buying homes), commonly associated with this trope.
- Conveniently Happening Situations/Predictable Reveals: It’s so frustrating when books do this because we get spoon fed information instead of the readers naturally finding out what we need to know. For me it affects the flow of the book and makes me feel less invested in the plot. The close proximity of many reveals on consecutive pages diminished the emotional impact, leading to an eye-roll reaction (because it was so blatantly just put there for convenience!).
The revelation of Dahlia’s inability to have children and Julian’s disinterest in biological kids felt predictable and lacked the impact of surprise because we found both facts out within a couple pages of each other.
4. Use of “Sweetheart”: I’ve said it already but I will say it again – Sweetheart… generated a cringe-worthy reaction and gave me the ick.
Final thoughts
If you like billionaire romances with spice, pick this book up! I think you’ll enjoy it. But don’t expect a deep emotional romance with a complex and intricate plot. It’s not that deep!
Happy reading!
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*MCs = Main characters, FMC = Female main character, POV = Point of view.