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abi2xoxo's review against another edition
4.0
pros:
- Delilah's trauma and her story all felt real, I think we have all felt lonely and as if no one loved us. I didn't experience what Delilah did as a child but I understood her and it felt so real and raw.
- I felt so bad for Astrid as soon as this story starts, I mean her mother is an ass.
- Josh is a character I fell in love with too. I know he has been unreliable and for a while we aren't supposed to like him, but I just found myself liking him and wanting to know more about his side of things every time he was mentioned.
- Claire is such a good mother. Her character truly spoke the words of single mothers who have unreliable baby daddies! She was so patient with Ruby and she is such a loveable character.
- Honestly, I could talk about each character one by one but I will summarise by saying I loved Ruby and her creativity and Iris' love and loyalty.
- The love blossomed in a real way. It wasn't too quick and it wasn't horribly slow. It just felt real. The spicy scenes were written in a way that didn't sexualize lesbian love and I just loved that. I fell for their love and want it for myself! I am so lonely! hahaha ]
- It is from both of the lady's perspectives which I just love, love, love!
cons:
- Astrid was annoying! I don't know what else to say! I understand everything she went through but she was a little annoying throughout!
- I was disappointed we never saw more of Isabel and I would have liked that to be explored more.
- I know we got it sometimes in the book but I wish we had seen Delilah take more photos. She always wrote about the nature photos she takes but we never really got to see her take on or how she felt at that moment.
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content
marsh_mall0w's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Sexism, and Blood
redefiningrachel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing and Abandonment
makerealityvanish's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment and Alcohol
dearbookboyfriend'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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
shroff_sanjana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
morganish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Let's be honest. At this point, I'm never catching up.
But it can't hurt to try anyway! So let's start off with my first completed read of the year, a trope-heavy sapphic contemporary romance about a tattooed big city photographer and a sweet bisexual single mom meeting up as adults in small-town Oregon. A good read, as these things go, though I probably wouldn't have continued on with the series if I wasn't supposed to be buddy-reading it with someone else.
What Worked For Me
The Depiction of Sex: Yes, I know I usually don't love when books heavily feature this much on-page sex. But I think I'll give this one a pass, since it felt really rooted in real-world dynamics, and I haven't come across that many contemporary sapphic stories that do that, period, much less ones which still ground most of the tension in the romance between the two. Also, the way the relationship started off as tentative and casual but built to something more, rather than using sex as payoff for the romance is a dynamic I always appreciate seeing depicted in fiction.
The Main Conflict: While the main romantic relationship is the centerpiece of the story and features both characters equally, the biggest struggle the two MCs have with one another is mostly just whether or not they can have a future together (caveat for other stuff that happens in the very last leg of the book). But most of the story's conflict comes from other familial relationships (and not because of their queerness, yay!). Delilah and sister Astrid are oozing with tons of unresolved hurt and resentment. Claire struggles to balance being a good mom to a child with an unreliable father, while figuring out how to process her daughter becoming a tween and what that means for both of them. The story takes place over the span of a few weeks, and balances emotional complexity with narrative simplicity in a satisfying way.
What Wasn't My Thing
Aspects of the Romance: These are totally personal nitpicks, which have nothing to do with the overall quality of the story or whether or not I'd recommend it to others. But I felt like a big part of Delilah's emotional storyline hinged on her not having any friends, which just felt a little confusing or not as well explained as I'd like. Also, I'm not a big opposites-attract person, generally; I like to understand how two characters build up a relationship from what they have in common. These two genuinely liked each other, but when I step back I'm not sure what they really share besides a relationship with Astrid, coming from the same small town, or both being attracted to women. Both thinking Claire's kid is cool, maybe? Lastly, the whole romance happens so quickly! Over the span of a few weeks! Okay, okay, I'm done. I'm overthinking what is meant to be a quick, fun, cozy, brain-off kind of read, and for the most part, it delivers on that really well.
One More Thing, Though: This is something that has been a big point of controversy in the queer community, and I know it's very touchy. But there are a couple instances of lowkey "Haha, men are terrible, ew!" moments/offhand remarks in this book, and that's probably the biggest turn-off for me. If I wasn't buddy-reading the next installment, I probably wouldn't continue with the series or this author because of that, no matter how fun the overall book or how nuanced some of their depictions. Before I figured out I was bi, I would have been like "Haha, yeah! Men DO suck!" And just assumed that anyone who had a problem with women saying stuff like that was weaponizing their internalized misogyny. Now, I can see (and feel) how deep the ripple affects of that kind of rhetoric go, and how the people harmed by it aren't cishet men or patriarchal systems, but usually just other women and/or queer people. This isn't the first sapphic book I've read in the last few months that incorporates those kind of subtle oversimplifications, and personally I'm just... tired.
Who This Is For
Content Warnings
Warnings for:
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexism
themiscyra_anna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment
meghanm404'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
3.75
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse, Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
microbemom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment