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raebrock's review
4.0
This book left me pleasantly surprised. There were a few things that bothered me at first, which I can’t say without spoilers, but they all made sense later and I wound up loving it. For a cheesy romance, the characters felt very real, with real flaws. The side characters were pretty two dimensional, but as they the story was told from the point of view of a very introverted protagonist, it actually kind of made sense that her connection to other characters, even her friends, was a little superficial. The writing did feel a little awkward at times, but again, it made sense later as I learned more about the characters. One of my biggest pet peeves in romances is when the only problem in the relationship could be solved with a little communication, but in this case the lack of communication was a symptom of trauma much bigger than a typical romance’s commitment issues. This probably won’t make sense until you read it, but truly all of the things that I thought I didn’t like about this book in certain places, the pieces that seemed awkward or out of place, turned out to be the things I loved the most. It’s told by a flawed character, not an unreliable narrator, but awkward and damaged and so her story isn’t flawless, either. If the author did that on purpose, it was very smart writing. This is not an insta-love story, and the way the relationship built between the two leads was absolutely beautiful. This sits at 3.5 stars for me and I wavered on whether to give it 3 or 4 but landed on rounding up because I read this book in a day, had trouble putting it down, stayed up late to finish it, and I just really, really enjoyed it.
Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
claire60's review
3.0
An interesting and unconventional lesbian romance, as one of the main characters is deeply unlikable. Emily is deeply troubled by childhood trauma, she is grumpy, prefers to be alone and has a problematic relationship with alcohol. Her closest friend Mel, is even more unlikeable, a horrid, manipulative abusive woman. It's hard to see why Emily remains in her thrall. On a beach vacation Emily meets Beck a younger woman, who has a brain injury which leaves her vulnerable, trusting and positive. Together they form a friendship that eventually changes Emily although why Beck stays after Emily is so horrid to her several times is beyond me. I was intrigued by how this story would develop and did keep reading and was glad that the ending allowed for some righting of wrongs but not enough to rid my memory of the various red flags there had been along the way. The story is well written, well paced and engaging enough to keep me reading, definitely unconventional though. I really like the concept of The Found Jar though and really want to embrace that.
With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
penandpages's review against another edition
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Hate crime, Bullying, Vomit, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Homophobia
elvang's review
3.0
Emily reluctantly agrees to join her best friends for a three month vacation in a shared house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Sounds idyllic but Emily finds her accommodations unacceptable. When another cottage is found allowing her privacy and seclusion so she can focus on her writing, she is introduced to Beck, a local who will be cleaning her cottage. Beck is an innocent and at times naïve young woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury in her teens. Emily writes horror novels and battles nightmares and demons from her past. Beck’s kindness and innocence are a balm for Emily’s tortured soul. Will their friendship develop into the relationship you know they deserve?
This story is told from Emily’s point of view and it’s a dark one. She is not a likeable person yet Beck is drawn to her rare moments of kindness only to be crushed when Emily lashes out at her. The angry outbursts followed by apologies and promises to change her ways are hard to watch and your heart goes out to Beck. She has been used and abused by her friends in the community and now gets the same treatment from this older woman yet nothing seems to dent her pure heart.
It was interesting seeing the contrast between these two women as their relationship developed. One with a TBI who deals with her disability and tries to face her challenges with a positive attitude versus the other with so much emotional baggage that she can’t see past her anger and disgust with herself to allow Beck into her life. Sometimes a character is too good at destroying the happiness in others with her irrational behaviour. Yes, both Beck and Emily have suffered traumas in their past but only Beck appears to have learned how to find the small joys in life and make the most of her talents. The few times when it looks like Emily wants to improve her self control and acknowledge her attraction to Beck she slips back into her old patterns, convinced she is not worthy of love. It doesn’t help that her agent and best friend Melanie goes out of her way to convince Emily that Beck isn’t worthy of Emily’s affection.
If you are a fan of loads of angst then this might be the read for you. The beach setting and Beck’s pure heart help to offset the frustration I felt with Emily and her issues. There were times when her outbursts made me want to give up on this read, wondering if Emily was capable of change or even self-care. There are kittens and they soften some of the harsher scenes. This is Morrison’s first venture into contemporary romance and she must have missed the light and fluffy memo. The Found Jar is a romance but a dark one.
ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.
This story is told from Emily’s point of view and it’s a dark one. She is not a likeable person yet Beck is drawn to her rare moments of kindness only to be crushed when Emily lashes out at her. The angry outbursts followed by apologies and promises to change her ways are hard to watch and your heart goes out to Beck. She has been used and abused by her friends in the community and now gets the same treatment from this older woman yet nothing seems to dent her pure heart.
It was interesting seeing the contrast between these two women as their relationship developed. One with a TBI who deals with her disability and tries to face her challenges with a positive attitude versus the other with so much emotional baggage that she can’t see past her anger and disgust with herself to allow Beck into her life. Sometimes a character is too good at destroying the happiness in others with her irrational behaviour. Yes, both Beck and Emily have suffered traumas in their past but only Beck appears to have learned how to find the small joys in life and make the most of her talents. The few times when it looks like Emily wants to improve her self control and acknowledge her attraction to Beck she slips back into her old patterns, convinced she is not worthy of love. It doesn’t help that her agent and best friend Melanie goes out of her way to convince Emily that Beck isn’t worthy of Emily’s affection.
If you are a fan of loads of angst then this might be the read for you. The beach setting and Beck’s pure heart help to offset the frustration I felt with Emily and her issues. There were times when her outbursts made me want to give up on this read, wondering if Emily was capable of change or even self-care. There are kittens and they soften some of the harsher scenes. This is Morrison’s first venture into contemporary romance and she must have missed the light and fluffy memo. The Found Jar is a romance but a dark one.
ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.
korey_reads's review
3.0
Honestly the set up to the book is what I have a major problem with, although the chemistry between Beck and Emily is strong, I have a hard time with someone who is admittedly naive paired with brain injuries paired with someone older. Emily is portrayed as an older, wiser woman who is more or less praised for treating beck like she’s a person? Which all of that just doesn’t sit right with me. Honestly just didn’t leave me feeling good. The book itself is well written and I will always appreciate a queer romance. One thing the author did really well was set up the town and the feel of the environment which is hard to do, but that part was done incredibly well. Because of that I would give the author another try.
*Digital ARC provided for an honest review
*Digital ARC provided for an honest review
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