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ireadinbed's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.75
This was wonderful! I loved the characters and i really needed a shot of sweetness.
I was dreading a 3rd act breakup that never came and im so glad!
The first half of this book is an easy 5 star for me! I couldnt put it down i was reading it in five minute burts on this really busy day lol.
For the last quarter the plot seemed to fall apart a little. The tension of will they wont they was kinda holding it together i think lol.
But i definitely want to read the next book! Loved Sam and Aderyn was cool too :)
I was dreading a 3rd act breakup that never came and im so glad!
The first half of this book is an easy 5 star for me! I couldnt put it down i was reading it in five minute burts on this really busy day lol.
For the last quarter the plot seemed to fall apart a little. The tension of will they wont they was kinda holding it together i think lol.
But i definitely want to read the next book! Loved Sam and Aderyn was cool too :)
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
gabi_w21's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
It was an alright but kind of one-dimensional read. Our hockey player/streamer mod MMC Finn suffers a blow to the head that causes him to forget everything—including how to be a human apparently. His interactions with everyone leaves me confused because we don't get a good look into his personality before the accident, so all we have is this very serious, borderline rude guy (aka fanon Kylo Ren) who acts like a robot. Our FMC Naomi is a perpetually bubbly/sunshine gaming streamer who is traumatized over her mother's passing, her childhood, and Finn standing her up. Cue a bunch of misunderstandings because Finn is incapable of acting like a guy who actually likes Naomi (not in an abusive way, kind of like he's always clenching his jaw and being unintentionally cold/abrupt with everyone he comes into contact with), his realization of who she is to him, sexual tension, several kisses, her talking about her trauma and him talking about his, one confession and some sex scenes later, the book ends. I finished it within a day or so. It's a fluffy, feel-good romance that wasn't all the remarkable or unforgettable but it also didn't make me want to rage the way so many sports romances do—lacking, as far I could see, the usual problematic elements—so I ended up buying the paperback versions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Cursing, Child abuse, and Blood
sashasauroras's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Medical trauma
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child abuse
rickireadss's review
3.5
this one was a cute little hockey romance between online friends. i liked naomi and finn a bunch, but i also have realized i HATE the amnesia trope. i think without that, i would have liked this more than i did. i'm excited to continue this series though, because all the side characters were really likeable.
⚠️: violence, injury/injury detail, death of parent, medical content, child abuse, classism
⚠️: violence, injury/injury detail, death of parent, medical content, child abuse, classism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Child abuse and Classism
lyla_wicks's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
the perfect mix between steamy and emotional. absolutely adored both characters and the way finn treated naomi should be the standard for boyfriends everywhere. so so cute i’m obsessed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death of parent, and Grief
hobbithopeful's review against another edition
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
4.25
A perfect cure for grouchy moods, Sunny Disposition puts a fresh spin on the grumpy/sunshine romance trope we all know and love.
Naomi is cozy streamer Chai by night, self sufficient positive person by day. She is excited to finally live by her own merit, too bad it's in a house with four hockey players.
Finn is recovering from a severe brain injury and trying to convince everyone he remembers more than he actually does. The night of his accident he was finally supposed to meet his online friend and crush, Chai, but due to the injury can't even remember how he felt for her. One person he can't take his eyes off is his new housemate Naomi, too bad she thinks he is grumpy and doesn't like her.
My favorite part of the book was Naomi's growth and realizing she doesn't have to put a mask up all the time, I also really loved how cute her and Finn's interactions were in the beginning. AND GUYS! The spicy scenes!! *fans self* Seriously it is so refreshing to have a male lead who doesn't have six pack. (Personally I have always been team thicc boy)
This book would have easily been five stars for its lighthearted cozy vibes except for one major issue. Minor but just to be safe
There were so many plotlines' which are mentioned once and then dropped entirely, or never get resolved. Such as the fact that when Finn was jumped by four guys and landed up in the hospital with brain damage, only one person was suspended. We get so much tidbits and breadcrumbs about what is going on with the photos only to never have any payoff for that, which felt like a letdown. The family they are all renting from doesn't ever fix anything and the place is barely habitable, Naomi has character growth in regards to standing up for herself, but she never confronts them. (No one does, they just live in a practically inhabitable location and it is never mentioned why the family that took care of her are such horrible landlords?) Her best friend is mentioned very rarely, to the point I forgot her name. (You would think her best friend would be, I don't know involved in her life, especially if they are as close as is implied) Naomi is mentioned to stream very regularly, but once they get together, it is never really mentioned again and isn't as large a part of the story I thought it would be. Also Naomi gets a position as a tutor, does that once then never again. (Also Finn is mentioned to have a very difficult teacher, and then it never gets brought up)We also get information that Naomi was homeless and living out of her car, but it never goes into details about that or the circumstances, which just led it to being another loose thread.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, especially once I focused more on the romance and not all the dangling plot threads. I will definitely read the next book, and more from this author.
