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chronicallybrenna's review against another edition
5.0
Rating: 4.5/5⭐️
Tropes: it’s only been you, friends to lovers, fake dating
TW: mentions of depression and anxiety, toxic mother/daughter dynamic, on page vomiting, discussions of infertility, chronic pain and pain management, sexual content
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First I want to say this book has incredibly amazing chronic illness representation- though I don’t have endometriosis myself I related so heavily towards Evie and the her emotions. The romance between Evie and Liam is so cute and I loved the scenes where he’s happy to just take care of her and chill with her during flares.I found the struggle evie goes through in this book of trying to come to terms that she is not a burden and she deserves love and to have a happy relationship and her letting her pain hold her back incredibly relatable. A lot of books with chronic illness representation don’t go into those feelings so it meant a lot to see that in this romance as it’s something I deal with everyday. The reason I rated it 4.5/5 and not 5/5 is solely because I felt the pacing was a little off but everything else was so perfect. I can’t wait for more of Torie’s works to come out ❤️ this is definitely a must read for those with chronic illnesses and perfect for people who want an insight into how we think and our lives.
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josephinecatherinem's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this release by the author in return for my honest opinion and review.
This is an Own Voices review for endometriosis representation.
I was in love at first sight (sight of the dedication and the content warnings).
Over a year ago, I ventured into a university project which was entirely self-inflicted. The unit I was taking focused on disability and inclusivity and the coordinator asked us to create an assignment related to the unit theme. As an avid romance reader and person with disability, I decided to read the good, the bad, and the ugly of disability representation in romance novels.
Most of the ten books I read fell into the ‘bad’ or ‘ugly’ category, leaving me rather pessimistic. Even books I classified as ‘good’ were limited in their representation of my disability experience . I believe many chronic pain sufferers will, like me, relate to the wider chronic pain and disability experience, but ache to feel drawn with detail. Detail that is not simply what we see echoed in pages of our medical history. Endometriosis is nowhere in romance books. I discount those instances wherein endometriosis is used as a throwaway plot point to explain infertility or miscarriage. These cases do not fit my definition of 'representation', as they never explore endo symptoms in a manner representative of most the condition as a whole. The symptoms are simply convenient and a means to justify tragedy by one’s own body.
As a young woman who is in daily pain, Finding Gene Kelly is a lifeline. I was diagnosed with endometriosis when I was 14 years old after years of misdiagnosis. Six years later, I am still learning how to navigate a life shadowed by my pain. In my many years of reading romance, I have needed to omit endometriosis from my character background when imagining myself as a romance heroine. It is another way in which my invisible disability remains invisible. In this case, it is even invisible from my character arc. I want to give my fourteen-year-old self a copy of this book. I want that girl to have known that spending half your high school in hospital does not deem you in any way ‘unlovable’.
This could have easily been an angst-filled romance novel which mirrored the darkness of endometriosis. Torie Jean’s decision to lean against the inherently dark content was an expert one. I admit that I had hesitation when I saw a pink cartoon cover attached to the tag ‘endometriosis representation’. I thought that my condition could never be represented authentically in a romantic comedy, or any romance with ‘soft’ connotations. I never imagined an endometriosis romance could take place in the City of Lights as opposed to my hospital room...of fluorescent lights. I will forever be grateful to Torie Jean for proving me wrong.
Romance comes from your partner noticing the timer on your heat pack so that warmth doesn't leave the invisible bruises lining your skin. Romance is being recognised for your strength when you feel your most fragile. Romance is writhing in pain but being held. Romance is being loved through pain with words and with actions. Romance is knowing that you can safely surrender. Romance is the knowledge that these things does not mean a relationship lacks reciprocity.
For Evie, Liam is her Gene Kelly. This book, however, shows every Endowarrior (and disabled person) that we will find romantic love, and not only through a television or book. We will find our Gene Kelly. A person who we love and who loves us in return.
This book does not only explore romantic relationships, nor chronic pain from a purely romantic lens. It explores how endometriosis bleeds (pun intended) into every part of life.
Moments of celebration are simultaneously moments of pain.
The realities of pacing.
Surrendering to your body.
The anger, the sadness, the isolation, the self-loathing.
The pregnancy announcements.
The fatigue.
The nausea.
The bloating.
The brain fog.
The feeling out of control… constantly.
The relationships with family.
The relationships with friends.
The perseverance.
The constant decisions (if I take this medication now, I can’t do this, but if I don’t take it now etc).
