Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'
Six Ways to Write a Love Letter by Jackson Pearce, Jackson Pearce
3 reviews
itschelseaw's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A solid 2.5 star romance. I couldn't get over the fact that Vivi Swan is so clearly Taylor Swift, to the point that their last names are both birds that start with "S". It felt like things moved really quickly, and really bizarrely? Like, given how strict Vivi is with her image, why would she be hooking up with someone on her crew while still dating someone else? It felt like the author was trying to make it seem like her relationship with Noah was for PR without actually saying that. Her lack of connection with her touring crew really seemed... difficult and very much self imposed. She held the reigns TIGHT which meant she seemed incredibly lonely at the end of the day.
Wtf happened with Tuesday? I feel like that was supposed to be a bigger plot point that just got... edited out.
Remy was a good lens to view the story from, but whew was he naive. Also, I'm utterly shocked that Vivi didn't have Val and Celeste sign NDAs after she came to the Quiet Coyote performance; Val literally caught them kissing, and given how tightly guarded she is with everything, that seems like a big thing to have let slide.
It really just felt like interesting parts of the story were edited out, or the focus was on the more salacious backstories (Val's drug use, for instance). I wish I ended the book knowing more about Remy, but I felt like he and Celeste were very much 2D characters.
Also, Laurel totally wanted to bone Remy, right? It felt weird the way she was always mentioned with the guys in the band, but never any of the other dancers.
Overall: lighthearted, with very obvious inspiration. Very readable, and a quick one at that; I finished it just over a day after I started, including sleeping twice.
Wtf happened with Tuesday? I feel like that was supposed to be a bigger plot point that just got... edited out.
Remy was a good lens to view the story from, but whew was he naive. Also, I'm utterly shocked that Vivi didn't have Val and Celeste sign NDAs after she came to the Quiet Coyote performance; Val literally caught them kissing, and given how tightly guarded she is with everything, that seems like a big thing to have let slide.
It really just felt like interesting parts of the story were edited out, or the focus was on the more salacious backstories (Val's drug use, for instance). I wish I ended the book knowing more about Remy, but I felt like he and Celeste were very much 2D characters.
Also, Laurel totally wanted to bone Remy, right? It felt weird the way she was always mentioned with the guys in the band, but never any of the other dancers.
Overall: lighthearted, with very obvious inspiration. Very readable, and a quick one at that; I finished it just over a day after I started, including sleeping twice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse and Addiction
frantically's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review from NetGalley.
At first, I had really high hopes for this. I have to say, I'm a big Taylor Swift fan, so I may be more sensitive to some of the criticisms of her in this book than other people.
Remy was a nice enough character but he wasn't compelling enough to be the only POV character. As other reviewers have pointed in out, in a book that partly revolves around female stars' (twisted) portrayals in the media, it seemed out of place to only have an outside perspective. What does Vivi think about all this? How does she deal with it?
The ending felt too fairytale-like and too easily resolved. I would've wished for some more nuanced discussion about what led to their conflict at the end of the book.
2.5 ⭐
At first, I had really high hopes for this. I have to say, I'm a big Taylor Swift fan, so I may be more sensitive to some of the criticisms of her in this book than other people.
Remy was a nice enough character but he wasn't compelling enough to be the only POV character. As other reviewers have pointed in out, in a book that partly revolves around female stars' (twisted) portrayals in the media, it seemed out of place to only have an outside perspective. What does Vivi think about all this? How does she deal with it?
The ending felt too fairytale-like and too easily resolved. I would've wished for some more nuanced discussion about what led to their conflict at the end of the book.
2.5 ⭐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexism
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Child abuse and Religious bigotry
marylinaris's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Six Ways to Write a Love Letter is a romance between a Pop Star and a drummer, who get closer to each other while touring and writing a song together.
We follow the story through drummer Remy Young’s POV and while the book deals with topics like misogyny, invasion of privacy, and media scrutiny through Vivi Swan’s stardom, it is Remy’s backstory that brings some unexpected heavy topics into this book.
I read most of this book in one sitting and had a blast doing so. The romance is slow, but considering the characters it felt natural, the tour setting felt realistic, and the conflicts - while quite predictable - unraveled in a way that never felt like a cliché.
Remy and Vivi’s romance was quite a slow burn. She is in a relationship with someone else for a good bit of the book, so there is some cheating here. (This is the part I would’ve loved to get Vivi’s POV in the book to be honest, as I’m still unsure what her relationship with the other guy truly was. Was it a mutually beneficially PR-relationship, was it an actual romance, a little bit of both?) Their romance was overall cute, though I would’ve loved to see a little more at the end, after they resolved the third-act-conflict, to see how they actually talked about it.
Through Remy’s backstory (which got explored through several flashback scenes) this book delves into some serious topics, like drug abuse, threatened conversion therapy, and traumatic religious upbringings. While it was nice to see Remy’s past, I finished the book questioning why it got this much space but no ‘resolution’. I do not expect characters to emotionally deal with every unresolved feeling from their pasts but the way the book set it up, felt like it should’ve lead to something.
Vivi Swan was obviously based on Taylor Swift, an inspiration that felt a little too close at times to be truly comfortable.
I was provided an Audio-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse and Infidelity
Minor: Emotional abuse and Misogyny
More...