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livslibraryy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Transphobia, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
kleinerdiktator's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Death of parent, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Violence, Car accident, Addiction, Physical abuse, Body shaming, and Bullying
Ben emotionally manipulates Fallon several times without it being acknowledged in the book and instead rewards him for this behavior.chelle22's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Vomit, Body shaming, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Bullying, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Grief
fluture's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Cancer, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Death, Sexual content, Abandonment, Hate crime, and Misogyny
Minor: Cursing, Gun violence, Violence, Alcohol, Bullying, Blood, Stalking, Car accident, Dysphoria, and Sexual harassment
james1star's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The plot is we follow Fallon and Ben with dual POVs after they meet on the anniversary of a house fire that left Fallon with considerable scarring when Ben pretends to be her boyfriend to stick up for her after her dad is being an a**hole (for lack of a better word). She’s going to move to NYC to get back into acting that night and he’s an aspiring author so come up with the idea to meet every year for five years on the same day with no contact whatsoever. As the blurb hints at, there’s something Ben’s keeping from Fallon in the book he’s writing but that’s all I’ll say.
I have quite a few thoughts so will try out a bullet point review for a change. I’ll start with what I liked:
- The writing and pacing is very bingeable, it’s quite hard to put down at times as it’s just a very easy read - BUT I do feel like there isn’t much thinking or analysis present, personally it felt like reading for the sake of reading with me not really getting all that much out of it.
- The concept was intriguing, meeting up once a year with that being the only contact - great idea but not executed the best.
- The last 30% was the most interesting I found, the piecing together of things, plot twists and the like.
- I guess some of the romance and relationship was cute.
What I disliked:
- The MCs were rather unbelievable and although I did feel for them at points, Fallon was rather overdramatic and Ben had a somewhat controlling ‘saviour’ complex I didn’t really like. They’re also a bit annoying so yhh, I couldn’t really bring myself to be that connected to them or the story.
- Ben in some ways fetishises Fallon’s scars which was just ehh - he makes her feel confident and beautiful in her body which was good but there’s an unnerving quality to it as well.
- Following on, I found quite a lot of Ben’s actions to be controlling too - he’s acting with good intentions kind of and it’s nothing too extreme but I was quite uncomfortable.
- Furthermore, the way Ben internally thinks is rather ‘urgh’-ey like staring at her boobs, wishing she was wearing less and obsessing over her panties - just I couldn’t eww straight men lol (I’m not heterophobic btw just don’t push it in my face).
- Quite a lot of what’s said and thought about is very cringy, I actually LOL’d multiple times not because of humour/wit but embarrassment with many an eye roll moment. Nothing bad but I don’t think it’s what Hoover was going for, it’s a romance/drama not comedy.
- Quick fire round: makes a remark about Fallon being ‘obsessive compulsive’ about hygiene where the link to a real condition could’ve been omitted, argues Ben isn’t gay because of how he’s dressed/looks peddling to this stereotype - it’s nothing major and I (as a gay man) wasn’t personally offended but still I guess such a remark wasn’t necessary especially given the books only 8 years old, and lastly a character using their term ‘spaz’ with no criticism.
- There’s a ‘subplot’ (?? Maybe I dunno) which takes place which I was rather side-eyed-irked by that really was unnecessary - wish we got more of the latter quarter instead.
- A lot of unbelievable/realistic plot points - I get it’s fiction so it’s not a major criticism but it’s my review sooo - were just not to my liking. Especially in how they come up with these crappy excuses not to be together like ehh whatever.
- They both don’t like insta-love in books but that’s literally what they have so yhh…
- I thought there was going to be more of story-within-the-story element and unraveling of the real truth but was unimpressed.
- SPOILER dislike: So Fallon is clearly drunk and he shows up touching her and things in a sexual way, she’s enjoying it sort of but like it’s just no… not for me
- SPOILER dislike: At the end Fallon blames herself for them not speaking the last year and is all like ‘you’ve nothing to be forgiven, it’s me that’s sorry’ when like NO she wasn’t at all, she finds out the guy she’s trusted and been falling in love with for 4 years was responsible for the fire that could’ve cost her her life and it’s totally normal to leave so agh I just hated how she blamed herself.
I probably have more to discuss but this is all for now. The books okay and I guess I enjoyed reading it because it was so easy to read but there were definitely more cons then pros. I will give CoHo another try.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Grief
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Ableism
ninahuynh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Suicide, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Cancer, Car accident, and Pregnancy
eimmi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Death, Bullying, Cancer, Alcohol, and Grief
banana_milkshake's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
🔥🏠
Oopsies
Graphic: Grief, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Suicide, and Blood
Moderate: Cancer, Bullying, and Alcoholism
thatswhatshanread's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
If you’re into Instalove—two characters falling in love at first sight, all consuming love straight out of the gate—then you’ll be immediately pulled in. I guess I found out with November 9 that I don’t really care for that genre of romance. Ben and Fallon’s instant attraction didn’t seem believable to me.
The main thing that pulled my rating down was not something that went away throughout the story as it was literally the character of Ben, the MMC. From the beginning he gave me the ick by the way he talked and interacted with Fallon, without even knowing her. He was too confident and domineering and controlling for my taste, disguised as the “nice guy” who saw past Fallon’s imperfections. DUDE YOU’VE SPENT ONLY A FEW HOURS WITH HER. Idk, the simp behavior jumped out.
The plot had potential and I liked the sections being split up by the same date each year. However, that further drove the nail in the coffin that was my effort to give Ben and Fallon time to grow on me. Instead, with each year passing, I found their “connection” more and more forced and weirdly obsessive.
Hoover’s writing wasn’t bad, she always has great pacing in her novels, in fact. For me, the main relationship in this book just really put me off and the rest of the elements that I liked didn’t make up for it.
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Body shaming, Medical content, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Suicide, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Violence, Cancer, Alcohol, Car accident, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: Stalking and Panic attacks/disorders
klubbgodis's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders