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cheye13's review
emotional
lighthearted
tense
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
I really enjoyed this little gem of a romance! I felt it was perfectly balanced in every direction. All characters felt very real and complex, and I liked the couple's push and pull together. This story excellently balanced the levity of a YA romance with the actual gravity of being queer and/or coming out in the US south (or US southern culture). The story also juggled a lot of messages, but they all worked together well; nothing got muddled or lost. While some were less important, the narrative reflected that and devoted just enough screen time as needed. I was also pleasantly surprised by the characters' physical relationship – yet again, I thought it struck a perfect balance of addressing the topic while remaining a YA story. Some of the concepts were a little cliche or twee but they were so well executed, I gobbled it up. Overall an excellent romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Classism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Chronic illness
Minor: Sexual content
some minor homophobic jokes, a significant amount of internalized homophobia, and discussion of past internalized lesbophobiafanboyriot's review
emotional
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
5.0
Read For:
😘 RomCom
☕️ Family Secrets
🎡 Dollywood Vibes
🤫 Secret Relationship
🏳️🌈 Gay Country Music
The backstory to this was so good, the family secrets, hidden songs, and some good old gay country music. As someone who grew up listening to country music it is so satisfying to see all the queer artists gaining recognition. So I loved this book and Emmett fully committed to his dream.
I am so happy with how this book ended. I was a little nervous there for a second. The internalized homophobia ran deep. Having said that the character development was amazing. All the characters were written nicely, they had depth and personality. I really enjoyed reading this.
Release Date: 07, June 2022
POV: Switching, First Person
Spice: 🌶️ (mentioned)
Rep: Gay (MCs), BIPOC (SCs), Multiple Sclerosis (MC’s Mom)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Racism, Medical content, and Classism
Minor: Infidelity, Cursing, Sexual content, and Grief
imstephtacular's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Medical content, Classism, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Cursing, Lesbophobia, and Grief
Minor: Outing, Infidelity, and Hate crime
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