Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Sunny Disposition

This was a cute book but there were a few plot points that I don't think were fleshed out. Was an easy and fun read. Definitely liked the more accurate body representation and that they are both tall.

My frustrations/confusions are hidden in the spoiler as are not part of the blurb of the book and was a surprise where the story went:

The whole corrupt Sports Director thing would of been a good thing to follow but we dont even know what is going on with that?? Just simple hints. WTH. Also Wished we would of seen a lot more of Finn before the accident so we would know what the guys keep comparing to the "old Finn"

Content Warnings

hereforthefunofit's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

First thing about this book that left an impact on me is that it really and truly matches its title because it has a very unforced and refreshing sunny disposition. It made picking up the book each day easy, rather than daunting. Unfortunately, a book cannot good vibes itself to 5 stars for me...at least not most of the time. And, yes, this isn't one of those times even though I feel like those vibes really made me appreciate the story itself more than I would for the problems I was having.

Those problems:
The 3rd act conflict:
I saw the conflict coming from a mile away, which is unfortunatetly standard for romance at this point. I'm not a fan of that because it just left me worried about how that would be resolved and spoiled my enjoyment of what was going on in the moment. That could be purely a me-problem though. I much prefer a conflict built-up to and sensible than obvious from the first chapter, because in that situation, why am I even reading the book? They're gonna do cute shit, fall for each other, have the conflict and still be with each other in the end. I'm already tired of the formula itself so I can't be privy to the whole specific plot couple pages in, like be serious.
Leaving that, I had a problem with how the conflict itself was handled.

I am very glad that Naomi did not overreact and was open to at least listening to Finn, as I felt his reasons were very valid. If she would've flipped out, I would've found it unfair to Finn and I would've deemed Naomi as someone not ready for a relationship tbh so I happy she did not. HOWEVER, it causes the same 3rd act conflict obvious from Finn says his first "I'll tell her soon" to be so ANTICLIMACTIC. There is no build-up, no burst of tension (just a slow, unsatisfying release) and immediately perfect skies in their relationship. It was...hm. This sounds completely contrary to what I was saying but it is not. I would've much preferred Finn just tell her (even though I understand why he didn't) and the conflict be something else or him not tell her, she reacts accordingly to the news and there is instead a shocking (and still sensible) 3rd act conflict. OR EVEN BETTER, it be no angst at all and instead, a completely soppy love show. That is not generally my style, but I do have my exceptions (OFFICE HOURS BY KATRINA JACKSON) and I just feel like this was the right vibes for a no angst romance.

"Grumpy"-Sunshine Troupe:
Is grumpy synonymous with asshole? I feel like there is a line and it too often slips into asshole territory in this book. The book explains it as Finn struggling with communication norms, which I can understand, but how does Naomi fall for that? Grumpy has charm and the whole mysterious thing. Finn was not that, at least for me.
Finn + relationship development:
Discussing Finn's attitudes leads me right into their relationship development...which I believe is quite unfinished, though a good foundation. I could do with Finn learning more and more how to communicate with Naomi. For example, her telling him he's behaving like an asshole and him learning and correcting his speech with her and other people instead of him behaving like an asshole again and again. I understand that sexual attraction, lust and crushes aren't really bound to time so I always excuse that but at least in a book, allow the romantic attraction to take time and action and words.

I'm just baffled at how quickly they're talking about connection and like and all these things; when frankly, there was nothing in their interactions except lust, and even that wasn't convincing me sorry. Their converstations are stoic because Finn still has trouble communicating and Naomi thinks he doesn't like her, and it doesn't really develop beyond that until they all of a sudden really like each other. There is one example of an act of service but that's it for any indications of care. I can kind of understand Finn feeling a connection to Naomi because of the whole Mid thing and the old messages but Naomi just sounds like she likes men who she doesn't think like her.

All these complaints make it sound like I don't like them but I actually do so I wanted moreee. More cute moments. More vulnerable moments BEFORE they realise they have romantic feelings.
Organisations of storylines:
There is a b-plot that I actually was interested in but I would've preferred it happening alongside the main romance so that it added time and substance to the story 'cause honestly it felt like only a week passed and I don't actually know how much time went by. That loss of time translation really hinders the romance for me as well.
Inconsistencies:

He remembers things about his friends sometimes and doesn't remember things other times. I assume that's how amensia sometimes works but his case is explained as if he remembers very little and won't for a long while so him remembering some things or referencing some aspects of ther personality ends up sounding like the author forgot he is amnesiac, which I doubt is the case.

I give all that criticism to end with something I absolutely LOVED. I loved their indifference and resentment for their parents. And I loved that neither parties encouraged the other to view their parents better. I feel like I see it so often in romances when even though a partner may claim "it is okay to not be on the best terms with your parents", they still encourage a better one or doing certain things to improve it and I am honestly just tired. I am thankful they could just exist with the complex relationships. And I got my representation too lmao.

ANYWAYS, I did actually like this as seen by my very close to 4 star rating. I was disappointed because I liked it so much but it was limited by itself.

Content Warnings

caitlinemccann's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny 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

3.0

Content Warnings

gabi_w21's review

Go to review page

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

mx_virg's review

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

More...