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itsaemily's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction and Religious bigotry
babblingsofabibliophile's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Another day, another book keeping me up until 2 am reading. But, I had to stay up and see what happened because I was so invested in Benji and Liv’s story!
Benji and Liv met in high school in their small town in Michigan, and it was the usual young love story. The only difference was that Benji was destined to be a star hockey player, and he had to leave town during his relationship with Liv to go make his way in the hockey world. As much as it hurt Liv to say goodbye, she knew she couldn’t hold Benji back from his dreams, so she made sure to encourage him to go…even if she had a big secret she was keeping from him. 🤫 She kept her secret, though, because she knew that Benji would never achieve his dreams if he stayed in their small town, so she couldn’t give him any reason to hold himself back. So, Benji goes off to live his dreams and Liv stays in her small town but never forgets her first love. Eventually, Benji has to go back home to teach a hockey clinic for the kids around town and is surprised to find a kid who’s a natural on the ice just like he was at that age. When he goes to meet the kid after the clinic, he finds out that Knox is his ex-flame Liv Mason’s son. And when he looks into Knox’s eyes, he suddenly realizes the secret that Liv has been keeping all these years: Knox is his son, too. Benji, who was abandoned as a kid himself, is upset at Liv for keeping his son from him. Liv explains that she kept Knox a secret because she knew Benji would never leave their small town if he’d known, and she couldn’t hold him back like that. Benji asks to spend the summer getting to know his son, and while Liv agrees, she doesn’t want Knox to know right away because she doesn’t want to hurt him. So, Benji, Liv, and Knox spend the summer together, and Benji gets to know his son while he and Liv get to know each other again as adults.
I have to be honest, I was mad at Benji at first for the way he acted toward Liv when he found out about Knox, but I also understood his anger because of his childhood trauma. But, I also understood why Liv kept the secret; she knew that their small town was filled with a lot of judgment and she wanted to protect Benji from that while also making sure that he chased his dreams. It took Benji a while to understand that, but he was able to work through it so that he could be there for Knox.
Once Benji and Liv gave in to their attraction again, things got explosive! Benji had a lot more experience than Liv (she is a preacher's daughter, after all) but he was happy to help Liv discover herself both in and out of the bedroom. Benji was definitely dominant in the bedroom and had a filthy mouth and I was absolutely here for both! 🥵 It took Liv a little time to get used to it, but eventually, she was into it, too. Benji was also always telling Liv how beautiful she was and wouldn't hear of her degrading herself. Liv was made fun of a lot in high school so it was hard for her to accept herself, but Benji was always there to make sure she knew he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him, and that was all that mattered.
One thing I loved a lot about this story was how quickly and easily the girl gang accepted Liv into the fold. Liv was not used to having girl friends since girls had only ever been mean to her, so she was a little hesitant at first. But, the girls didn't back down and made sure that Liv felt loved and accepted in their group. They made sure that Knox felt accepted into their lives as well! The found family vibes were there hard in this story and it was one of my favorite things about the story for sure!
Benji showed a lot of character growth during this story. He starts as a sweet small-town boy who just wants to make it big in hockey, then he turns into a cocky playboy by the time he returns home, but as soon as he finds out about Knox he turns into a man dedicated to the happiness of his son. He also loses his playboy ways when he realizes that he never stopped caring about Liv and that he wants to try and get her back and make things work as a true family, something he’s never had before. It was so amazing watching Benji go from a man who never wanted kids to a kickass dad! He was the biggest simp for Knox and it was so adorable! Benji also learned that his childhood trauma had affected him significantly more than he was willing to admit and that he needed to help himself be a better man for his son and the woman he loves. Liv was always mature during this story and always understanding of Benji and his anger; she understood that his anger was coming from his trauma and she was able to be calm and communicate with him like an adult. She was also an amazing mom and loved her son more than anything in the world! As for Knox, he was the sweetest kid ever and I loved watching him get to know Benji throughout the story. This story was unexpectedly amazing because you just wouldn’t expect this out of the Benji we’ve met before, so seeing him grow during his story made it all the more amazing. I loved this book so freaking much and I can’t wait to see what Braxton gets up to in his story next!
Quotes I Loved:
"We weren't exactly what you'd call a perfect pair, but somehow, we fit." -Liv
"I'm going to destroy this perfect body and enjoy every moment of putting it back together." -Benji
"...the difference was that none of those women had been her. They hadn't been my first love, my only love. They'd merely been placeholders, keeping me company until I found my way back to her. I just hadn't realized it at the time." -Benji
"I was fully prepared to fight for my family." -Benji
"My heart began to hope for more. More of Benji, more of us becoming a family." -Liv
"Liv had supported me silently all these years, and I would spend the rest of my life showing her how grateful I was that she believed in me. She was the only person to ever love me when I wasn't sure I was worthy of such an emotion." -Benji
"That's exactly what Liv was--an angel sent to save my soul. I wasn't worthy, but she'd still chosen me. I would never take that for granted again." -Benji
"Life with Benji was shaping up to be unpredictable and wild. I guess it was time to buckle up for the ride." -Liv
"No one makes me feel the way you do, pretty girl. You're not just under my skin. You're a part of my very soul." -Benji
Thank you, Siena, for providing me with an ARC!