This book could not have been written without Torie Jean's lived experience. You can feel the pain in these pages, but you can also feel the power. No one else can articulate the endometriosis experience like endometriosis sufferers can. In writing this book, Torie Jean has taken her pain and given us her heart. This would have been physically and emotionally draining, and yet I am grateful. I never thought this book would exist. If I did, I thought it would have to be my own.
This book made me cry and I am so glad that they were mostly happy tears. Happy because this book even exists. It hugged me through a flare up and understood. Torie – thank you for showing me my story can exist outside the tragedy genre. I wish I were more eloquent in my gratitude, but I look forward to seeing you grow. Thank you.
This is an Own Voices review for endometriosis representation.
I was in love at first sight (sight of the dedication and the content warnings).
Over a year ago, I ventured into a university project which was entirely self-inflicted. The unit I was taking focused on disability and inclusivity and the coordinator asked us to create an assignment related to the unit theme. As an avid romance reader and person with disability, I decided to read the good, the bad, and the ugly of disability representation in romance novels.
Most of the ten books I read fell into the ‘bad’ or ‘ugly’ category, leaving me rather pessimistic. Even books I classified as ‘good’ were limited in their representation of my disability experience . I believe many chronic pain sufferers will, like me, relate to the wider chronic pain and disability experience, but ache to feel drawn with detail. Detail that is not simply what we see echoed in pages of our medical history. Endometriosis is nowhere in romance books. I discount those instances wherein endometriosis is used as a throwaway plot point to explain infertility or miscarriage. These cases do not fit my definition of 'representation', as they never explore endo symptoms in a manner representative of most the condition as a whole. The symptoms are simply convenient and a means to justify tragedy by one’s own body.
As a young woman who is in daily pain, Finding Gene Kelly is a lifeline. I was diagnosed with endometriosis when I was 14 years old after years of misdiagnosis. Six years later, I am still learning how to navigate a life shadowed by my pain. In my many years of reading romance, I have needed to omit endometriosis from my character background when imagining myself as a romance heroine. It is another way in which my invisible disability remains invisible. In this case, it is even invisible from my character arc. I want to give my fourteen-year-old self a copy of this book. I want that girl to have known that spending half your high school in hospital does not deem you in any way ‘unlovable’.
This could have easily been an angst-filled romance novel which mirrored the darkness of endometriosis. Torie Jean’s decision to lean against the inherently dark content was an expert one. I admit that I had hesitation when I saw a pink cartoon cover attached to the tag ‘endometriosis representation’. I thought that my condition could never be represented authentically in a romantic comedy, or any romance with ‘soft’ connotations. I never imagined an endometriosis romance could take place in the City of Lights as opposed to my hospital room...of fluorescent lights. I will forever be grateful to Torie Jean for proving me wrong.
Romance comes from your partner noticing the timer on your heat pack so that warmth doesn't leave the invisible bruises lining your skin. Romance is being recognised for your strength when you feel your most fragile. Romance is writhing in pain but being held. Romance is being loved through pain with words and with actions. Romance is knowing that you can safely surrender. Romance is the knowledge that these things does not mean a relationship lacks reciprocity.
For Evie, Liam is her Gene Kelly. This book, however, shows every Endowarrior (and disabled person) that we will find romantic love, and not only through a television or book. We will find our Gene Kelly. A person who we love and who loves us in return.
This book does not only explore romantic relationships, nor chronic pain from a purely romantic lens. It explores how endometriosis bleeds (pun intended) into every part of life.
Moments of celebration are simultaneously moments of pain.
The realities of pacing.
Surrendering to your body.
The anger, the sadness, the isolation, the self-loathing.
The pregnancy announcements.
The fatigue.
The nausea.
The bloating.
The brain fog.
The feeling out of control… constantly.
The relationships with family.
The relationships with friends.
The perseverance.
The constant decisions (if I take this medication now, I can’t do this, but if I don’t take it now etc).
This book could not have been written without Torie Jean's lived experience. You can feel the pain in these pages, but you can also feel the power. No one else can articulate the endometriosis experience like endometriosis sufferers can. In writing this book, Torie Jean has taken her pain and given us her heart. This would have been physically and emotionally draining, and yet I am grateful. I never thought this book would exist. If I did, I thought it would have to be my own.
