Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - For You & No One Else

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

For You & No One Else by Roni Loren

5 reviews

rickireadss's review against another edition

3.5

this wasn’t my favorite of the series, but also wasn’t bad either. i just wasn’t as invested. BUT THE EPILOGUE????? i LOVED it. it tied up the series so well and had my heart very happy to see jasper&hollyn and andi&hill months and years later.

⚠️: sexual assault, addiction, religious bigotry, toxic relationship, death of parent, car accident, grief, gaslighting, suicidal thoughts, alcoholism, child abuse

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airin_reads's review

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

Absolutely loved the this series, each book is exceptionally strong and has its own unique POV. Roni Loren has a talent for writing fully realized, relatable characters that feel like they exist in the real world. The 'Say Everything' title of the series is a great indicator of what you will get with this series- each book's MC's use radical honesty and are upfront and straightforward about their feelings (something sorely lacking in the romance genre!) which was a treat. They would all be 5 star reads, if not for this final book's epilogue.

We are meant to go along with Eliza's journey of evaluating if her desire for a marriage and family are really her own, or if they are solely from societal expectations. Loren takes the reader with her in realizing that it's more important to find a person. that makes you happy and safe irregardless of labels, this epiphany is well-earned and as the reader I agreed with her choice. Then we see all of that become undone in the Happily Ever After Epilogue. I was surprised and a little disappointed that in the end, Eliza and Beck, who decided they both didn't need/want marriage labels and kids ended up with exactly that. The first couple in the series got their traditional HEA, the second couple got their own informal HEA, and by the third we find out in glimpses of the future that Eliza and Beck have completely assimilated to traditional societal standards. I can see these characters coming around to the idea, and with the exit counselling Beck goes through might help him determine if he was fighting against expectations because he really didn't want it or if it was a response to his upbringing, but I felt cheated that the reader had to infer the motivations rather than get to go on that journey with them. I would have loved to see Jess introduced earlier and get to see more of her journey, along with getting to see Beck undergo his own journey with exit counselling, with Eliza alongside offering her support. We got all of that information in the epilogue, but I wish this was a case of show don't tell, rather than bullet points 'here's where everyone ended up' at the end.

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