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larasleeslijst's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kmosie's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.0
lilyya's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
the book is a beast. i tackled it without even expecting much from neither the characters nor the author’s writing. needless to say that i was speechless when i ended up inhaling every word. every altercation. every conversation.
first of all the writing, at the commencement, it held a melancholic and elegiac connotation. I appreciated how it poetically sung with the orchestration of the events and changes that occurred in the aftermath of Sloane’s father's death. it was beautifully mournful. overall, i enjoyed to witness how the author’s plume had improved.
the grieving feelings were a constant thought throughout the storytelling, but in someway they morphed and shaped into regrets in all the 'what ifs' that rhythmed with the protagonists 'pseudo-relationship' through the last 23 years. sometimes they were translated as flashbacks and other times as full past-chapters. i loved them even if im not a huge fan of a two timelines narrative; they were oddly comforting in how flawless and immaculate they were transcribed plus, the protagonists seemed so pure and charming in them. i loved baby sloane and luce’s teenager friendship so damn much.
the principle facet of the storyline that glued me to the pages was the palpable tension that was spluttering between them. because every chapter felt like literal cracks and i ended up wanting more, more of their earthquake-fights, their smart verbal jousts and quotidian quarrels. i wanted more of the little attentions and act of services but most importantly i wanted more of these rare fragments of their past, cemented in their present with the meaningful habits they adopted together when they were teenagers and that miraculously never vanished for neither one of them with time and aging.
there's an aspect of the storyline that i was reticent to face : the motif that drove them apart years ago. I was anxious about it being a juvenile and absurd excuse. I'm thankful it wasn't, but all I can say without revealing anything important is that that situation was the epitome of messy and i was surprisingly able to comprehend both Luce and Sloane’s sides because neither was right nor wrong.
now the part of the storyline that i absolutely loved was how Sloane’s parents played the role of substitute parents in Luce’s life. how they were so close, sharing an unmatched complicity even after all what happened between the protagonists and the little cold war they were so inclined to perdure.
~why it wasn’t a 5 star read??
•with dnf-ing the second book it was hard to follow the suspense portion of the plot-line, which not gonna lie bored me to death.
•the book is huge and felt so dragged at near the end.
•the never ending discussions and dialogues during smut scenes were irritating like, stfu and do your thing. why do you have to argue even with sex?
•all the drama with om and ow after the 3rd act breakup up
•THE FREAKING 3rd ACT BREAKUP.
~•~•~
spoiler update: SHOCKED THAT I LOVED THE HELL OUT OF THIS BOOK.
~•~•~
if this is as bad as the previous book I’ll no longer have faith in humanity. no one talks to me now, bye
❛❛ broken men break women.
i was broken and she was beautiful. ❜❜
the book is a beast. i tackled it without even expecting much from neither the characters nor the author’s writing. needless to say that i was speechless when i ended up inhaling every word. every altercation. every conversation.
"Grief had a way of infiltrating everything, even when you were prepared for it."
first of all the writing, at the commencement, it held a melancholic and elegiac connotation. I appreciated how it poetically sung with the orchestration of the events and changes that occurred in the aftermath of Sloane’s father's death. it was beautifully mournful. overall, i enjoyed to witness how the author’s plume had improved.
"You know, sometimes I think I imagined it all.” […]
“Imagined what?”
“You. Me. The cherry tree. I thought we were friends.”
“We were. Once""
the grieving feelings were a constant thought throughout the storytelling, but in someway they morphed and shaped into regrets in all the 'what ifs' that rhythmed with the protagonists 'pseudo-relationship' through the last 23 years. sometimes they were translated as flashbacks and other times as full past-chapters. i loved them even if im not a huge fan of a two timelines narrative; they were oddly comforting in how flawless and immaculate they were transcribed plus, the protagonists seemed so pure and charming in them. i loved baby sloane and luce’s teenager friendship so damn much.
"“Then stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” I whispered. His thumbs simultaneously brushed the outer curve of my rear end where it met his desk, and I absolutely almost lost consciousness."
the principle facet of the storyline that glued me to the pages was the palpable tension that was spluttering between them. because every chapter felt like literal cracks and i ended up wanting more, more of their earthquake-fights, their smart verbal jousts and quotidian quarrels. i wanted more of the little attentions and act of services but most importantly i wanted more of these rare fragments of their past, cemented in their present with the meaningful habits they adopted together when they were teenagers and that miraculously never vanished for neither one of them with time and aging.
"It was strange, having a secret with the boy I’d once loved and now sharing it with the man I couldn’t stand"
there's an aspect of the storyline that i was reticent to face : the motif that drove them apart years ago. I was anxious about it being a juvenile and absurd excuse. I'm thankful it wasn't, but all I can say without revealing anything important is that that situation was the epitome of messy and i was surprisingly able to comprehend both Luce and Sloane’s sides because neither was right nor wrong.
"Sometimes I enjoyed these loud, casual gatherings, and other times I felt like a ghost haunting a happy family."
now the part of the storyline that i absolutely loved was how Sloane’s parents played the role of substitute parents in Luce’s life. how they were so close, sharing an unmatched complicity even after all what happened between the protagonists and the little cold war they were so inclined to perdure.
"Nearly every memory I have of you involves books."this quote is so precious.
~why it wasn’t a 5 star read??
•with dnf-ing the second book it was hard to follow the suspense portion of the plot-line, which not gonna lie bored me to death.
•the book is huge and felt so dragged at near the end.
•the never ending discussions and dialogues during smut scenes were irritating like, stfu and do your thing. why do you have to argue even with sex?
•all the drama with om and ow after the 3rd act breakup up
•THE FREAKING 3rd ACT BREAKUP.
~•~•~
spoiler update: SHOCKED THAT I LOVED THE HELL OUT OF THIS BOOK.
~•~•~
if this is as bad as the previous book I’ll no longer have faith in humanity. no one talks to me now, bye
_because_she_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lilymurph's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.5
blackberry_coulis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
bookishtiff1's review against another edition
5.0
This is my favourite in the entire series!!! loved Sloane and Lucien's story sooo much. I really liked the way they bickered and bit each others heads off constantly but were there for each other when it was important. I also really loved the way that they both went after what they wanted. Lucien was amazing and was so amazing to Sloane. Also love that he independently seeked out therapy so he would be a better person!
annaoehmcke's review against another edition
3.75
Can honestly say i’m sad to be saying goodbye to Knockemout. I’ve grown attached to these characters. I’m glad I pushed through the beginning of the series when I had serious regrets on buying them. I’m a sucker for childhood friends to lovers trope and come on…Lucian is just so hot (although I didn’t want to punch him the last time he pushed Sloane away. it seemed a little much, the slow burn was SLOW). Overall super glad i read this series.
unapologeticreading's review against another edition
5.0
My very first small town romance series I’ve read! And adored every minute of it! I never knew how much drama can go on in a small town
daniellearbour7's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this series so much! I’m so sad to see it end, but the perfect ending