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lizzie_b99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I personally prefer this novel to the sequel! Chloe and Red's relationship feels well fleshed out, though maybe a touch too fast (though maybe I'm just a bit of a skeptic when it comes to quickly developed romantic relationships). I love the focus throughout this series on mental health and disability/neurodivergence representation. I do not have fibro, but Chloe's struggles with spoons and having an invisible disability are incredibly relatable.
The romance genre often has a problem with allowing characters to violate their potential partner's boundaries with little to no punishment. I love that this title does not fall into that trap. Chloe and Red are both highly aware of the importance of boundaries. They constantly ask each other for explicit consent before deepening their romantic/physical relationship (and omg consent is sexy). The focus on boundaries, consent, and meeting one's partner's needs made Chloe and Red's relationship feel both idyllic and achievable. Their banter is adorable and now I need someone to call me Button (even though I'll pretend to hate it), and Smudge is absolutely the best name for a cat.
Late novel spoilers
Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexual content, and Cursing
Moderate: Medical content, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Car accident, Classism, Alcohol, and Racism
amy_in_the_city's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Ableism, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Classism, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Alcohol, and Car accident
beccam22's review
4.0
The mental health and chronic pain rep in this book was amazing. The feeling of being a burden to others while also learning to accept help when needed was beautiful.
The rediscovering yourself after previous relationships was handled okay. I think it handled it better than most books but still felt like they relied on each other as the reason why to change and grow rather than for themselves.
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, Sexual content, Abandonment, Ableism, Chronic illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Eating disorder, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
ellenwm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really liked how the characters were both adoring and amorous! The smutty bits were fun! Hibbert does a great job of choreographing hot, real scenes focused on women’s pleasure that don’t use cringey language that makes you want to crawl out of your skin midway through.
I initially found the audiobook narrator choice a little odd since her default narration felt like a better fit for Gigi (or Lady Danbury) than the voice she created for Chloe. But it grew on me a lot and was worth it for how swoony and specific she made Red’s dialogue.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse and Ableism
hannahleebibliophile's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Classism, Mental illness, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Cursing and Death
yarisbooksandbevs's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual content, Chronic illness, Cursing, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Classism, and Drug use
Minor: Alcohol and Emotional abuse
craftysnailtail's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I also liked Red quite a bit, which is surprising because I'm usually not a big fan of men in romance novels. But he reminded me of my partner, with his compassion and always paying close attention to Chloe and anticipating her needs. I saw some reviews complaining that he was a mind reader, but I disagree. He simply paid attention to her physical signs of pain and exhaustion and acted accordingly. Literally the least we can expect from a devoted partner, in my opinion.
The smut wasn't for me, but that's not unusual. It also was unnecessarily dramatic at times, but I feel like that's easily forgiven with books like this.
Overall, I found it to be a very relaxing and fun read with much appreciated diversity and accurate disability representation.
Graphic: Chronic illness and Sexual content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Classism, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
meat_muffin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Chronic illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, and Ableism
Minor: Classism, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
btothebooks's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Classism
mdavis26's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Classism, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Grief