What Happens in Amsterdam
What Happens in Amsterdam ~ Rachel Lynn Solomon
Dani Dorman and Wouter van Leeuwen secretly date when they are 17, and he is an exchange student from The Netherlands living with her family in Los Angeles. They break up after he returns home, breaking Dani’s heart.
13 years later, after a failed relationship with a coworker breaks up, Dani takes a job at a start up in Amsterdam, where she (literally) bumps into Wouter on the street. Listen, this is a romance novel, we all know what is going to happen. It’s how they get there that is interesting, right? In this case, her start up fails and she suddenly is in need of a visa in order to stay, and he needs to be married in order to inherit the beautiful family home he inhabits. So they get married and she moves in, with her own bedroom down the hall from his.
I liked most of this book, I liked their relationship, no matter how unlikely so much of it was. I liked their relationships with their families. I liked visiting Amsterdam (I’ve been, on my honeymoon in 1993, and the streets and canals were familiar in such a charming way). My only real issue was the sex scenes. I do not consider myself to be a prude by any means, I read and enjoyed Sky Daddy, about a woman with an airplane fetish. But the sex scenes here were so explicit and went on for so long, I regret not fast forwarding through them (I listened to the audio)…I’m always afraid something important is going to happen, some vital dialogue, and I will miss it. Recommended? Sure, if you like a steamy romance set in a beautiful location with mainly likable characters who could avoid a lot of problems if they just talked to each other a bit more openly, go for it.
8 Comments
Suzanne
I am more of a closed-door romance kind of person, so I can understand how the sex scenes could be off-putting. Although, if they are done well, they add to the story. My main problem with sex scenes is that they always seem to occur right as I’m waiting in the car line to pick up my daughter from school, and I’m always afraid other parents and guardians can hear that I am listening to it!
J
Yeah, this book has really steamy sex scenes that go on for a long time. Awkward!
Nicole MacPherson
Lol I know what you mean about the sex scenes, although I have only read them, rather than listened to them. I am not a prude by any means, but I find sex scenes…boring? I guess? Not sexy, that’s for sure. I think a sexier scene is kind of a fade-to-closed-door. I do not want to read about throbbing cocks and…you know what, I don’t want to put a bunch of stuff into your comments. I will leave it at throbbing cocks.
I just read Half His Age which was actually a really great story and social commentary but I put a warning on that it contains SO MANY GROSS DETAILS. Not just sex details either. It is not for the squeamish nor the prudish.
J
I will skip Half His Age, and yeah, I don’t want to read about graphic details. Not a prude, but there are limits. Too bad, because What Happens in Amsterdam was mostly charming.
Stephany
Oh man, I would NOT have wanted to listen to this book. The sex scenes were… explicit! I honestly can’t do romance on audio. I just don’t want to listen to sex scenes, lol. I’m glad you liked this book other than that, though!
J
Thanks Stephany, for the recommendation, and also for saying the audio would have been too much for you too. I was wondering if I was a prude.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
Haha, I hear you on the sex scenes in audiobooks. And I am a bit over it. We dont need to know all the details and all so explicitly narrated.
And I sometimes also think its boring because often enough they dont really do anything to the storyline. Mayn books these days I feel liek the story is just set up so you can have some steamy sex stuff.
Anyways, since I am currently seeking more literary books I will stay aways from this one – even though the title had me already put it on my TBR.
J
It was charming in some ways, I liked getting a glimpse of Amsterdam. But the sex scenes were too much. Better in writing so you could skim and make sure you weren’t missing any plot points.