Highly recommend!
Naomi is cozy streamer Chai by night, self sufficient positive person by day. She is excited to finally live by her own merit, too bad it's in a house with four hockey players.
Finn is recovering from a severe brain injury and trying to convince everyone he remembers more than he actually does. The night of his accident he was finally supposed to meet his online friend and crush, Chai, but due to the injury can't even remember how he felt for her. One person he can't take his eyes off is his new housemate Naomi, too bad she thinks he is grumpy and doesn't like her.
My favorite part of the book was Naomi's growth and realizing she doesn't have to put a mask up all the time, I also really loved how cute her and Finn's interactions were in the beginning. AND GUYS! The spicy scenes!! *fans self* Seriously it is so refreshing to have a male lead who doesn't have six pack. (Personally I have always been team thicc boy)
This book would have easily been five stars for its lighthearted cozy vibes except for one major issue. Minor but just to be safe
There were so many plotlines' which are mentioned once and then dropped entirely, or never get resolved. Such as the fact that when Finn was jumped by four guys and landed up in the hospital with brain damage, only one person was suspended. We get so much tidbits and breadcrumbs about what is going on with the photos only to never have any payoff for that, which felt like a letdown. The family they are all renting from doesn't ever fix anything and the place is barely habitable, Naomi has character growth in regards to standing up for herself, but she never confronts them. (No one does, they just live in a practically inhabitable location and it is never mentioned why the family that took care of her are such horrible landlords?) Her best friend is mentioned very rarely, to the point I forgot her name. (You would think her best friend would be, I don't know involved in her life, especially if they are as close as is implied) Naomi is mentioned to stream very regularly, but once they get together, it is never really mentioned again and isn't as large a part of the story I thought it would be. Also Naomi gets a position as a tutor, does that once then never again. (Also Finn is mentioned to have a very difficult teacher, and then it never gets brought up)We also get information that Naomi was homeless and living out of her car, but it never goes into details about that or the circumstances, which just led it to being another loose thread.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, especially once I focused more on the romance and not all the dangling plot threads. I will definitely read the next book, and more from this author.
Highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Injury/Injury detail
whichdirection's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
Incredible chemistry, really good communication & constructive fighting (we stan a healthy relationship); super interesting side plots & well-developed supporting cast.
Very hot smut, super worth the wait.
I wish it had focused just a tiny bit more on the hockey subplot as that felt just a little under developed, but I wasn’t dissatisfied with what we got.
Very hot smut, super worth the wait.
I wish it had focused just a tiny bit more on the hockey subplot as that felt just a little under developed, but I wasn’t dissatisfied with what we got.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual harassment and Cancer
apolen's review
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Sexual violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use
mx_virg's review
emotional
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
3.75
This is a very cute romance, very light on the angst but with a lot of delicious pining.
I really enjoyed getting to know Naomi and Finn and watching their romance develop, they're a really wholesome couple. One of the best grumpy-sunshine couple I've read in a while. Probably because "grumpy" and "happy" are not the whole list of their personalities, they're well-rounded characters, not just a trope. And, again, it's light on angst. No dramatic third act, no surprise pregnancy, OW or OM drama, just a very sweet romance between two interesting, loving and respectful people.
Finn's character arc was also very refreshing to read, how he came to terms with what happened to him and how he learned to move forward. I also loved how Finn is a grump, but not a jerk (seriously, why are there so many assholes in the grumpy-sunshine trope?).
I saw some reviews saying they're frustrated that some stuff isn't resolved by the end of the book. There's a "hockey plot" that's popping up from time to time, and we don't get a resolution here. It will probably be something that will span several books, and I'm okay with that. It adds something to the story without taking up too much real-estate page-wise (and I'm here for the romance, not college sport scams).
There are two things that bothered me in this book. One is the lack of information given about anything that is not directly related to the romance. We only get some snippets of information about Naomi and Finn. It is alluded throughout the book that both Finn and Naomi had difficult childhoods, but we have to wait until the end of the book to get some specifics on that, and only for Naomi. Same for Finn's assault, we only get to know what happened to the assailants at the very end of the book.
