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spicycronereads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
WARNING: This book will definitely make you feel things! The narrative centers on Yasmen and Josiah, two years post-divorce as they try to navigate co-parenting and moving on with their lives. They are both still dealing with the trauma of the divorce and the circumstances that led to it (be sure to check content warnings!).
The weight of their grief is so heavy at times, I wasn’t sure I could continue reading. Now, if you are a well-adjusted person who has their head on straight, this probably won’t affect you. But I am going through some things, and so I found it a little harder to bear. I cried a lot while reading this. But I also laughed. And I swooned. And I squirmed in my seat. It unexpectedly had one of my favorite tropes, done with a twist. 💕🥵
Both MCs are smart and likable. They demonstrate strength in different ways. The family dynamics feel familiar yet unique to them. The secondary characters of Soledad and Hendrix are the most well developed - I suspect they will be the subject of subsequent books.
The spice in this one - it is a slow burn. But you burn right alongside them. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
The MCs are affluent Black business owners, and the community that surrounds them in the Atlanta suburbs is quite diverse - lots of BIPOC characters, and a queer couple next door. I feel like Hendrix could be bi, but that may just be my wishful thinking. 😂 But even without that, there is a fair amount of racial diversity and some queer representation.
About 2/3 of the way into this book, I wasn’t sure I could give it a star rating. It’s so different from what I normally read. And it had my emotions in a chokehold, which made it hard to think about in terms of stars. But with the last third, the character transformations, and just all the feelings the story evoked, I decided it’s a five star read. Just keep your box of tissues nearby!
The weight of their grief is so heavy at times, I wasn’t sure I could continue reading. Now, if you are a well-adjusted person who has their head on straight, this probably won’t affect you. But I am going through some things, and so I found it a little harder to bear. I cried a lot while reading this. But I also laughed. And I swooned. And I squirmed in my seat. It unexpectedly had one of my favorite tropes, done with a twist. 💕🥵
Both MCs are smart and likable. They demonstrate strength in different ways. The family dynamics feel familiar yet unique to them. The secondary characters of Soledad and Hendrix are the most well developed - I suspect they will be the subject of subsequent books.
The spice in this one - it is a slow burn. But you burn right alongside them. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
The MCs are affluent Black business owners, and the community that surrounds them in the Atlanta suburbs is quite diverse - lots of BIPOC characters, and a queer couple next door. I feel like Hendrix could be bi, but that may just be my wishful thinking. 😂 But even without that, there is a fair amount of racial diversity and some queer representation.
About 2/3 of the way into this book, I wasn’t sure I could give it a star rating. It’s so different from what I normally read. And it had my emotions in a chokehold, which made it hard to think about in terms of stars. But with the last third, the character transformations, and just all the feelings the story evoked, I decided it’s a five star read. Just keep your box of tissues nearby!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Child death, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident
Pregnancy loss; depression;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.bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Grief, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Car accident
laurenkimoto's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.75
I am not okay this book has caused emotional damage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Death, Infertility, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Grief
bookishjae's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
krissareads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Mental illness
catbrainerd's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
Respectful and realistic portrayal of grief and depression
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Mental illness
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, and Medical content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Death of parent, and Dementia
katiejohns's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Car accident, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Dementia
jenguerrero's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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: Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Grief, Infertility, and Death of parent
louisekf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.25
Does love conquer all? In this beautiful story, Yasmen and Josiah are divorced, having once promised to love each other “until the wheels fall off.” Two family tragedies affected each of them in a very different way, and they fell apart. With Yasmen in a deep depression, she asked for the divorce, and Josiah had to learn to deal with that. The fact that they run a business together (a restaurant) and have two children keeps them in close contact. A couple of years later, it is clear that they have not gotten over each other. Yasmen is getting back on her feet and wants to see if they can rekindle what they had.
This is not a light read, but a powerful examination of a marriage. While Yasmen has faced her feelings, Josiah has repressed them. I loved how the author focused on psychology/therapy as a positive force. The story is told from both perspectives, with some chapters narrated by Yasmen and others by Josiah. There were some great side characters, including Yasmen’s two friends: Hendrix and Soledad, and young teen Deja.
Warning: graphic depiction of pregnancy and miscarriage/stillbirth; lots of curse words (for those who don’t like that sort of language in books); graphic open door “spice.”
I was surprised to find some recipes at the end of the book, as I’ve usually only seen those in culinary cozy mystery books They sound delicious!
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was very late to it. With the next book in the series coming out shortly, I guess I had the incentive to finally read this one! I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Wesleigh Siobhan and Jakobi Diem. All opinions are my own.
This is not a light read, but a powerful examination of a marriage. While Yasmen has faced her feelings, Josiah has repressed them. I loved how the author focused on psychology/therapy as a positive force. The story is told from both perspectives, with some chapters narrated by Yasmen and others by Josiah. There were some great side characters, including Yasmen’s two friends: Hendrix and Soledad, and young teen Deja.
Warning: graphic depiction of pregnancy and miscarriage/stillbirth; lots of curse words (for those who don’t like that sort of language in books); graphic open door “spice.”
I was surprised to find some recipes at the end of the book, as I’ve usually only seen those in culinary cozy mystery books They sound delicious!
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was very late to it. With the next book in the series coming out shortly, I guess I had the incentive to finally read this one! I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Wesleigh Siobhan and Jakobi Diem. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts