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It was a little too long. It dragged in some places. I really liked how their relationship developed though I didn't care for the nicknames situation - Buddy (the Elf) is a cringey nickname and her thinking angel was him misremembering her name was just goofy. I really liked the pacing as I felt it gave me a lot of room to get to know the characters and be invested when the slow burn paid off but I think it could've cut 10-20% of the telling herself her every thought in real time. Still a big fan and would read again. Also another small criticism While cathartic, the mic drops on the ex and ex-MIL went a little too smoothly. Like.. is this a reliable narrator? levels of smooth lol
Worth the read? Yes
Worth the read? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Pregnancy
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a wholesome read about finding your people and your place in the world. I love how the book depicts grief respectfully and shows how new interpersonal relationships – with not just romantic love but all kinds of love – build over time and give you happiness. The main characters Aurora, Rhodes, and his son Amos revolve around each others lives, slowly getting more involved with each other and forming beautiful, meaningful relationships together. The beginning of the book felt s little slow to me, but once I got invested in the main characters' lives, I loved seeing their mundane life changing and intertwining with the others'.
The forming relationships show how the characters get more comfortable with each other, which results into their communication getting from easily misinterpreting the other one to expressing themselves more clearly and being able to read the others' nonverbal communication easily. The result is that the main characters have good communication throughout the rest of the book: even when there are difficulties or disruptions to this, the main characters always follow through with a conversation about the situation.
The bonus epiloque has Aurora and Rhodes discussing the love languages of the important people in their lives while on a hike with Amos, and that shows the best aspects of this book: good, open communication and love that is shown in so many ways in the whole book.
The audiobook has one narrator from the pov of the main character Aurora, but there's another reader voice for the male characters – that works really well and gives those characters added depth, making you immerse yourself into the story more.
The forming relationships show how the characters get more comfortable with each other, which results into their communication getting from easily misinterpreting the other one to expressing themselves more clearly and being able to read the others' nonverbal communication easily. The result is that the main characters have good communication throughout the rest of the book: even when there are difficulties or disruptions to this, the main characters always follow through with a conversation about the situation.
The bonus epiloque has Aurora and Rhodes discussing the love languages of the important people in their lives while on a hike with Amos, and that shows the best aspects of this book: good, open communication and love that is shown in so many ways in the whole book.
The audiobook has one narrator from the pov of the main character Aurora, but there's another reader voice for the male characters – that works really well and gives those characters added depth, making you immerse yourself into the story more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Infidelity, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment