Crazy Stupid Love by K.L. Grayson My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Well, I have a STUPID grin on my face after reading this, so it’s appropriately titled. I absolutely ADORE this series.
Once again K.L. Grayson has outdone the book boyfriend formula in this series. Each book gives me a new crush. Linc Bennett has taken the number one spot. Again… how does she do it????
Linc is Rhett’s best friend and fellow bull rider. He’s also Rhett’s little sister, Adley’s, secret. They have been having a “no strings” affair for months. Now, we all know that no strings affairs have a nasty habit of knocking the people involved off their game. Feelings happen. Hearts get involved. Relationships bloom before they realize what hit them. Adley was a strong, loving and fiercely loyal female lead. She’s the perfect person to come along and make Linc see what he truly has to offer a lady.
Sometimes you don’t need to recap the whole story. Plenty of others will do so… what I want you to know is that this book, well no that is not it, this SERIES is a winner. It has consistently made me smile, laugh and draw me into to each page. It just has that charm that we look for in romance. The right balance of chemistry, plot and arc that keeps you from page one to the words… the end.
By the time I am finished, I am waiting (not so patiently) for the next story. I will be one sad reader when this series has completed.
Go! Pick up this series. You won’t regret a minute of your time.
There’s a special place in hell for a man like me—a man who shamelessly sleeps with his best friend’s little sister, knowing he’ll never be what she needs. A man who takes because the only thing he has to offer in return is a broken past that’s destined to destroy his future.
I was the kid who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks with shit parents and clothes that had been handed down one too many times. I stole to feed my sister, fought to protect her, and I’ll always be the guy your parents don’t want you to bring home.
So yeah, that’s me. Lincoln Bennett. Adley Allen’s walk on the wild side. Her dirty little secret. And I’m okay with that—ninety-nine percent of the time. Unfortunately today is in that one percent when it doesn’t sit well with me. For some strange reason, I want to be around to celebrate all of Adley’s successes. I want to be here when she gets her first job and take her out to dinner after her first shift. I want to be the one she depends on, the person she calls when she has a bad day. Or a great day. Or any kind of day.
I want more than her body. I want her heart. But men like me don’t get women like her.
I totally get that rom-coms are not for everyone. And there are plenty of REALLY BAD ones out there. Sometimes they’re so terrible that I get legitimately angry (I’m talking about you Something Borrowed - you are the WORST). As a feminist, there is another layer that I find disconcerting about how females are often portrayed in these types of films: shallow, naive, insecure, mean, fickle, not in control of their own mind, or a host of other underdeveloped traits. A lot of times, they end up looking like this:
Luckily, Enchanted turns stereotypes around after spoofing them. Even with the issues of creating unrealistic expectations about romance, poor gender stereotypes, a lot of borderline stalker-type behavior, and a laundry list of cliche things, I can’t help but cozy up this time of year and watch movies about love. Because well…I love love.
The reason the world as a whole pretty much loves rom-coms is because our culture is heavily influenced by the Romantics. Their writings and ideas about love, sex, and relationships has formed the basis of our modern world. We’re told from a young age that finding love is the most important thing we can do. We watch these movies where people fall in love, overcome obstacles, and then end up together.
A film like The Way We Were where a couple’s romantic relationship does not survive the film is much more true to life, although far less applauded than many of its counterparts. A movie where the couple doesn’t end up together makes us mad. “Real life is hard enough, I want to see happily ever after.” I’ve heard that from a number of people. And I get that to an extent. Movies are often used as an escape, to pull us out of our boring, romanceless worlds into a place where the guys are all Ryan Gosling and the girls are Emma Stone.
With all the drawbacks of these types of films, we can also find some moments of shocking realism, heartbreaking sadness, and just plain ridiculousness. That doesn’t sound that far off from most our real life experiences. Most of us have had our hearts broken. It feels pretty safe to say that almost all of us have acted stupid when we have a crush on someone.
Before I feel too cynical, I think rom-coms help us to keep hope. Being a single adult can feel difficult at times and being reminded that people really do fall in love can keep us from getting too depressed. We want to believe that we are capable of being loved and loving people in return. These films can help people who have been together a long time remember what it was like when they first had those experiences and why it’s important to celebrate the relationship that they have.
So, just give in for a little bit. Indulge the sappy part of yourself and enjoy the optimism and hope found in the never-ending supply of romantic comedies. As for me, well, I’m gonna go watch You’ve Got Mail for the 1,000,000th time.
The lady isn’t shy about letting me know the things she wants Ryan Gosling to do to her. Watching his movies is as close as she’s going to get.
Emma Stone. Even Dracula couldn’t resist her charm.
Random IMDB Trivia:
They were actually giving a free iPad on set to whoever came up with a title for the film.
Emma Stone is a mere three days older than Analeigh Tipton. However, her character Hannah (approx. 24-25 years) is almost ten years older than Tipton’s Jessica (17 years).
Netflix Rating: 3 out of 5
1 Thing I Liked About It:
Gosling actually has some decent comedic chops. And the chemistry between him and Carrel was strong. I liked their odd, age defiant friendship. I wish the film explored that instead of where it ended up going.
1 Thing I Didn’t Like About It:
I thought the third act twist/reveal felt like a cheat. They didn’t earn it. It also pulled the rug out from under what I thought was the best part of the film.
