Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Suite Spot

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Suite Spot by Trish Doller

28 reviews

doseofromance's review

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

2.25

I know this is incredibly petty, but one thing that bothered me immensely was the brewing, specifically "Berliner weiße". For those of you unfamiliar, it's a particular kind of beer, mostly popular in Berlin. While not originally a mixed beer, it's become popular in the last decades to drink with flavored syrup, like raspberry. Mason brews a Berliner Weiße with Hibiscus for Rachel and later has it on tab in the brewery. While it's true that Berliner Weiße is typically a tab beer rather than a bottle beer, there are several mistakes here. The flavoring (here Hibiscus) would added to the finished beer as a syrup in the glass when you drink it from a tab. You can buy it bottled with flavoring, but the "correct/traditional" way adds syrup at the bottom of a wide glass and then filling it up with the beer. The term Berliner Weiße is also a protected name and can only be used by breweries located in Berlin. It is legally protected, Mason would be at the risk of getting sued for calling his beer Berliner Weiße. Again, I know it's petty, but if you insist on making the brewing process such a central aspect of the story, the average person shouldn't be noticing glaring mistakes (I'm not a beer fanatic, just German).
Beyond the beer thing, the story as a whole is somewhat inconsistent, especially in regards to Rachel. As far as I could tell without re-reading, Rachel's relationship with her daughter's dad contradicts itself. At first it was described like a one night stand resulting in an accidental pregnancy, then a casual relationship, then on and off,... You get the point. And towards the end Rachel mentions dating someone seriously after the father, which was never brought up before and makes zero sense in the timeline of everything. It just seemed sloppy.
The relationship between the leads wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been and Mason wasn't really all that thought out either. It just seemed like Rachel was suddenly in love with him without any lead-up at all. It felt stilted and inorganic.

Lastly, the third act breakup/conflict. My god, why? Rachel gets a letter about custody and is immediately I need to move back home, there is no other choice. Consult a lawyer!! When you're served with any kind of legal papers, the very first thing you do is call a lawyer! Which is exactly what Mason tells her as well, but no, she packs up and leaves. From Ohio to Florida, no less. Obviously all turns out well in the end, with minimal conflict and Rachel actually thought she had to apologize to the father. Absolute bullshit. Imagine your baby daddy - who has put zero effort into parenting, jerks you around emotionally, and never made an attempt to visit his child after she moved away - goddamn sues you for parental rights (which he never did before). And then it turns out it was mainly his mom behind the whole thing. Instead of at least suggesting shared custody or saying hey, I want more time with my child, let's work something out, they just fucking sue her. And the real kicker here is that the dad didn't even want shared custody. It boggles the mind.

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klb77's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Exactly the fluff I wanted! The plot didn’t feel appropriately paced but it was adorable and that’s all I was looking for. The forest vibes were sweet, although redundant and this author is good at staying surface level for difficult topics. I don’t think the last 8% should’ve played out the way it did or been forced to the final two chapters- because it caused me anxiety for like 50% of the book if not more. If the author wanted to simulate an anxiety disorder than she did a decent job I guess? I didn’t know Mason was Japanese until the green tea scenes, and for a book pushing (and having a dedication all for) diversity I wish it would’ve actually exemplified that better. The SA in the beginning was jarring and honestly entirely not necessary but thankfully nothing Trish writes holds much weight with her characters so I’m glad it was only jarring to the audience and not the victim. Bonus points for my man Keane guest starring and the cat.

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samnreader's review

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3.25

This is a gentler, more removed look at grief than presented in Float Plan, but it's still very heavy. It's just not the narrator experience. Had we had a look in the hero's head (Mason), I feel this would've had the same weight of Float Plan. I level my same criticism here as I have for Float Plan: something is too simple with the characters. In this case, despite Rachel's small insecurities and mistakes with men in the past, she's difficult to fault. And eventually, so is Mason. Despite this, I enjoyed the book, but given the content, I tend to want more flaws. Maybe this was Doller's intention, since her afterward directly states that she needed something gentler because of 2020.

I am once again left appreciating Doller's settings and detail. They keep these a notch above many other novels. Unfortunately, they aren't enough to lead me to reread, which is why I give it a 3.25.

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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4.25

Finished reading: June 11th 2023

“Noisy, fast-paced Fort Lauderdale was home. But now that I'm getting used to the quiet, I've never slept as soundly as I do on Kellys Island.”

I really enjoyed my time with the first book Float Plan when I read it in 2021, and I've been looking forward to return to this series ever since. It took me longer than expected to finally pick up The Suite Spot, but I'm glad I finally did make time for it. This story mostly reads like one big hug, and I do love a good slowburn romance with lots of sweet moments. I also love a story with a small town setting and community vibe, and The Suite Spot definitely delivers on that account as well. The descriptions of Kellys Island were wonderful, and I loved how the community took in both Rachel and her daughter. I liked the brewery angle and seeing the hotel slowly come together... The slowburn romance was well done, and Mason makes for such a great character. I was a bit frustrated by Rachel in points, and the 'big twist' towards the ending mostly made me feel disappointed by her. I don't want to give away spoilers, but let's just say that I couldn't get past the fact that she just gave up without a fight; not asking for help or researching her options first. Anyhow, this was only a minor blip, and I did love my time with the rest of the story. I also can't wait to read book three and spend more time with Anna and Keane again!

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noladawnreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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sarahsbookstacks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-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? Yes

5.0

Loved!!!

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rickireadss's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

trish really knows how to write a book that deals with heavy topics but not make it super heavy & emotional, if that makes sense. i loved this one so much!! i’ve listened to the entire series on audiobook and loved them so much i bought the physical copies. this was sweet, funny, and even had me cry a few times!! i highly recommend, but do check the cw!!

⚠️: child death, suicide, sexual harrassment, sexual assault, grief, fatphobia, panic attacks/disorder, divorce

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