Scan barcode
gracedwithbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Omg this was such a cool small town romance mystery book! I always love my romance with a bit of suspense and the way it ups the stakes fr everyone! This was a second chance romance between two childhood friends to lovers, when a tragic accident in their teens drives them a part, one finally comes back to their small town and faces the girl he left behind, all the while more tragedy strikes their small town.
sdhobby's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chelseaj91's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a little bit formulaic but it was still a great intro to the series.
First, I have to ask, even for a small town, why were there so many deadbeat parents that everyone seemed to know about yet no one did anything about? In a big city I could see a kid learning to mask well enough that they get lost in the shuffle. But in a small town where everyone knows everybody's business the second it's uttered, it just seems like there should have at least been talk. I mean, there's Wren's parents always jetsetting off and leaving her with the Hartley's. You've got Randy's parents who were apparently beating him and even Jude's situation was apparently not the best (although we'll talk about that later). Just, I feel like there could have been better ways to handle that part instead of everything boiling down to "yeah their parents suck."
Holt's reasons behind staying away for 10 freaking years were beyond stupid. Which thankfully everyone told him but still. Especially because he was also told a couple of times that even if he'd been there that night, the only thing that would have likely happened would have been both of them being shot so in a way he actually did the right thing. I did like that once he pulled his head (mostly) out, he did his best to put actions behind his words. I did wish there'd been a little bit more of a grovel though. Because whether or not he'd realized he wanted to stay, he still broke things when he walked away and even if you can kind of see why he thought he had to, it still needed a big grovel.
Wren was decent but I got a little frustrated because she seemed to vacillate a lot on whether she wanted to live or not. And honestly, even before Holt came back, she wasn't living so much as standing still. Yeah, she had a job and a house and a dog but she didn't date, she didn't cook, she didn't do much besides watch Little Women and sit on the porch. Especially since she refused to let anyone speak Holt's name but apparently couldn't date anyone else. I did like the way she treated Joe and how she tried to be nice or at least avoid Amber, all things considered. I did feel like Wren's job could have been handled differently. While I liked her reason behind becoming a dispatcher, I feel like in a job where literally seconds matter, having someone who may or may not freeze/get sucked into memories and zone out is not the best option. Acknowledging that small town means sometimes there's not a lot available but I feel like there were ways the author could have gotten around it or even made it so Wren wasn't the only dispatcher on all the time during her shifts.
Motives for all of this were kind of cheesily random and just...going back to my parent comment, seriously, this all boiled down to Jude being beat on? Understanding that it's not a good thing, but the way he was acting it seemed like he expected Holt to understand why he didn't want to go home but based on Holt's reactions, he never knew things were that bad. So what was he supposed to do about it? Like, he told Wren a couple times that after she and Holt hooked up, he had to go home and why was that the option? Wasn't he friends with Chris? And yes, this is fiction and Jude was clearly deranged but I feel like the author could have chosen different motives here. And Amber's anger was also completely out of left field. I mean, she's still been around town so she knows how people grieved/are grieving for what happened. But at the same time, it's not like they can just stop time so I feel like there also could have been a little more on Amber's side as well. The mystery/everything spinning back up could have happened a little differently. It literally started back up the second Holt came back and I feel like there should have been someone able to make a connection with that. Not saying that they needed to suspect him, because obviously he didn't do anything, but you'd think with all the training in that family someone would have gone "wait a second..."
Overall, decent entry. I'll probably check out the rest of the series just because I do want to see the rest of the Hartley siblings getting their HEAs.
First, I have to ask, even for a small town, why were there so many deadbeat parents that everyone seemed to know about yet no one did anything about? In a big city I could see a kid learning to mask well enough that they get lost in the shuffle. But in a small town where everyone knows everybody's business the second it's uttered, it just seems like there should have at least been talk. I mean, there's Wren's parents always jetsetting off and leaving her with the Hartley's. You've got Randy's parents who were apparently beating him and even Jude's situation was apparently not the best (although we'll talk about that later). Just, I feel like there could have been better ways to handle that part instead of everything boiling down to "yeah their parents suck."
Holt's reasons behind staying away for 10 freaking years were beyond stupid. Which thankfully everyone told him but still. Especially because he was also told a couple of times that even if he'd been there that night, the only thing that would have likely happened would have been both of them being shot so in a way he actually did the right thing. I did like that once he pulled his head (mostly) out, he did his best to put actions behind his words. I did wish there'd been a little bit more of a grovel though. Because whether or not he'd realized he wanted to stay, he still broke things when he walked away and even if you can kind of see why he thought he had to, it still needed a big grovel.
Wren was decent but I got a little frustrated because she seemed to vacillate a lot on whether she wanted to live or not. And honestly, even before Holt came back, she wasn't living so much as standing still. Yeah, she had a job and a house and a dog but she didn't date, she didn't cook, she didn't do much besides watch Little Women and sit on the porch. Especially since she refused to let anyone speak Holt's name but apparently couldn't date anyone else. I did like the way she treated Joe and how she tried to be nice or at least avoid Amber, all things considered. I did feel like Wren's job could have been handled differently. While I liked her reason behind becoming a dispatcher, I feel like in a job where literally seconds matter, having someone who may or may not freeze/get sucked into memories and zone out is not the best option. Acknowledging that small town means sometimes there's not a lot available but I feel like there were ways the author could have gotten around it or even made it so Wren wasn't the only dispatcher on all the time during her shifts.
Motives for all of this were kind of cheesily random and just...going back to my parent comment, seriously, this all boiled down to Jude being beat on? Understanding that it's not a good thing, but the way he was acting it seemed like he expected Holt to understand why he didn't want to go home but based on Holt's reactions, he never knew things were that bad. So what was he supposed to do about it? Like, he told Wren a couple times that after she and Holt hooked up, he had to go home and why was that the option? Wasn't he friends with Chris? And yes, this is fiction and Jude was clearly deranged but I feel like the author could have chosen different motives here. And Amber's anger was also completely out of left field. I mean, she's still been around town so she knows how people grieved/are grieving for what happened. But at the same time, it's not like they can just stop time so I feel like there also could have been a little more on Amber's side as well. The mystery/everything spinning back up could have happened a little differently. It literally started back up the second Holt came back and I feel like there should have been someone able to make a connection with that. Not saying that they needed to suspect him, because obviously he didn't do anything, but you'd think with all the training in that family someone would have gone "wait a second..."
Overall, decent entry. I'll probably check out the rest of the series just because I do want to see the rest of the Hartley siblings getting their HEAs.
mrskristineg's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
vlyman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
courtneykingxo's review
4.0
Holt and Wrens love sorry is adorable, the suspense was great but the showstopper of this book was side characters like Nash , Laurence, and Joe ( who made me want to cry)
meaghanisreading's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
brittymack's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed most of this one. Second chance romance with a little mystery element plaguing the town — the romance part was a little easy (I still don’t buy his excuse for disappearing the first time 🫠). The villain surprised me but I think I may have missed the development of that character, and I definitely didn’t see the accessory coming! Mild spice, loved Andi and Jacob/Zachary. For me, the romance was absolutely secondary and I wasn’t that invested — I wanted more of the friendship and the family!
Audible
Audible