Benji and Liv met in high school in their small town in Michigan, and it was the usual young love story. The only difference was that Benji was destined to be a star hockey player, and he had to leave town during his relationship with Liv to go make his way in the hockey world. As much as it hurt Liv to say goodbye, she knew she couldn’t hold Benji back from his dreams, so she made sure to encourage him to go…even if she had a big secret she was keeping from him. 🤫 She kept her secret, though, because she knew that Benji would never achieve his dreams if he stayed in their small town, so she couldn’t give him any reason to hold himself back. So, Benji goes off to live his dreams and Liv stays in her small town but never forgets her first love. Eventually, Benji has to go back home to teach a hockey clinic for the kids around town and is surprised to find a kid who’s a natural on the ice just like he was at that age. When he goes to meet the kid after the clinic, he finds out that Knox is his ex-flame Liv Mason’s son. And when he looks into Knox’s eyes, he suddenly realizes the secret that Liv has been keeping all these years: Knox is his son, too. Benji, who was abandoned as a kid himself, is upset at Liv for keeping his son from him. Liv explains that she kept Knox a secret because she knew Benji would never leave their small town if he’d known, and she couldn’t hold him back like that. Benji asks to spend the summer getting to know his son, and while Liv agrees, she doesn’t want Knox to know right away because she doesn’t want to hurt him. So, Benji, Liv, and Knox spend the summer together, and Benji gets to know his son while he and Liv get to know each other again as adults.
I have to be honest, I was mad at Benji at first for the way he acted toward Liv when he found out about Knox, but I also understood his anger because of his childhood trauma. But, I also understood why Liv kept the secret; she knew that their small town was filled with a lot of judgment and she wanted to protect Benji from that while also making sure that he chased his dreams. It took Benji a while to understand that, but he was able to work through it so that he could be there for Knox.
Once Benji and Liv gave in to their attraction again, things got explosive! Benji had a lot more experience than Liv (she is a preacher's daughter, after all) but he was happy to help Liv discover herself both in and out of the bedroom. Benji was definitely dominant in the bedroom and had a filthy mouth and I was absolutely here for both! 🥵 It took Liv a little time to get used to it, but eventually, she was into it, too. Benji was also always telling Liv how beautiful she was and wouldn't hear of her degrading herself. Liv was made fun of a lot in high school so it was hard for her to accept herself, but Benji was always there to make sure she knew he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him, and that was all that mattered.
One thing I loved a lot about this story was how quickly and easily the girl gang accepted Liv into the fold. Liv was not used to having girl friends since girls had only ever been mean to her, so she was a little hesitant at first. But, the girls didn't back down and made sure that Liv felt loved and accepted in their group. They made sure that Knox felt accepted into their lives as well! The found family vibes were there hard in this story and it was one of my favorite things about the story for sure!
Benji showed a lot of character growth during this story. He starts as a sweet small-town boy who just wants to make it big in hockey, then he turns into a cocky playboy by the time he returns home, but as soon as he finds out about Knox he turns into a man dedicated to the happiness of his son. He also loses his playboy ways when he realizes that he never stopped caring about Liv and that he wants to try and get her back and make things work as a true family, something he’s never had before. It was so amazing watching Benji go from a man who never wanted kids to a kickass dad! He was the biggest simp for Knox and it was so adorable! Benji also learned that his childhood trauma had affected him significantly more than he was willing to admit and that he needed to help himself be a better man for his son and the woman he loves. Liv was always mature during this story and always understanding of Benji and his anger; she understood that his anger was coming from his trauma and she was able to be calm and communicate with him like an adult. She was also an amazing mom and loved her son more than anything in the world! As for Knox, he was the sweetest kid ever and I loved watching him get to know Benji throughout the story. This story was unexpectedly amazing because you just wouldn’t expect this out of the Benji we’ve met before, so seeing him grow during his story made it all the more amazing. I loved this book so freaking much and I can’t wait to see what Braxton gets up to in his story next!
Quotes I Loved:
"We weren't exactly what you'd call a perfect pair, but somehow, we fit." -Liv
"I'm going to destroy this perfect body and enjoy every moment of putting it back together." -Benji
"...the difference was that none of those women had been her. They hadn't been my first love, my only love. They'd merely been placeholders, keeping me company until I found my way back to her. I just hadn't realized it at the time." -Benji
"I was fully prepared to fight for my family." -Benji
"My heart began to hope for more. More of Benji, more of us becoming a family." -Liv
"Liv had supported me silently all these years, and I would spend the rest of my life showing her how grateful I was that she believed in me. She was the only person to ever love me when I wasn't sure I was worthy of such an emotion." -Benji
"That's exactly what Liv was--an angel sent to save my soul. I wasn't worthy, but she'd still chosen me. I would never take that for granted again." -Benji
"Life with Benji was shaping up to be unpredictable and wild. I guess it was time to buckle up for the ride." -Liv
"No one makes me feel the way you do, pretty girl. You're not just under my skin. You're a part of my very soul." -Benji
Thank you, Siena, for providing me with an ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Abandonment, and Child abuse
Moderate: Mental illness and Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction
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