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garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Anyways I really enjoyed it overall. Plus there's a lovable cat!
Graphic: Mental illness, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
novella42's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Whoever wrote the tagline "opposites attract" clearly either didn't read the book or was neurotypical enough to have missed the point. This is a love story about the way neurodivergent people connect with each other, truly resonate with and respect and understand each other. "Aithníonn ciaróg, ciaróg eile." One beetle recognizes another.
I knew about some of the stereotypes that people have about OCD, and I knew why they are way off mark, but this is the first book I can remember reading with a main character who has OCD. It was refreshing to explore it in fiction and get a glimpse of what helps and what doesn't, and why. At least for this character's experience—obviously everyone has their own unique experience of it and as such will have different needs for their own recovery.
Anyway, the "opposites attract!" line really bugs me because it implies that one character is a disorganized mess because ADHD and the other character is uptight and tidy because OCD, when that is stereotyped, ableist thinking and really isn't how it works for either of them. Also, (mild spoiler you learn by page 87)
This might be the first romance novel I can think of where I genuinely couldn't figure out how they were gonna make it work. (Spoiler for ending.)
Graphic: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness and Ableism
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent
ellacat11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
courtneylake's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
julianna_schock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Minor: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
beepbeep101's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I can’t speak as much to the portrayal of OCD symptoms except for what I know from the experiences of loved ones and psychology courses, but it seemed handled well. This did capture the nature of intrusive thoughts well, from my own experience. Both Jack and Raine were excellent characters, and this story really benefited from having both their points of view.
No dragons, but a wonderfully chirpy Felis floofyis
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Cursing, Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
blahlicia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I listened to this one and it was a great choice. Both narrators were fantastic, but Gary Furlong was KILLING IT. Jack has OCD and a lot of his dialogue is his intrusive thoughts and you could just feel Jack’s frustration and anxiety. Both narrators also did a wonderful job flipping back and forth between Irish and American accents.
The story was very sweet with good ADHD and OCD representation. It manages to be a warm story even while dealing with some more difficult topics dealing with Chile abuse, domestic violence, and mental health. The friendship, affection, and love between Jack and Raine was lovely and I liked how the third act was handled - sometimes it feels like issues in a relationships are shoehorned in just for conflict. This third act gave both characters room to grow and come back together without a random fight.
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
cassiealexandra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse
amberlfaris's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse