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bookendtobookend's review
medium-paced
4.5
I read The List first and was so curious I had to pick up this book.
I almost dnf’d this in the first 20% and I am so happy I didn’t. I love Malcolm’s dedication to helping Calida in her healing journey after she finally opened up and told him how she was feeling.
Check content warnings before reading.
I almost dnf’d this in the first 20% and I am so happy I didn’t. I love Malcolm’s dedication to helping Calida in her healing journey after she finally opened up and told him how she was feeling.
Check content warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
daisy_dean's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved the slow pace of this book and its well-reflected timeline for healing from prolonged trauma. Calida's story in Fiendish was heartbreaking. Here, as she lets love back into her life, her story becomes heart-healing and life-affirming. It helps to Fiendish first...but that book sits on my Horror shelf, so it's not appropriate for some readers. Ms. James does a good job of alluding to Calida's past without putting in details for the more sensitive reader.
cheyannelepka's review against another edition
5.0
So, this book sort of found me, instead of the other way around, and I’m sure glad I decided to read it. (Read: I won it in a giveaway on Twitter!)
What I liked about this book is that instead of centering on a broken relationship, it focused on the aftermath of an abusive relationship. Moreover, it focused on the recovery and the difficulty in learning to trust again, and the difficulty that the loved ones of a person who was in an abusive relationship might face. It’s a very raw book in places, but also very touching.
I thoroughly enjoyed the way that Malcolm was portrayed. He’s a good guy, and he wants to do what’s best, but that does not mean he’s perfect. He makes mistakes, he stumbles and most of all he is human in a fantastically real way. My favourite part is the absolutely adorable relationship between him and Shawn. I love it when men are shown with great parenting skills (there are lots of amazing dads out there!).
Calida is a woman who has shut herself into a glass case and won’t let the rest of the world in. She hides so much of her pain from her family and friends. I loved her journey throughout the story, I won’t get too specific cause spoilers, but I think it speaks volumes about the nature of pain and it’s relationship to the people around us.
The relationship between the two characters was fantastic. I didn’t feel like either character compromised too much for the other, rather there was very much a sense of what can we do to be better for each other, together. Relationships are a two-way street guys, so it’s nice to see them written that way.
My one complaint is that it felt like Calida and Malcolm’s relationship came to a natural climax (yeah, I’m giggling at this wording too) and then everything resolved itself really easily and then there was a long drawn out part about the happy ending. I guess, I just feel that the build-up to it was great and then it was a little anti-climactic.
But seriously, I highly recommend this book. It’s a raw book about the struggles of healing and finding love after a great pain and a testament to the strength of the human heart.
What I liked about this book is that instead of centering on a broken relationship, it focused on the aftermath of an abusive relationship. Moreover, it focused on the recovery and the difficulty in learning to trust again, and the difficulty that the loved ones of a person who was in an abusive relationship might face. It’s a very raw book in places, but also very touching.
I thoroughly enjoyed the way that Malcolm was portrayed. He’s a good guy, and he wants to do what’s best, but that does not mean he’s perfect. He makes mistakes, he stumbles and most of all he is human in a fantastically real way. My favourite part is the absolutely adorable relationship between him and Shawn. I love it when men are shown with great parenting skills (there are lots of amazing dads out there!).
Calida is a woman who has shut herself into a glass case and won’t let the rest of the world in. She hides so much of her pain from her family and friends. I loved her journey throughout the story, I won’t get too specific cause spoilers, but I think it speaks volumes about the nature of pain and it’s relationship to the people around us.
The relationship between the two characters was fantastic. I didn’t feel like either character compromised too much for the other, rather there was very much a sense of what can we do to be better for each other, together. Relationships are a two-way street guys, so it’s nice to see them written that way.
My one complaint is that it felt like Calida and Malcolm’s relationship came to a natural climax (yeah, I’m giggling at this wording too) and then everything resolved itself really easily and then there was a long drawn out part about the happy ending. I guess, I just feel that the build-up to it was great and then it was a little anti-climactic.
But seriously, I highly recommend this book. It’s a raw book about the struggles of healing and finding love after a great pain and a testament to the strength of the human heart.
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