Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Yes! This was a sweet romance. A true love story but more between the FMC and herself. I loved ALL the characters, which is very rare for me. The coast guard element was cool. Those people are badass. I really loved how she wrote the FMCs body image issues. Any woman can relate, and the writing was just really well done. Hit that balance of sad but hopeful. Also had a little action/suspense at the end which I didn’t expect and loved. I also LOVED the authors note at the end. The way she thinks about the power of stories really came through. The book was good but in the end, the author left me feeling hopeful and proud to read romance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Way too much happened in the book. There was fake dating, enemies to lovers (kinda), age gap romance, family death, EDs, a boat wreck, and just a lot of other stuff going on. I would have liked if the author had a trigger warning about EDs/disordered eating since I wasn’t expecting that. Felt like there wasn’t enough about the two main characters. I get that self-love was a key theme but I wanted a romcom not a self-help book. Pretty bummed about the book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, Death of parent
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I do not generally like romcoms, but reading this book, I realized that was largely because those romance books don’t focus enough on the comedy. This book was laugh out loud funny! I loved Center’s writing style. It made all the tropey things feel believable, or at the very least self-aware. I appreciated the deeper themes throughout this book, including eating disorders, cyber bullying, and survivor’s guilt, which definitely elevated this book to more than just your typical, forgettable romcom
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Fatphobia, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Terminal illness, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Alcohol
Minor: Sexism
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
Not here for the eating disorder and body shaming content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder
adventurous
hopeful
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sort of silly. Much more about self-love than romantic love, which is nice, but not what I was hoping for. Both Hutch and Katie were sweet characters (and Rue and George Bailey). I just wish we had a little more time with them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Eating disorder
funny
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
The main character’s disordered eating and difficult relationship with their body is a main issue in this book. If you've struggled with anorexia, this may not be a relaxing read for you. Chapter 2 has explicit calorie counting and body dysmorphia, you can skip it though and still understand everything.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Death, Car accident, Death of parent