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athenian_frog's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Also another thing this book did that I don’t see very much: Dev seems very considerate of Charlie’s physical boundaries, and he asks permission a lot when it comes to contact. He also makes an effort to clean his hands/be extra sanitary around Charlie bc he’s aware it sth that bothers him. The affectionate little touches and the sleeping in the same bed without it necessarily being sexual, just intimate…I ADORED this aspect of their relationship.
The dates were also very personalized to each character, and focused on them opening up, which I thought was really cool. That sounds like a “duh” kind of thing to have in a romance but I can’t recall the last time I kicked my feet up for a single date like that…
Another plus: Diverse cast in general, but also the women who were in the show were pretty solid. I really liked watching their dynamic and I wish I saw more of them TBH.
I think the main things that bugged me were:
- the amount of vomiting/mentions of vomiting that happened (it gets better in the latter half but the start feels p noticeable).
- Maureen felt a little flat and kind of like an obvious evil figure 😭 wanted a little more depth to her.
- I wanted some more out of Dev and Charlie’s families, they felt pretty glued to the background of everything.
NOTE: if you’re looking for something steamy and explicit, this doesn’t have a lot in that department. There’s plenty of kissing and making out but the sex is fairly vague. I didn’t really care kissing and cuddling is my shit but just as a heads up!!
Even with these issues in mind I still had a blast reading this. Kudos to Ms. Cocheron!
Graphic: Vomit
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Child abuse
Some mentions of biphobia and homophobia from one of the lead producers. This is not at all supported, it is actively condemned by the story and its characters. Several descriptions/mentions of dry heaving or vomiting. One of the main characters suffers from an anxiety disorder and OCD. There are (what I personally found to be) respectful discussions about living with these conditions. One of the main characters has a form of depression. There are discussions around this topic (that also seemed respectful)mattyb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Biphobia, Homophobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Vomit
cozy_tea_reader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexism, Vomit, Homophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Misogyny, Child abuse, Racism, and Ableism
Minor: Eating disorder and Sexual assault
The book heavily discusses the mental health of its main characters and while I agree this should be de-stigmatised I don’t think this was a good representation of mental health problems particularly OCD.kuroshiro_35's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
lqvekanej's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Biphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Child abuse, Ableism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcohol
therubyjailcell'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
5.0
i connected to charlie, and his mindset, and his perception of things, and how he spoke, behaved, so much. his anxiety, his clumsiness, his perception of himself and the world, his identity. i related to dev a lot too, his depression, his brain.
i felt seen, a lot, throughout the book. and at the same time, it was in such a wildly different setting than anything ive ever been through, it was so surprising to connect that much to something, yk what i mean?
it’s amazing, and i wouldve read it so much faster if work had allowed me that, because it was just so captivating, seeing them grow together, and evolve, and get better and worse and better again. but at the same time, i think it wouldve destroyed me to read it in one sitting the first time. it made me cry, so hard, over and over again, and i dont think there wouldve been enough tears if i had read and discovered it all at once.
imma need to reread it before i can actually formulate opinions and thoughts that sound coherent, but i can already say that i am obsessed and that i will read it a lot again and again as we go.
the writing style really really worked for me, as well, and i loved being able to follow both povs without it being too repetitive and thus actually following the story alongside them switching povs rather than seeing both on each little scenes. it was amazing.
and little shoutout to my sunshine for recommending this book, it was the best thing ever, and i adore you, and i love that you made me so hyped about this book bc it was exactly as hyped as i should’ve been, it was so good.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse
shoohoob's review against another edition
- 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
I always cry at aspec rep, no matter what it’s in. Getting to see a part of me in a book like this is indescribable.
The discussions of mental health in this book were so unexpected but so welcome! I loved seeing both sides of the coin with Dev and how it had affected his relationship with Ryan. I also love seeing the care and understanding with Charlie and Dev :’)
Love love love this book and I can’t wait to read Alison Cochrun’s other book!
Graphic: Cursing, Biphobia, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual content
Minor: Religious bigotry
cateemma's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia, Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Ableism, Alcohol, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcoholism and Addiction
Minor: Bullying and Child abuse
headachesince03's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Biphobia, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcoholism, Classism, Racism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Cursing, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
williamgideon's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
The last third of the book felt like it dragged on tbh, a lot of the conflict felt forced, but other than that it was a really fun read.
Moderate: Biphobia, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, and Child abuse