This book made me cry and I am so glad that they were mostly happy tears. Happy because this book even exists. It hugged me through a flare up and understood. Torie – thank you for showing me my story can exist outside the tragedy genre. I wish I were more eloquent in my gratitude, but I look forward to seeing you grow. Thank you.
kba76's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
When she first married her neighbour Liam Evie was five. When they were twelve he promised to look after her. When they were in high school he invited her to prom and didn’t turn up. Since then Evie has done all she can to avoid Liam.
We follow Evie as she finds herself under pressure to attend her brother’s wedding. Her mother keeps sending her passive-aggressive messages. So it’s not much of a surprise when Evie finds herself agreeing to date Liam for the wedding.
What she’s not prepared for - even though it’s obvious - is her very real feelings for her nemesis.
I picked this up to fulfil the PopSugar prompt about a character living with chronic pain. The figures around endometriosis are shocking and it was hard to read about the suffering she endured.
We follow Evie as she finds herself under pressure to attend her brother’s wedding. Her mother keeps sending her passive-aggressive messages. So it’s not much of a surprise when Evie finds herself agreeing to date Liam for the wedding.
What she’s not prepared for - even though it’s obvious - is her very real feelings for her nemesis.
I picked this up to fulfil the PopSugar prompt about a character living with chronic pain. The figures around endometriosis are shocking and it was hard to read about the suffering she endured.
_alyssaslibrary_'s review
4.0
4.5*
this was sososososo good!! thank you to netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
this was incredible. this story follows evie who is living with a chronic condition (endometriosis) and shows the continuous pain she goes through and how this affects her day to day life. i thought evie and a character was incredibly well developed and i loved reading about her and her experiences. i also really enjoyed liam (her nemesis) because he was a complete cinnamon roll. i literally got butterflies whenever he talked to her because you could tell how in love he was from the beginning.
the only thing i didn’t like was that i thought evie held onto her hatred of liam for too long. like at the beginning i understood but she kept bringing it up and it was a little annoying.
overall, i cant recommend this enough!
this was sososososo good!! thank you to netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
this was incredible. this story follows evie who is living with a chronic condition (endometriosis) and shows the continuous pain she goes through and how this affects her day to day life. i thought evie and a character was incredibly well developed and i loved reading about her and her experiences. i also really enjoyed liam (her nemesis) because he was a complete cinnamon roll. i literally got butterflies whenever he talked to her because you could tell how in love he was from the beginning.
the only thing i didn’t like was that i thought evie held onto her hatred of liam for too long. like at the beginning i understood but she kept bringing it up and it was a little annoying.
overall, i cant recommend this enough!
bubsreads's review against another edition
4.0
this book was everything 18 year old me needed. I loved Evie and I loved Liam. Evie's insecurities were shown in an amazing way that doesn't feel heavy or forced but simply human and the way Liam remained by her side? It was everything.
A love letter to everything I loved when I was younger with a side of beautiful reminder how our illnesses don't define us.
A love letter to everything I loved when I was younger with a side of beautiful reminder how our illnesses don't define us.
jsilfen924's review against another edition
4.0
Short Synopsis: 26-year-old Evie is currently living in Paris, where she went to escape parts of her life, like her uptight and controlling mother and not so great college experience, and pursue her love for baking. However, Evie is struggling, and not only with her family and the grudges she can’t let go, but also with her endometriosis. When her childhood friend/ crush turned enemy surprises her and offers to be her fake date to her brother’s wedding, Evie is caught off guard but agrees to get her mother off her back.
Thoughts: This was a really strong indie debut (that is also on KU).The author’s portrayal of endo comes from her own personal experiences, making the story feel authentic, and I know retable for many people. I loved Evie and Liam’s banter, the puns, sweet gestures and the history they shared. However, I will say that the it took me some time to get into the story, and at times, the enemies plot felt a bit juvenile.
Read if you like:
-Chronic illness rep
-Audrey Hepburn movies
-Paris setting
-Baking and desserts
-Fake dating
-Brother’s best friend
Thoughts: This was a really strong indie debut (that is also on KU).The author’s portrayal of endo comes from her own personal experiences, making the story feel authentic, and I know retable for many people. I loved Evie and Liam’s banter, the puns, sweet gestures and the history they shared. However, I will say that the it took me some time to get into the story, and at times, the enemies plot felt a bit juvenile.
Read if you like:
-Chronic illness rep
-Audrey Hepburn movies
-Paris setting
-Baking and desserts
-Fake dating
-Brother’s best friend
hayleyisreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.5
irishrose483's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 cute romance and I’m a sucker for anytime you reference gene kelly and singin in the rain ☔️ and other classic films.
quasinice's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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
3.75