Review: The Checklist by Addie Woolridge

 

The Checklist

by Addie Woolridge

June 1, 2021

348 pages

Goodreads Summary:

In an energetic debut novel about personal and professional chaos, author Addie Woolridge introduces a multicultural cast whose exploits are redefining the modern rom-com.

Killing it at work? Check. Gorgeous boyfriend? Check. Ambitions derailed by an insecure boss? Sigh—check.

Things were going a little too well for Dylan Delacroix. After upstaging her boss on a big account, she gets dispatched to the last place she wants to be: her hometown, Seattle. There, she must use her superstar corporate-consulting skills to curb the worst impulses of an impossibly eccentric tech CEO—if she doesn’t, she’s fired.

The fun doesn’t stop there: Dylan must also negotiate a ceasefire in the endless war between her bohemian parents and the straitlaced neighbors. Adding to the chaos is a wilting relationship with her boyfriend and a blossoming attraction to the neighbors’ smoking-hot son.

Suddenly Dylan has a million checklists, each a mile long. As personal and professional pressures mount, she finds it harder and harder to stay on track. Having always relied on her ability to manage the world around her, Dylan’s going to need a new plan. She may be down, but she’s definitely not out.

Review

As a big rom com reader, when The Checklist showed up on my radar, it was easy for me to say yes to it. While I didn't fall in love with the story, I enjoyed most of the characters and had more than a few laughs.

My biggest issue with The Checklist was how dragged out the writing felt. There were chunks of story that I felt were entirely unnecessary. I started skimming through paragraphs so I could get to the actual storyline featuring Dylan's life.

I both liked and disliked Dylan. Capable and independent, she worked hard to be where she was at in life. However, she did not know when to stop. Eager to prove herself, she did (or didn't do) questionable things to her loved ones. Dylan eventually redeems herself but I remain a tad disappointed with some of her actions.

I super loved Dylan's fun and quirky family! I couldn't quite get behind her reasoning for distancing herself from them. When the occasion called for it, they were very understanding and supportive of her. I wish we got to "see" their eccentricities with our own eyes rather than being told again and again through Dylan's flashback thoughts.

Sweet, respectable and down to Earth, Mike was the perfect love interest. His interactions with Dylan were the highlight of the book for me. The more time she spent in his company, the more attracted to him she (and I) became. I didn't care one whit about Dylan's douche-y boyfriend but I appreciate that he was a problem Dylan needed to solve for herself. The wait for her and Mike to get together was worth it~

Even though The Checklist didn't quite check off all my boxes (see what I did there?), the characters were very memorable and the romance was full of slow burn tension. I wouldn't mind if we got Dylan's sisters' stories in the future ;)

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the copy I received.