This also means that some plot points lack gravitas, there's no work that has been done to give those story points some weight. For example (very very mild spoilers here), Finn has been lying to Naomi. When she realizes he has been lying to her, we learn that she really hates being lied to because of past events, which Finn knew about. We have chapters in Finn's POV, where he feels bad about not being honest with her. It would have been so easy to add in one of those moments "Although anyone would be upset being lied to, I know this is even more the case for Naomi because of XYZ. She might never forgive me for it." Instead you get some info that becomes totally uninteresting when we're made aware of it, it adds nothing to the story. It's not a big issue, but this lack of background info means there's very little anchoring of the characters and their actions in some kind of reality, because we're just not really made aware of the stakes, consequences, or hardships.
Then there's the one thing I could have done without in this book: the smut. I don't think I ever read a book where I thought "this would have been better without those sex scenes" (then again, I've been reading books mainly for the smut for a while, so it doesn't say much), but here I am. Their romance is so sweet, their interactions so lovely, so wholesome, it was weird to jump from there to dirty-talking Finn. The scenes weren't bad, just not needed.
I still enjoyed this book a lot, the romance is just so sweet. Sam's book is up next, which I'm a bit sad about because it's the character I'm the least interested in. I'm curious about Lincoln and Celeste, but the guy that really is doing it for me is Henrik (between him and Finn, it's a tie). So yeah, I will be reading the rest of the series, but will probably wait for Lincoln's or Hendrik's book to be out.
I really enjoyed getting to know Naomi and Finn and watching their romance develop, they're a really wholesome couple. One of the best grumpy-sunshine couple I've read in a while. Probably because "grumpy" and "happy" are not the whole list of their personalities, they're well-rounded characters, not just a trope. And, again, it's light on angst. No dramatic third act, no surprise pregnancy, OW or OM drama, just a very sweet romance between two interesting, loving and respectful people.
Finn's character arc was also very refreshing to read, how he came to terms with what happened to him and how he learned to move forward. I also loved how Finn is a grump, but not a jerk (seriously, why are there so many assholes in the grumpy-sunshine trope?).
I saw some reviews saying they're frustrated that some stuff isn't resolved by the end of the book. There's a "hockey plot" that's popping up from time to time, and we don't get a resolution here. It will probably be something that will span several books, and I'm okay with that. It adds something to the story without taking up too much real-estate page-wise (and I'm here for the romance, not college sport scams).
There are two things that bothered me in this book. One is the lack of information given about anything that is not directly related to the romance. We only get some snippets of information about Naomi and Finn. It is alluded throughout the book that both Finn and Naomi had difficult childhoods, but we have to wait until the end of the book to get some specifics on that, and only for Naomi. Same for Finn's assault, we only get to know what happened to the assailants at the very end of the book.
This also means that some plot points lack gravitas, there's no work that has been done to give those story points some weight. For example (very very mild spoilers here), Finn has been lying to Naomi. When she realizes he has been lying to her, we learn that she really hates being lied to because of past events, which Finn knew about. We have chapters in Finn's POV, where he feels bad about not being honest with her. It would have been so easy to add in one of those moments "Although anyone would be upset being lied to, I know this is even more the case for Naomi because of XYZ. She might never forgive me for it." Instead you get some info that becomes totally uninteresting when we're made aware of it, it adds nothing to the story. It's not a big issue, but this lack of background info means there's very little anchoring of the characters and their actions in some kind of reality, because we're just not really made aware of the stakes, consequences, or hardships.
Then there's the one thing I could have done without in this book: the smut. I don't think I ever read a book where I thought "this would have been better without those sex scenes" (then again, I've been reading books mainly for the smut for a while, so it doesn't say much), but here I am. Their romance is so sweet, their interactions so lovely, so wholesome, it was weird to jump from there to dirty-talking Finn. The scenes weren't bad, just not needed.
I still enjoyed this book a lot, the romance is just so sweet. Sam's book is up next, which I'm a bit sad about because it's the character I'm the least interested in. I'm curious about Lincoln and Celeste, but the guy that really is doing it for me is Henrik (between him and Finn, it's a tie). So yeah, I will be reading the rest of the series, but will probably wait for Lincoln's or Hendrik's book to be out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Classism
bookwormingh's review
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
My first Deanna Grey book and she has officially joined my list of new favourite authors! This story had me in my feelings! Naomi and Finn's love story is so beautifuland wholesome. I loved the depiction of college life and how through Naomi and Finn and their friends group we see different perspectives of the college experience through the different personalities. I usually don't like college romances because the characters always seem overly mature but this was just right. I have fallen in love with the Mendell Hawks and can't wait to read the rest of the series!
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail