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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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⭐️
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love Talia’s books and this one was sooooo good. It had a grumpy/sunshine vibe but the heroine was grumpy and the hero was the sunshine. I haven’t read many books where it’s the heroine who is grumpy so I really liked this for a change.
Evan recently moved to Ravenswood and ends up being next door neighbours with Ruth. He doesn’t realise his neighbour is a young woman and so he made a shepherd’s pie thinking he was going to introduce himself to an old man neighbour. From this encounter, Evan starts to make dinner for Ruth every night and they start up a really cute friendship, all while crushing on each other.
This was such a cute book and Evan is the man of my dreams. He was so kind and respectful of Ruth’s boundaries that it just made me love him even more. I also love Ruth and her I don’t give a crap attitude. She’s the best.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love Talia’s books and this one was sooooo good. It had a grumpy/sunshine vibe but the heroine was grumpy and the hero was the sunshine. I haven’t read many books where it’s the heroine who is grumpy so I really liked this for a change.
Evan recently moved to Ravenswood and ends up being next door neighbours with Ruth. He doesn’t realise his neighbour is a young woman and so he made a shepherd’s pie thinking he was going to introduce himself to an old man neighbour. From this encounter, Evan starts to make dinner for Ruth every night and they start up a really cute friendship, all while crushing on each other.
This was such a cute book and Evan is the man of my dreams. He was so kind and respectful of Ruth’s boundaries that it just made me love him even more. I also love Ruth and her I don’t give a crap attitude. She’s the best.
”Fanfic is good for my heart. Running is a disaster waiting to happen, and you know it.”
Talia Hibbert, A Girl Like Her
A reclusive in the small town Ravenswood, Ruth Kabbah gets a new neighbor. When Evan Miller comes into town, he notices that the town favorite Daniel Burne is a nuisance and has to introduce himself to his new neighbor.
One great thing about this book is the small town tension. The moment Evan meets Ruth, there is already a mention of Ruth’s reputation. Throughout the book, the reader, along with Evan, is being fed little pieces of Ruth’s past. As Ruth stops punishing herself and begins leaving her house, different residents' reactions result in the reader trying to piece together Ruth’s past.
As the friendship between the two exposes Evan’s enduring quality, Evan’s patience with Ruth. Since Ruth is autistic, some of her actions appear standoffish or rude. Instead, Evan is a ball full of happiness and isn’t phased by Ruth’s awkwardness or that she wears pajamas all day.
The reason the book isn’t a five-star for me is the fact that Daniel Burne isn’t held accountable. Without spoiling the book, Daniel is one of the most horrible people in Ravenswood. The way people just allowed him to ruin people’s lives is so infuriating.
I recommend this if you like books set in small towns.
Talia Hibbert, A Girl Like Her
A reclusive in the small town Ravenswood, Ruth Kabbah gets a new neighbor. When Evan Miller comes into town, he notices that the town favorite Daniel Burne is a nuisance and has to introduce himself to his new neighbor.
One great thing about this book is the small town tension. The moment Evan meets Ruth, there is already a mention of Ruth’s reputation. Throughout the book, the reader, along with Evan, is being fed little pieces of Ruth’s past. As Ruth stops punishing herself and begins leaving her house, different residents' reactions result in the reader trying to piece together Ruth’s past.
As the friendship between the two exposes Evan’s enduring quality, Evan’s patience with Ruth. Since Ruth is autistic, some of her actions appear standoffish or rude. Instead, Evan is a ball full of happiness and isn’t phased by Ruth’s awkwardness or that she wears pajamas all day.
The reason the book isn’t a five-star for me is the fact that Daniel Burne isn’t held accountable. Without spoiling the book, Daniel is one of the most horrible people in Ravenswood. The way people just allowed him to ruin people’s lives is so infuriating.
I recommend this if you like books set in small towns.
This took a bit to pick up for me, but as always I devoured this book up. I love how well Talia Hibbert writes such interesting characters, with a black and autistic MC!!!! also am living for the flip on the grumpy sunshine trope... Love me a loveable and caring Male lead, Even was such a delight and so perfect for Ruths contrasting personality.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
This book was so sweet like many of Talia Hibbert's are. We have a sassy, comic book loving heroine in Ruth and a sweet, cinnamon roll of a man in Evan. Hibbert does an excellent job of writing diverse, neurodivergent characters and gives them story lines as the love interest and not focused solely on their diagnosis. I loved the way Ruth and Evan interacted with each other and the fact that Evan had to wear her down by plying her with delicious dinners and conversations about the MCU. After being torn down by a man and kept hidden away like a shameful secret for years, Ruth is unapologetically herself and Evan relishes in that fact. While he is protective of Ruth (like making sure she doesn't set anyone's kitchen on fire), he lets her fight her own battles while being a constant pillar of support. This duo was so cute together and I can't wait to read more about the rest of the Ravenswood crew.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The problem with a three-star read is that it's genuinely hard to figure out what to say about it. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it - it was fine. But I don't see this being particularly memorable, nor do I think I would go back and read it again.
I think part of the problem with this book specifically is that the pacing felt off? Or, like, the conflict wasn't built up and payed off in a way that felt satisfying - which is a shame, because that was generally pretty strong through the Brown Sisters series. The conflict was there, and I could see how it mattered to the characters, but it wasn't built out enough while simultaneously somehow seeming to get resolved too easily.
Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read, but certainly not my favourite work by this author.
I think part of the problem with this book specifically is that the pacing felt off? Or, like, the conflict wasn't built up and payed off in a way that felt satisfying - which is a shame, because that was generally pretty strong through the Brown Sisters series. The conflict was there, and I could see how it mattered to the characters, but it wasn't built out enough while simultaneously somehow seeming to get resolved too easily.
Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read, but certainly not my favourite work by this author.
funny
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