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mugsandmanuscripts's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
It's hard to find a romance that isn't just fluff, has good character development, a mostly believable storyline, and is, well, enjoyable. This one hits all those markers. Both Justin (MMC) and Emma (FMC) are well-developed and likable characters with more going on than meets the eye. Both are complex characters, and I loved them.
Emma struggles with attachment and "feeling small" after a traumatic childhood with a very unstable mother and years in foster care. I think "feeling small" is how she and her best friend Maddie (who is AMAZING) describe what look to be PTSD episodes. She has to confront her mother (who appears to have undiagnosed borderline personality disorder or possibly bipolar or maybe both) and her understanding of her throughout the novel. Obviously this is a very difficult topic, and Jimenez manages to portray it with surprising sensitivity.
Justin is struggling with complicated grief as he navigates not only his father's death several years ago but also his mother's upcoming several-year jail sentence, which forces him to move back home to become the guardian of his three siblings (from pre-school-aged to teen) to care for while she's gone. He understandably struggles with resentment even as he loves and cares for his siblings. A lot of his story could have been trivialized, but wasn't. Again, well done.
Also, of course—shout out to Maddie, the best friend Emma could ever ask for, and also to Justin's sometimes annoying friends (and his mom's BFF) for supporting the MCs in meaningful ways. This book is a testament to how it takes a village to help people heal from their trauma—and also how those who are hurting really need to accept the help they are offered.
This one was really good. I'm picky about my romances, and this one absolutely deserves all 5 stars. This is one I'd recommend not just to romance readers but also to readers of heavier lit who just want something lighter (but not fluffy) to read.
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism and Vomit
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
zanazy'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
3.0
The main relationship between Emma, a traveling nurse, and Justin, a software engineer is sparked by a DM sent by Emma after an AITA post that Justin makes. In his post, Justin explains his dating curse, similar to the movie Good Luck Chuck, where every girl he dates, goes on to find their soulmate after they break up. Coincidentally, Emma DMs him because she has the same curse. After a few flirty DMs and mentions of a funny, plumbing billboard, Emma makes an out-of-character decision to change her next traveling assignment from Hawaii to Minnesota so she and Justin can "date" and break each other's curse by canceling them out.
Aside from the relationship between Emma and Justin, the best friend/sister relationship between Emma and Maddie is a large driver of several key events and character developments for Emma. Emma is Maddie's foster sister and Maddie has seen Emma at her worst, more often than she should have. Most of the worst times usually involve Emma's biological mother - Amber. Emma has major unresolved childhood trauma from frequent abandonment by her mother that has never had a chance to heal. However, Emma is good and she chooses to see the best in her mom. This eventually
Justin has issues of his own. Shortly before meeting Emma, his mother is sentenced to jail, leaving Justin to take care of his younger siblings and become their guardian. He goes through a lot in this story and the character development he undergoes is almost as big as what Emma goes through.
Because of their underlying issues, Justin and Emma's story is relatable. It can get difficult to read at times as there are several moments where their mental health is not in a good spot, especially Emma's, but it's part of who they are, and I enjoyed the insight into the minds of their characters.
This is the first book by Abby that I have read, and I enjoyed it. When I finished the story, I learned that two supporting characters and one character who makes a brief appearance in this book were first mentioned in Part of Your World, so I intend to read that book too, but as of writing this, I don't think it took anything away from my experience.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
author2223'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
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
readyforit's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Apparently I did myself a disservice by reading this book before Abby Jimenez’s others! There are overlapping characters and Easter eggs throughout that I didn’t get. If that means I’ll have to reread it after the rest of her books I can’t complain! This is the first book I’ve borrowed from my library that I actually want to purchase and reread!! I loved the audiobook narrators but just a warning: they trick you in the beginning with duet narration (the best for 2 person pov), but only with text messages. The rest of the chapters are read by the respective narrators in a dual narration. The only way the book could’ve been better is if the entire thing were done in duet narration.
Abby Jimenez will make you laugh and fall in love with her characters before stabbing you in the heart with their trauma. If you thought this was a light and fluffy beach read think again! You’ll be crying if you have mommy issues😅
Justin is one of my favorite book boyfriends of all time. He’s so funny, proactive, caring, and a good listener. In a world of boys, he’s a gentleman🫶 It’s nice to finally see a man say “I’ll take care of it” and mean it. Btw if you need someone to picture while reading, look up Daniel ricciardo👀 It’s lovely to see FMC with real jobs and a relationship that reflects how long Emma and Maddie have been in each other’s lives. At first I thought Maddie was harsh at times but you really need that friend that can be honest with you when you’re making a mistake. Without Maddie, I don’t think Emma would’ve ever let herself truly fall for Justin, or
I never thought I’d say this but this book actually did the
I loved this book and can’t wait to read her others!
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Excrement, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
There’s a chapter where Emma gets norovirus and if you have emetophobia I would skip it and look up a summary.palindromephd's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Mental illness
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
drraytay's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
laheath'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
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content and Fire/Fire injury
kayceero'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
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Medical content
sdupont'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
4.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit and Fire/Fire injury
kb33'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
Graphic: Sexual content and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol