Scan barcode
sultrytartreviews's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a sweet story from Hibbert. I loved that we once again get a tough looking guy who's a huge marshmallow on the inside. And to be gifted with a wonderfully grumpy FMC on top was of that was a lovely surprise.
This, however, was not my favorite book I've read by Hibbert. It has a lot of her trademark story pieces, but the emotional growth for Ruby felt left to the very end and then rushed. I wanted her history to be doled out more throughout the book. Without this, the story fell a little flat to me, even though I liked both MCs. I'm still looking forward to checking out the rest of the series since there is some amazing rep included in this series.
This, however, was not my favorite book I've read by Hibbert. It has a lot of her trademark story pieces, but the emotional growth for Ruby felt left to the very end and then rushed. I wanted her history to be doled out more throughout the book. Without this, the story fell a little flat to me, even though I liked both MCs. I'm still looking forward to checking out the rest of the series since there is some amazing rep included in this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent and Cancer
town outcastbookwormbullet's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Physical abuse, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent, Ableism, and Cancer
marylinaris's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I just adore the way Talia Hibbert crafts her stories. The third-act conflict in this book was not a romantic one but a personal one. That not only made sense, but it also was amazing to see the main character overcome it and show her growth.
The romance between Ruth and Evan in this was adorable, I liked their friendship and how Ruth got more and more comfortable with him resulting into fun banter between them. That was a great base for them to grow into a romantic relationship, based on pure trust, willingness to give grace and understanding.
CW: ableist language; domestic abuse; toxic relationship; rape (past, non-graphic); cancer (side character)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cancer, Rape, Ableism, and Sexual violence
Minor: Rape
toffishay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I enjoyed the characters and the bones of this story, but the plot felt a little rushed to me. Evan also feels a little flat as a love interest and the romance feels like it develops really quickly. I love how Ruth grows through the book and the love that Evan has for her, really bolsters her too which is beautiful to see. We don't have to heal alone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Stalking
Minor: Classism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Racism, Body shaming, and Alcohol
weelasswithabook's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
CW: Racial microaggressions, cancer, palliative care, death of a parent, ableism, slut shaming, grief, implied rape, previous àbúsívé relationship, harassment/stalking
⭐ Friends to lovers
⭐ Cinnamon roll hero
⭐ Interracial romance
🌈 Black FMC
🌈 ASD representation
Oh. My. God. I absolutely adored this 😭 Cinnamon roll heroes and prickly heroines are like catnip. I couldn't get enough of this, genuinely.
This was just so wholesome to watch unfold, although the darker aspects came as a surprise. Ruth is recovering from an abusive relationship, which has led to struggles with trust and the ability to make herself vulnerable.
We see through her flashbacks, racial microaggressions and ableism from others, so people around her (aside from her sister and her mum) have had a hugely negative impact on her sense of self and her self esteem. This is slowly chipped away at throughout the course of the book and we see her defense mechanisms start to falter as she realises that she's actually managed to meet a good person who wants to spend time with her as a person, as opposed to just a potential sexual partner.
Evan is struggling with grief and trauma from his mum passing away, this manifests itself as him wanting to do everything for everyone else, and just being a pure and wholesome angel. We get to see the impact that palliative care can have on the loved ones of those in palliative care and how it can affect their future interpersonal relationships.
I was 100% invested in these two, adored them both. I loved the sisterly bond between Ruth and her sister, especially the protectiveness from her sister which doesn't veer onto controlling, but remains solidly at concern.
I genuinely believe, if you're looking for something sweet, with a sprinkling of spice, then this is 100% the book for you. As far as my experience goes up until this point, Talia Hibbert has never missed yet, so yeah, pick this up.
⭐ Friends to lovers
⭐ Cinnamon roll hero
⭐ Interracial romance
🌈 Black FMC
🌈 ASD representation
Oh. My. God. I absolutely adored this 😭 Cinnamon roll heroes and prickly heroines are like catnip. I couldn't get enough of this, genuinely.
This was just so wholesome to watch unfold, although the darker aspects came as a surprise. Ruth is recovering from an abusive relationship, which has led to struggles with trust and the ability to make herself vulnerable.
We see through her flashbacks, racial microaggressions and ableism from others, so people around her (aside from her sister and her mum) have had a hugely negative impact on her sense of self and her self esteem. This is slowly chipped away at throughout the course of the book and we see her defense mechanisms start to falter as she realises that she's actually managed to meet a good person who wants to spend time with her as a person, as opposed to just a potential sexual partner.
Evan is struggling with grief and trauma from his mum passing away, this manifests itself as him wanting to do everything for everyone else, and just being a pure and wholesome angel. We get to see the impact that palliative care can have on the loved ones of those in palliative care and how it can affect their future interpersonal relationships.
I was 100% invested in these two, adored them both. I loved the sisterly bond between Ruth and her sister, especially the protectiveness from her sister which doesn't veer onto controlling, but remains solidly at concern.
I genuinely believe, if you're looking for something sweet, with a sprinkling of spice, then this is 100% the book for you. As far as my experience goes up until this point, Talia Hibbert has never missed yet, so yeah, pick this up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Cancer, Death of parent, Stalking, Death, Grief, and Physical abuse
Minor: Ableism, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
chilivanilli28's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Pregnancy
jourdanicus's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Wow! Steamy, fun, and clever. Great, realistic representation. The author manages to make a light read out of a pretty serious topic (relationship abuse was an aspect of the plot) by handling it gently and with wisdom. I loved the characters, very believable and relatable. The sex scenes were realistic (and super hot). Can't wait to read more by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Stalking
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Racism
cheye13's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Classism, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, and Infidelity
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
some blackmail and bribery involved, if i recallzabeishumanish's review against another edition
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I greatly enjoyed this story. Small town romances where one of the characters is the town pariah tend to stress me out, but the depths of redemption in this story made this a remarkable read. I was fascinated to read about Ruth’s story, an autistic woman recovering from intimate partner violence, is a unique and compelling read. I appreciated that while Ruth’s race was relevant to the story racial trauma was not. After all she dealt with I don’t know that I could have watch Ruth go through more pain. While the intimate partner violence is detailed it is viewed through the lends of time, several years of separation. The violence may still be triggering for some audiences, but Ruth has clearly done considerable process and none of the accounts are first person so I assume many triggers would be less intense. I also appreciated seeing how Ruth’s experiences shaped the small town and her sister, who I assume is the next MC in the series.
My biggest complaint is how abrupt the ending was. There feels like far too many loose endings from the story and while not every element of a story needs be resolved I think very few elements of this story were actually resolved. Perhaps Evan and Ruth’s relationship was actually the only plot point that was resolved. I suppose that sets up the series rather well, but for this story it is incredibly annoying.
My other complaint is sure minor, which is just that we didn’t see more of Ruth’s art. I found what Ruth did describe of her comic fascinating and wish I knew more.
My biggest complaint is how abrupt the ending was. There feels like far too many loose endings from the story and while not every element of a story needs be resolved I think very few elements of this story were actually resolved. Perhaps Evan and Ruth’s relationship was actually the only plot point that was resolved. I suppose that sets up the series rather well, but for this story it is incredibly annoying.
My other complaint is sure minor, which is just that we didn’t see more of Ruth’s art. I found what Ruth did describe of her comic fascinating and wish I knew more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, and Body shaming
Minor: Pregnancy
Ruth is in a secret seven year abusive relationship. Evan’s mother dies of cancer in his late teen years. A side character’s mother has terminal cancer._savannahreads_'s review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Stalking, Ableism, Bullying, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, and Sexual harassment