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rachelditty's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Read this after Hannah (A Clockwork Reader) raved about it in one of her reviews. In all honesty, I was really hoping this was going to be a 5-star read for me, but the second half kind of dipped in holding my interest at times.
Maybe it was because I knew as a reader that these two characters would end up together since this is a romance novel, but a lot of times I felt that Charlie and Dev's arguments kind of came out of nowhere, or happened very suddenly. I got a lot of whiplash in the second half because of that.
The first half and the ending though both really had me. It was tropey, their bonding was fun and cute, and seeing everything play out at the end was so great to watch. Especially given both of these characters are very open with the readers and with each other about their mental health, it was nice to see them get the happy ending they wanted.
Some quotes I liked:
"Isn't it wild that his true self is the version of Charlie Winshaw people liked the most?"
Maybe it was because I knew as a reader that these two characters would end up together since this is a romance novel, but a lot of times I felt that Charlie and Dev's arguments kind of came out of nowhere, or happened very suddenly. I got a lot of whiplash in the second half because of that.
The first half and the ending though both really had me. It was tropey, their bonding was fun and cute, and seeing everything play out at the end was so great to watch. Especially given both of these characters are very open with the readers and with each other about their mental health, it was nice to see them get the happy ending they wanted.
Some quotes I liked:
"Isn't it wild that his true self is the version of Charlie Winshaw people liked the most?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, Vomit, and Blood
alouette's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
such a charmingly sappy and also emotionally devastating novel!! it started out with the most lovely romantic comedy vibes and quickly built up into a heartbreakingly honest portrayal of mental illness. it's very clear that love won't solve all the hardships these characters are going through, but the characters (especially Dev and Charlie!) are able to lean on each other for support.
It doesn't need some catastrophic tragedy to turn the chemicals of his brain against him. Tiny tragedies are more than enough.
Dev and Charlie were so adorable within just the first chapter that i was grinning like a fool for most of the novel. the angst made me want to scream, which was an unexpectedly visceral reaction for me and showed just how invested i had gotten in these characters. the audiobook narrators were notably so amazing! every voice crack and "oh, love" and even the correct pronunciation of Dev's name throughout hit me right in the heart.
'Forever is never a guarantee. I don't know if I'm going to love them for the rest of my life, but I know right now, I can't imagine a future where I don't love them. And for me, that's enough.'
overall i'm just so happy that their privilege was acknowledged (including by themselves) but their feelings were never treated like less because of this. choose happy endings, my friends!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Biphobia, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual content
Minor: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
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