Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - What If You & Me

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

What If You & Me by Roni Loren

3 reviews

dalmavatai's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

This romance was great! I loved that Andie is a horror writer and that Hill is a retired firefighter - I loved the conversations about horror, misogyny and the treatment of women in horror including female writers, as well as the ones about disability and not feeling attractive/'manly' enough due to a disability. This romance has one of my favorite tropes which is when the MC and the LI both have baggage and trauma but they come together and help each other address and process what they've been through 😭 Also, one of the best things about this book is how openly the MC and LI talk about boundaries and consent - it was beautifully done and I wish that all romances handled these topics with more care because I want to live in a world where young people read books where consent is openly negotiated and communicated, and where someone saying 'no' is always respected - because this is what they are going to model in their own relationships. This is probably the best romance book I've read with regards to consent and boundaries, and I especially appreciate that because it addressed a form of sexual/romantic trauma and how Andie needed to take things very slow and needed to be able to say no and trust that that will be taken seriously at every step along the way. A beautifully done, emotional, funny, and steamy romance - highly recommend! There were some cheesy moments including the third act conflict and I usually like a bit more angst and/or enemies-to-lovers vibes in my romances but aside from all that, a very solid read.

Content Warnings

katebrownreads's review against another edition

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4.5

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lastingliterature's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

3.5

After a traumatic experience when she was a teen, Andi has helped herself heal by becoming a horror writer and podcaster. Hill, a retired firefighter, is trying to find his purpose in life after losing his leg and career while on duty. Andi has trouble trusting men and hasn’t truly dated since her high school relationship, and Hill is recovering from his ex-fiancée cheating on him with his best friend. These two emotionally vulnerable people end up as next-door neighbors and team up to try and help each other build their trust again through a safe friends-with-benefits relationship.

While there is a mild version of the grumpy/sunshine trope I love, Andi and Hill didn’t nail it for me. They had a cute relationship and I loved seeing how careful and respectful Hill was with Andi's boundaries, but I didn’t fully feel the chemistry.

I think the best part of this book is showing what it looks like to be considerate after someone has gone through trauma. I imagine many people will be able to relate to Andi’s thoughts and feelings as a woman in this world, and many people can also probably relate to Hill who lost a core part of his identity.

Although many romances are character > plot, I would have liked to see this plot fleshed out a bit more. When *things* (trying to avoid spoilers!) began to happen, it felt forced and inauthentic.

At the end of the day, this is a good story of finding love after pain. While this is a romance with 🔥🔥, it also contains many possibly triggering elements (listed below).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

TW: talk of abusive relationships, PTSD, trauma, depression, anxiety, panic attack, physical handicap, infidelity

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