Flirty Yet Aggravating: By A Thread by Lucy Score

Series: Standalone

Release Date: April 23, 2020 

Format: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

By A Thread is a really entertaining rom-com that manages to just skirt some of the typical tropes familiar in the genre. One of my favourite MC pairings is the grumpy hero, and boy does the novel deliver. The hero, Dominic, is an absolute asshole, who copes with his asshole father by being an ass to everyone around him. Unluckily for the heroine, Ally, she’s a convenient person for Dominic to let loose his anger, but she’s no doormat. The best part of By A Thread was Ally putting Dominic in his place; she took no shit, and despite her recent financial troubles, she would not let anything stop her from being able to support her dad.

At the centre of the novel is Dominic and Ally’s enemies-to-lovers relationship. It gets set into motion when Ally’s anger gets the best of her–she creates an ‘F U’ in pepperoni on Dominic’s pizza in reaction to him being a dick–and Dominic decides to flex his privileged asshole muscle: he gets her fired. The plot continues with Dominic’s mother, a nicer Miranda Priestly, offering Ally a job at her very successful fashion magazine–think Vogue–as an assistant (jill-of-all-trades). Dominic’s mother is entertained by Ally’s ability to challenge the asshole. When Ally arrives, she finds that, of course, grumpy grump face (Dominic) works at the magazine as the Creative Director. And so begins a really funny and fraught–with–sexual–tension office-romance.

“Can I get you a drink?” Rude Sex Hair was back. “I don’t know. Can you?” I shot back. “We’re fresh out of the blood of children, Satan. How about something that matches your personality?” She was saying the words nicely. Sweetly even. “I’ll have a—” “Unsweetened iced tea,” she filled in for me.

I opened my mouth to destroy her. “He’ll have water. Tap is fine,” my mother cut in.

Dominic’s First Meeting With Ally ~ By A Thread by Lucy Score

But congruent to the budding enemies-to-lovers romance, is the scandal that has rocked Dominic’s family business: his father (and mother’s now ex-husband) was at the centre of the sexual assault culture that existed within the magazine. Dominic and his mother have spent the past year attempting to fix what his father broke while maintaining the reputation of the magazine. At the same time, Ally has to deal with the financial debt that accompanies her father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Oh No He Didn’t

The big issue I had with By A Thread was how Dominic’s grumpy boss characterization devolved into privileged asshole territory; Dominic consistently showed toxic behaviour that went unchallenged throughout the novel. Dominic is haunted by the revelation of his father’s sexually predatory behaviour, and he takes his guilt of having kept one of his father’s affairs a secret (in Dominic’s childhood) to heart. As a result, Dominic believes that everyone at the magazine hates him (when really they’re just stunned speechless by how hot Dominic is) and that he cannot be his father’s son. However, Dominic sees an office romance as repeating his father’s mistakes, not realizing that a consensual relationship reported to HR is very different from his father’s predatory actions. Yet the depth of his denial and trauma results in him being fixated on the wrong parts of his attraction to Ally: he just wants to screw her out of his system, but of course, they can’t be co-workers while this happens.

“We’re both on dates, and you’re telling me that if I quit my job—a job that is essential to my family’s survival—that you’ll be happy to fuck me,” I summarized. “I’ll find you another job,” he said, ignoring the being on dates part.

It reeks of such privilege that Dominic thinks being a one-night-screw is worth giving up the income that will protect Ally’s father! It was revolting reading. And, while it’s not what his father did … I can’t imagine having feels for Dominic after this or rationalizing this behaviour. Dominic completely misses the point, and no one thinks to explain to him how his logic is so messed up. Even worse is when Ally’s bi-weekly paycheck gets screwed up, meaning she can’t pay the late fee for her dad’s care. As a result, Ally participates in Amateur Night at her best–female–friend’s strip club and wins the money she needs. She also ends up accepting one lap dance because of the astronomical figure the guy offered. Low and behold it’s Dominic–and he’s pissed. The fact that he feels he has the right to judge her about dancing for money infuriated me. He acts as if he deserves the answer for why she needs the money, and as if she has no self-respect:

“What does it matter now? I’m not on the table anymore,” she said, quieter now.

“You mean the pole,” I said bitterly.

Her brown eyes filled with fire.

“What in the hell possessed you to do that? If you need an advance on your paycheck, just ask. I’ll give you whatever you want. Don’t get up on stage and take your clothes off. Have some goddamn self-respect.”

Oh, shit.

I’d said something so irresponsibly stupid I wanted to punch myself in the face. For a moment, Ally looked like she’d do it for me. But I still had her arms, so the best she’d be able to manage is a gut shot, which I deserved.

