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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
eloiseatthelibrary's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
This book made me cry multiple times, but was a beautiful story - looking forward to the next one in the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
sage_potter's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have to gush over this book, it’s one of my favorite reads so far this year and definitely a new favorite. The author handled the topics of grief, miscarriage, divorce, coparenting, and therapy so beautifully. The journey Josiah and Yasmen take individually with their mental health and how they encourage their children to as well was everything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Child death, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
othersimmons's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This one was tough for me to rate. It's not my usual genre, so I'm trying to be generous with the rating.
I enjoyed the storyline, but it's difficult to consider this romance when there was so much sadness. Not that there isn't sadness in romantic relationships, but if I'm going to branch out for a romance book I would prefer not to be crying through most of it. I do give the author credit for shining a positive light on therapy.
At times the writing was poignant, then a few pages later it would be so simple and repetitive I had to check it was the same book. I'm paraphrasing, but things like using "her smile faded" and "her smile waned" in the same paragraph. Could we not make an original sentence?
The editing (of this particular edition from BOTM) was also seriously lacking. It was hard to focus on the story at times with inconsistent spelling of names. The daughter was "Deja" and also "Dejah". Aunt Byrd was misspelled as "Bryd" countless times. It honestly made me want to stop reading multiple times because it was so distracting.
Basically, if you want to read a book about loss and divorce with a few gratuitous sex scenes, this may be for you.
I enjoyed the storyline, but it's difficult to consider this romance when there was so much sadness. Not that there isn't sadness in romantic relationships, but if I'm going to branch out for a romance book I would prefer not to be crying through most of it. I do give the author credit for shining a positive light on therapy.
At times the writing was poignant, then a few pages later it would be so simple and repetitive I had to check it was the same book. I'm paraphrasing, but things like using "her smile faded" and "her smile waned" in the same paragraph. Could we not make an original sentence?
The editing (of this particular edition from BOTM) was also seriously lacking. It was hard to focus on the story at times with inconsistent spelling of names. The daughter was "Deja" and also "Dejah". Aunt Byrd was misspelled as "Bryd" countless times. It honestly made me want to stop reading multiple times because it was so distracting.
Basically, if you want to read a book about loss and divorce with a few gratuitous sex scenes, this may be for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Grief
Minor: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
victoriapi909's review against another edition
Nothing wrong with this book, but only a few chapters in and it was very sad. It’s beautifully written though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Miscarriage
hellarachel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Miscarriage and Death
alliross2017's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Mental illness, Death, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Stillbirth, pregnancy loss due to traumatic eventbertydee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book is beautifully written. I felt entangled with their lives and grief while they were experiencing it. The open dialogue about depression and how it feels trying to navigate it while just trying to survive resonates on a personal level. It is an amazing book that I will gladly read / listen to again. Be sure to check trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
balletbookworm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
Y'all won't let me give more than 5 stars....
Kennedy. Ryan. You know what you did. Ripped my heart out multiple times.
Kennedy. Ryan. You know what you did. Ripped my heart out multiple times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Grief, and Death
I tagged "miscarriage" but that's really not quite correct, since Yasmeen is ~36 weeks pregnant, however there weren't any other options. Aspects of her pregnancy loss/stillbirth are on the page.asialoren's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book… I finished in early February and still find myself thinking about it. First, I admire how Kennedy Ryan wrote our main characters, Yasmen and Josiah. These are two successful, positive black characters. This is the first time I am reading a book with black characters who do not have baby-mama/daddy drama, no drug use or selling of drugs, no hood story, etc. (or maybe I need to work on my selection of black stories) but this was a book featuring a black woman and black man, divorced after suffering some traumatic events, peacefully working together by coparenting their children and leading a successful business. I really admire these characters. I also liked the take on mental health and discussing the stigma of black people seeking therapy and encouraging their children to do the same. I was taking notes from Yasmen’s therapy sessions!
Romance: I was ready for these two to get back together. Like all the supporting characters, I knew they were still in love with each other… just waiting for them to finally see it and act on it! There is spice. (I can't speak to it because I usually just skip through those parts). I felt somewhat bad for Vashti and Mark (who never stood a chance) because even Vashti could tell they are soul mates.
I highly, highly recommend this book! I plan to read it again in the future and am looking forward to receiving This Could Be Us tomorrow! Hope it’s just as good!
Romance: I was ready for these two to get back together. Like all the supporting characters, I knew they were still in love with each other… just waiting for them to finally see it and act on it! There is spice. (I can't speak to it because I usually just skip through those parts). I felt somewhat bad for Vashti and Mark (who never stood a chance) because even Vashti could tell they are soul mates.
I highly, highly recommend this book! I plan to read it again in the future and am looking forward to receiving This Could Be Us tomorrow! Hope it’s just as good!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death, and Child death