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obstinateheadstrongcurl's Reviews (1.37k)
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So many things not to like here. First, why did Tiernan need to be underage? I love an age gap, but I think plot/character-wise this would have worked just as well if she was a few years older. Lots of people who are over the age of 18 still live with their families, have put off university, and are fucked up about it. Second, I didn’t love how Kaleb’s selective mutism was handled. He’s constantly referred to as an animal and Tiernan is always demanding he speak to her, like anyone who can’t speak is worthless. Douglas also seems to not know where her plot is going most of the time, whether she’s writing a why choose or a love triangle (pyramid? What’s it called when there more than three lol). Overall this is needlessly taboo, offensive and poorly written.
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is definitely Fox’s book. Hannah’s problems are pretty much instantly resolved throughout the story (her coworkers don’t notice her? she puts on a dress and they suddenly do; she has no connection to her dad? her grandma hands her his songs and all of a sudden she has all the feels; she wants to get her music in the score? the director overhears her discussion with the sound person and takes her side) , but we really see Fox put himself through the wringer over his feelings for Hannah. It felt a bit uneven and I wish Bailey had put more into Hannah herself rather than just giving her a few obstacles to overcome.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A nice wrap up of the Roth brothers. Daniela and Murdoch really want to be together, which is a nice change of pace from most of the previous books. It was fun how much this dipped in and out of the wider world and we got to get a bit of a recap of the series before we move on to the next phase.
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m struggling with how much of what I feel about this book is because it wasn’t for me versus not being well done. I hated the use of Old English, and I thought it was really inconsistent, only to get to the author’s note at the end and discover Kinsale was using different grammar based on whether the characters were speaking English, French or Italian (not English, French and Italian grammar mind you, just different grammar), so fine, I guess, but if your author’s note doesn’t contain spoilers and is relevant to how you read the literal words on the page, put it at the beginning! I also found the pacing to be uneven, it really dragged through most of the book and then felt incredibly rushed at the end.
As far as the bit that wasn’t bad per se but didn’t work for me, Ruck was a bit too holier-than-thou to appeal to me as an MMC and I thought Melanthe was selfish and entitled. I had a hard time understanding what they saw in each other.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a delight. I loved that Sebastian came right out at the beginning and told Violet he loved her, and we got a whole book of him wooing her, rather than a book of him hiding/suppressing his feelings. His patience, humour and loyalty made him such a swoon worthy hero. There’s a lot going on plot-wise but it never feels rushed or overstuffed, and you’re not left with any loose ends at the close. This one is definitely going on my purchase list because I already know I want to reread.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
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:
Yes
I was obviously going to love a story about the owner of a food truck and a librarian. It’s starts off a little slow, but as soon as Nesto and Jude start interacting more it’s golden. Herrera strikes just the right note of sweet and sexy with these two, and you really feel the care and chemistry between them. Nesto’s friends were great side characters and I can’t wait to get to their stories.