“I have nothing but self-respect,” she said, her voice low and shaking. “Nothing.”

“Why is that? What don’t you have anything? Why were you so desperate for money that you’d dance for strangers?”

With shaking hands, she peeled my fingers away from her skin. “Just like everything else regarding me from now on, that’s none of your business,” she said coldly.

“Ally–”

“Here’s what happens now. I don’t want you to ever speak to me again. I don’t want my name to ever pass your lips again. If you need something from the admin pool, you call every other person in that room. Because we’re done. No more flirting. No more getting to know you. No more ‘I want you, but I can’t have you’ games. It’s finished. When you see me in the hall, you will avert your eyes and walk in the opposite direction.”

And what does Asshole Dominic do? He uses her financial situation to get her in his periphery–he gets HR to send her a personal assistant contract that comes with a raise and a $5,000 signing bonus. But, the contract never mentions that the job is for him. Not only does he completely disrespect her, but he also can’t even keep the boundaries that she asked of him. By A Thread is a prime example of the hero making so many mistakes that in real life would be irredeemable. Dominic is the definition of male privilege, and while he’s not a monster like his father, he still uses and abuses that privilege to get what he wants. But, because he’s the love interest, the reader is willing to rationalize anything so that the HEA is enjoyable.

A Strong AF Leading Lady

The best part of By A Thread was Ally and the sub-plot of confronting sexual assault in the workplace; it was both a surprise and delight that Lucy Score was willing to tackle such a serious subject.

“You aren’t doing anything wrong. And anyone who tells you that you are is—” “Part of the patriarchy,” I finished for her. We’d had this discussion a few times before.

Be Still My Beating Heart

It seems weird upon reflection that Dominic’s abhorrent behaviour did not ruin the book for me. However, while Ally’s characterization bordered on Mary-Sue territory–how does she happen to have all the skills necessary to thrive at a couture magazine?–her steadfastness to remain true to herself won me over. Ally’s attraction to Dominic didn’t define her character–too often in romance novels, the heroine crumbles at the first sign of the hero’s returned interest. Ally knew she deserved respect and also to be wanted and put before any job. However, she knew that she couldn’t compromise anything that put her father’s care in jeopardy.

The storytelling of By A Thread I thought was done excellently. Also, the sub-plot of Dominic’s father–and his father’s current influence of the magazine made for a compelling plot-driver. As evident from Dominic’s first POV chapter, his father has traumatized Dominic to such a degree that Dominic does not believe he can trust anyone. The whole plot is Dominic attempting to fight through this life lesson … to reconcile his father’s betrayal and monstrous actions with the love a son has for his father. It yielded Asshole Dominic as a coping mechanism, which rears its head in the twilight of the book when Dominic starts to question if everything really is too good to be true. So, of course, the tension between the main characters is created through an unnecessary misunderstanding.

It might seem odd to mention the ‘misunderstanding trope’ in the ‘what did I enjoy’ section. But, the way Ally dealt with the aftermath was so refreshing–she was hurt but again, wasn’t going to let it define her. I obviously didn’t really like Dominic as a hero, but I ended up liking him for Ally and only because Ally saw him as someone as worth. When he wasn’t Asshole Dominic, they complimented each other quite well.

Earlier, I noted By A Thread managed to skirt some of the tropes familiar in the genre; however, the most eye-rolling one was not one of them: The Big Misunderstanding (which simple communication–and trust–could solve). But, as I stated, I think the trope was also a byproduct of Dominic attempting to reconcile that his father betrayed his trust so absolutely but also committed such horrible acts. Sins of the father is a compelling theme for a reason in literature. Therefore, while I did not necessarily like Dominic, he was an intriguing character who was wrestling with some horrible demons throughout the novel.

Final Thoughts

Both the plot and Ally’s witty comebacks in By A Thread made the book so enjoyable. Dominic’s asshole-ness, though, stopped it from reaching 4-star territory.

I laughed out loud reading this book, pumped my fist in the air when Ally had a particularly biting comeback–or when her friend would chant down with the patriarchy. The storytelling of life working at a couture magazine also sparked memories of watching The Devil Wears Prada–the clothes, the people, the glamour. But, unlike The Devil Wears Prada, there is a distinct theme of women standing together. And, there’s a lesson of a company learning to face what their corporate culture allowed and turned a blind eye to: sexual assault in the workplace.

So, while the rom-com aspect of it frustrated me, the rest of By A Thread was a compelling page-turner.

Buy By A Thread

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