Eight Steps to Alpha by Taylor Sullivan – Review by Erin Davidson

Eight Steps to Alpha by Taylor Sullivan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Eight Steps to Alpha by Taylor Sullivan had all the promise of a cute little rom-com, but it fell flat as it relied on sexist themes. I really wanted to enjoy this book that is a slow born, friends to lovers. But the premise of making the nice guy into a misogynistic meany to get a girl, seemed rather backwards. I liked Elliot before the transformation and his relationship to Fe. I thought he was a great guy and don’t know why he had such a ‘woe is me’ mentality, because he couldn’t get one girl. A woman that was his superior at work, and wants to work professionally with her colleagues. I think Sullivan had the best intention when writing this novel, to put a spin on the classic Cinderella trope, and focus on changing a guy into the fantasy of women; but it missed the mark for me. An alpha male isn’t my fantasy. Elliot before the change being nerdy, athletic, kind, and squeaky clean is my kind of jam. Guys that are rude to women, get into fights for no reason, aren’t the type of men anyone needs in this day and age. Personally I would have preferred a more 10 things I hate about you approach, where Elliot was changed from an alpha, to a well-rounded gentleman that makes grand gestures of love whilst singing ‘I love you baby’ by Frankie Valli. Granted in saying all this, I still enjoyed the simple cute moments between Elliot and Fe. Just watching their friendship grow was adorable to read, and really had me savoring those moments, before they were swept away. I gave Eight Steps to Alpha 3/5 stars.

Reviewed by @erin-davidson

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