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amy_in_the_city's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
This was a sweet romance with a good mix of humor, sadness, and a ghost mystery. Sam reminded me a lot of The Doctor from Doctor Who. I loved that he was a golden retriever type who was totally smitten with Alva right from the start and really loved that he was persistent without being pushy or disrespecting Alva's boundaries.
Alva was also a great character. I felt for her struggle to forge her own path and establish a life for herself after a terrible marriage. She was also very witty, and her banter with Sam was top-notch. I enjoyed watching how they bothgot their revenge on Alva's awful parents and that Sam listened to Alva's wishes on how to proceed instead of charging in and doing things his way.
The side characters were interesting too. I loved the Moore family and will definitely be checking out the author's other books which feature them. I don't see a book yet for Henry, but I hope one is in the works because he was really great and I'd love to learn more about his mysterious tragic backstory.
The only thing that knocks off half a star from my rating is that the book had some odd pacing. The first 20% of the book is mostly spent following Sam as he does research. There were long sections entirely focused on the relationship alternating with long sections entirely focused on the ghost investigation. I thought the two storylines could have been mixed in together a bit more.
Alva was also a great character. I felt for her struggle to forge her own path and establish a life for herself after a terrible marriage. She was also very witty, and her banter with Sam was top-notch. I enjoyed watching how they both
The side characters were interesting too. I loved the Moore family and will definitely be checking out the author's other books which feature them. I don't see a book yet for Henry, but I hope one is in the works because he was really great and I'd love to learn more about his mysterious tragic backstory.
The only thing that knocks off half a star from my rating is that the book had some odd pacing. The first 20% of the book is mostly spent following Sam as he does research. There were long sections entirely focused on the relationship alternating with long sections entirely focused on the ghost investigation. I thought the two storylines could have been mixed in together a bit more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Mental illness, Sexism, Confinement, and Infidelity
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Murder
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