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halfass_reviewer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Child death
booksalacarte's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Before I let go 5⭐️ 3🌶️
Second Chance Romance
Divorce
Found family
Therapy
Grief
Ptsd
This was such a beautifully heartbreaking, and at the same time, heartwarming book. The characters were so well flushed out and full. The writing was full of poetic inner monologues and glaringly real dialogue.
It felt like a love letter to therapy and the power that it has.
The character of grief is profound in this book. As someone who has lost in a similar way, not skirting around the grief but instead staring it in the face and explaining it in such a poetic way… it was so cathartic to read grief in such an open way.
I loved this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Alcohol, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Death, and Grief
jg34's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
THIS is. a. Love. story!!! It’s not pretty but it is also is beautiful. Does that make sense? Am I on a weird high after this book? I went on a JOURNEY.
This book deals with grief and loss in a heart breakingly real way. You can feel the pain through the pages (or headphones in my case). We catch this broken family two years after two tragic losses that tore them apart. They are rebuilding themselves and their relationships. They are opening up and putting in work in ways that were too painful before. And we get to watch it all!!
I love and feel for Yaz. After losing two family members back to back she is paralyzed by pain. Life keeps moving without her though and in her grief she makes the decision to end things with Josiah. A decision she bears the guilt for as she sees Josiah trying to move on and unable to trust Yaz anymore.
Josiah hides his pain. He keeps things running and needs Yaz and feels like a failure that he cannot fix her and bring the family back to how it was before. After Yaz gives up on them, his heart is broken and that loss is something he cannot cope with.
We watch them work through this with maturity and grace. It’s messy, kids are involved, friends and family opinions play a role, but can they come out on top????
Clearly this is not a lighthearted romance. Be ready for tears. But it’s worth it.
Final takeaway: everyone needs therapy!!!!
This book deals with grief and loss in a heart breakingly real way. You can feel the pain through the pages (or headphones in my case). We catch this broken family two years after two tragic losses that tore them apart. They are rebuilding themselves and their relationships. They are opening up and putting in work in ways that were too painful before. And we get to watch it all!!
I love and feel for Yaz. After losing two family members back to back she is paralyzed by pain. Life keeps moving without her though and in her grief she makes the decision to end things with Josiah. A decision she bears the guilt for as she sees Josiah trying to move on and unable to trust Yaz anymore.
Josiah hides his pain. He keeps things running and needs Yaz and feels like a failure that he cannot fix her and bring the family back to how it was before. After Yaz gives up on them, his heart is broken and that loss is something he cannot cope with.
We watch them work through this with maturity and grace. It’s messy, kids are involved, friends and family opinions play a role, but can they come out on top????
Clearly this is not a lighthearted romance. Be ready for tears. But it’s worth it.
Final takeaway: everyone needs therapy!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Child death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
whatdebsreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Child death
whiskeywoman79's review against another edition
As a person who lives with depression and has lived parts and pieces of what I was reading the book was too hard for me. I highlighted multiple things in the 1st 24% so the book is beautifully written, the story was just too heavy for me to enjoy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Mental illness
noodlesny's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Grief, Mental illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail
bookdragonkatie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts
sydneyglickman's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
This book is a beautiful story of Yasmen and Josiah who fell in love in college (master's I believe), got married, had kids, and started a restaurant business together. Two years ago, they divorced, and throughout the book, we learn why.
Ryan gracefully navigates loss and grief, and you can tell she cares so much for her characters. Although this is fiction, all of the characters felt so real, something that I oftentimes don't find in your "typical" romance novel (no hate here! I absolutely devour romance books, but this felt next level!) Ryan portrayed every character wonderfully, from their traumas, to their resentments, struggles, and pain.
The reason for the slightly lower rating is actually because, warning controversial, I felt that the explicit scenes between Yasmen and Josiah took away from the stunning story of family reconnection. These scenes were in no way poorly written, and I understand the author's choice to add them. However, I felt it altered the rhythm of the novel (including some of the internal comments sprinkled throughout), and, again, breaking the rhythm.
The Skyland companion series seems to follow Yasmen, Soledad, and Hendrix, three badass women with three completely different personalities and lifes. I can't wait to read "This Could Be Us" about Soledad, as well as Hendrix's story!
Ryan gracefully navigates loss and grief, and you can tell she cares so much for her characters. Although this is fiction, all of the characters felt so real, something that I oftentimes don't find in your "typical" romance novel (no hate here! I absolutely devour romance books, but this felt next level!) Ryan portrayed every character wonderfully, from their traumas, to their resentments, struggles, and pain.
The reason for the slightly lower rating is actually because, warning controversial, I felt that the explicit scenes between Yasmen and Josiah took away from the stunning story of family reconnection. These scenes were in no way poorly written, and I understand the author's choice to add them. However, I felt it altered the rhythm of the novel (including some of the internal comments sprinkled throughout), and, again, breaking the rhythm.
The Skyland companion series seems to follow Yasmen, Soledad, and Hendrix, three badass women with three completely different personalities and lifes. I can't wait to read "This Could Be Us" about Soledad, as well as Hendrix's story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Abortion
Minor: Death and Suicidal thoughts
thisdiwata_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Death, and Sexual content
dwinn5's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.5
I feel like i just got pushed down a flight of stairs… but in a good way? lol
Seriously, I should’ve known what I was getting into here, but somehow I wasn’t prepared with how much emotion this book was going to punch me in the face with. I’m genuinely not sure if I can ever read this book again, not because it isn’t good, but because I’m not sure I can personally handle it twice. It was such a heartbreaking story about two imperfect people in some very tough situations, and even when I wanted to scream at the pages, I felt so much empathy for both of them. I may not be a Colleen Hoover fan in the slightest, but she was not wrong with her little cover blurb. This was, in fact, real, raw, and magnificent.
All that being said, I will DEFINITELY be front of the line to read Soledad’s book when it comes out because our girl deserves a great love story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, and Death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts