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anani's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
2.75
This book it’s easy to read and it’s quite engaging. I wish I could like it more, but it’s quite a lot. I would say this will be hard to read if you don’t enjoy pop culture references since Tik tok is basically a character here. So keep that in mind. The beginning it’s rough and the ending it’s too simple for all the differentS plotS going up here. This brings me to my next point: there’s too much happening.
Spoiler ahead.
We have sooo many tropes: grumpy/sunshine, one bed, forced proximity, best friend brother, strangers to friends to lovers, and more in like the first 25%. There’s even an Earthquake at one point for no other purpose than to force the characters to be closed after an issue. The earthquake stuff it’s like two paragraphs for no reason. They mention it, the ML protects the FL and they go talk. That’s it.
Then we have the actual plots.
There’s the FL trying to figure out why she can’t say I love you, which is interesting. And she goes to her exes to reconnect and see where they went wrong. But it’s really underdeveloped. They don’t really do much in the story. It’s just weirdly paced. Idk.
We also have the ML alcoholism addiction. The author acknowledges sensitivity readers, but it seems like a cop out of a work poorly done. The ML was a child actor and his family it’s deeply influential in Hollywood which lead to addiction. The story talks about his sobriety journey. The sponsored part was awful. No sponsor will allow to be the only network of support for their person (after more than a year) or will not confirm AA meetings. And no facility will allow a public love declaration two weeks into sobriety. I understand that the ML was keeping it a secret but it’s poorly done.
Besides these two already huge plots….. there’s more:
1. A stalker
2. Three different family issues
3. Child actors traumas
4. The influence of the press within Hollywood
5. Parents as managers.
6. Two issues with the FL and her best friends, including her sister.
7. Parenthood.
8. A second chance romance that has a bit of cheating.
9. A pottery TikTok
10. Confessing his addiction
There’s a lot, which leads me to my last issue. The ending resolves most of these situations in the last chapters via a text message update. Quickly and with zero depth.
The GOOD:
1. Great and casual LGBTTQ+ representation. Beautifully written and integrated.
2. I enjoyed the authors writing style.
3. Sophie’s (FL) character arc was rushed but I enjoyed how she found a bit of herself.
4. Dash’s (ML) interest in pottery and development as a crafter.
Spoiler ahead.
We have sooo many tropes: grumpy/sunshine, one bed, forced proximity, best friend brother, strangers to friends to lovers, and more in like the first 25%. There’s even an Earthquake at one point for no other purpose than to force the characters to be closed after an issue. The earthquake stuff it’s like two paragraphs for no reason. They mention it, the ML protects the FL and they go talk. That’s it.
Then we have the actual plots.
There’s the FL trying to figure out why she can’t say I love you, which is interesting. And she goes to her exes to reconnect and see where they went wrong. But it’s really underdeveloped. They don’t really do much in the story. It’s just weirdly paced. Idk.
We also have the ML alcoholism addiction. The author acknowledges sensitivity readers, but it seems like a cop out of a work poorly done. The ML was a child actor and his family it’s deeply influential in Hollywood which lead to addiction. The story talks about his sobriety journey. The sponsored part was awful. No sponsor will allow to be the only network of support for their person (after more than a year) or will not confirm AA meetings. And no facility will allow a public love declaration two weeks into sobriety. I understand that the ML was keeping it a secret but it’s poorly done.
Besides these two already huge plots….. there’s more:
1. A stalker
2. Three different family issues
3. Child actors traumas
4. The influence of the press within Hollywood
5. Parents as managers.
6. Two issues with the FL and her best friends, including her sister.
7. Parenthood.
8. A second chance romance that has a bit of cheating.
9. A pottery TikTok
10. Confessing his addiction
There’s a lot, which leads me to my last issue. The ending resolves most of these situations in the last chapters via a text message update. Quickly and with zero depth.
The GOOD:
1. Great and casual LGBTTQ+ representation. Beautifully written and integrated.
2. I enjoyed the authors writing style.
3. Sophie’s (FL) character arc was rushed but I enjoyed how she found a bit of herself.
4. Dash’s (ML) interest in pottery and development as a crafter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Body shaming and Infidelity
callidoralblack's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infertility, Stalking, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Infidelity
kaitlynkenny's review against another edition
3.5
3.5 ⭐️
romance that’s a bit more contemporary fiction is one of my fave kinds of books and Plot Twist delivered.
Soph is struggling to finish her sophomore novel and may have had a melt down gone viral about how she doesn’t believe in true love which isn’t a great look for a romance author. Enter Dash, the landlord/neighbor/former-hollywood-star who helps her document her journey of reconnecting with exes to see what her issue is. Along the way, the two learn important things about one another and themselves. Dash is struggling with his recovery of alcohol addiction and how to explain this to his parents and Soph is struggling with accepting she may not be ready for a real relationship despite wanting one.
I loved the depiction of serious topics in this book - the way addiction and recovery were handled with such grace and empathy was incredible. I also loved his ending and how it wasn’t 100% traditionally happy but it was perfect for him and his needs. Soph couldve used my character development because it felt like she wasn’t doing enough internal work about why her previous relationships failed. This book is also very heavy on prose but not in a way where I felt like pages could be cut. Overall, a solid 3.5 read and I would recommend to others.
CW: Alcoholism, Abusive Language, Stalking, Addiction, Emotional Abuse, Toxic Relationships, Panic Attacks, Cheating
thank you NetGalley for this ARC. happy pub day!!
romance that’s a bit more contemporary fiction is one of my fave kinds of books and Plot Twist delivered.
Soph is struggling to finish her sophomore novel and may have had a melt down gone viral about how she doesn’t believe in true love which isn’t a great look for a romance author. Enter Dash, the landlord/neighbor/former-hollywood-star who helps her document her journey of reconnecting with exes to see what her issue is. Along the way, the two learn important things about one another and themselves. Dash is struggling with his recovery of alcohol addiction and how to explain this to his parents and Soph is struggling with accepting she may not be ready for a real relationship despite wanting one.
I loved the depiction of serious topics in this book - the way addiction and recovery were handled with such grace and empathy was incredible. I also loved his ending and how it wasn’t 100% traditionally happy but it was perfect for him and his needs. Soph couldve used my character development because it felt like she wasn’t doing enough internal work about why her previous relationships failed. This book is also very heavy on prose but not in a way where I felt like pages could be cut. Overall, a solid 3.5 read and I would recommend to others.
CW: Alcoholism, Abusive Language, Stalking, Addiction, Emotional Abuse, Toxic Relationships, Panic Attacks, Cheating
thank you NetGalley for this ARC. happy pub day!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Sexual content, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings: Sexual content, alcoholism, addiction, anxiety, panic attacks, toxic relationships [both familial and romantic], Verbal and mental abuse, and constant feelings of inadequacy.
Mention of: cheating, ableism, death of a parent, and parental abandonment.
***I received an ARC, ahead of release, through Netgalley. I also submitted my TT handle to be one of the handles Erin used in the book. ***
The POV characters:
Sophie has never been in love...a romance author that's never experienced love. When she's struggling to write her second novel she decides that maybe the past can give her the knowledge to inspire her to finish her book ...and maybe find love in the future?
Dash is part of Hollywood royalty...his family is known far and wide for their acting. Dash leaned more into indie films but the stress of living up to his families image and constantly being compared to his older brother led him down a dark path of alcohol addiction. Now 18 months sober, which he still hasn't told his family about, he's found a love of crafting and has an anonymous Tiktok where he's able to share his love without judgement.
The story: Two people who've always felt not quite good enough team up to help each other. Though they struggle to share their real feelings and thoughts with their family and friends...there's just something about the ease of their friendship that allows them to share things free of judgement. Unable to deny their chemistry but feeling like a relationship is unwise they decide... FWB is okay right? [his main focus is his sobriety and he doesn't feel like he's ready for a relationship and she's looking for love...oh and he just happens to be her BFF's brother which would add another level of complications]
The relationship: I LOVE the relationship that Sophie and Dash form. It's so natural and judge free...something they both desperately need in their lives. Also the way that they care about each other and are constantly trying to encourage and support each other was so beautiful.
The spice: OMG THE SPICE! *fans face* Literally every sexual scene was AMAZING. I cannot wait until my friends get their hands on this book so I'll have someone to talk to about these scenes. *daydreams back to each scene*
My thoughts: I adore both Sophie and Dash and could relate to their feelings of inadequacy. There were so many moments that I just wanted to reach through the book and hug them and tell them they're amazing and wonderful just as they are. This will definitely be a book that I'll want to reread...between the emotions, self discovery, romance, and friendship...this will be a book I tell everyone about. 🥰
Mention of: cheating, ableism, death of a parent, and parental abandonment.
***I received an ARC, ahead of release, through Netgalley. I also submitted my TT handle to be one of the handles Erin used in the book. ***
The POV characters:
Sophie has never been in love...a romance author that's never experienced love. When she's struggling to write her second novel she decides that maybe the past can give her the knowledge to inspire her to finish her book ...and maybe find love in the future?
Dash is part of Hollywood royalty...his family is known far and wide for their acting. Dash leaned more into indie films but the stress of living up to his families image and constantly being compared to his older brother led him down a dark path of alcohol addiction. Now 18 months sober, which he still hasn't told his family about, he's found a love of crafting and has an anonymous Tiktok where he's able to share his love without judgement.
The story: Two people who've always felt not quite good enough team up to help each other. Though they struggle to share their real feelings and thoughts with their family and friends...there's just something about the ease of their friendship that allows them to share things free of judgement. Unable to deny their chemistry but feeling like a relationship is unwise they decide... FWB is okay right? [his main focus is his sobriety and he doesn't feel like he's ready for a relationship and she's looking for love...oh and he just happens to be her BFF's brother which would add another level of complications]
The relationship: I LOVE the relationship that Sophie and Dash form. It's so natural and judge free...something they both desperately need in their lives. Also the way that they care about each other and are constantly trying to encourage and support each other was so beautiful.
The spice: OMG THE SPICE! *fans face* Literally every sexual scene was AMAZING. I cannot wait until my friends get their hands on this book so I'll have someone to talk to about these scenes. *daydreams back to each scene*
My thoughts: I adore both Sophie and Dash and could relate to their feelings of inadequacy. There were so many moments that I just wanted to reach through the book and hug them and tell them they're amazing and wonderful just as they are. This will definitely be a book that I'll want to reread...between the emotions, self discovery, romance, and friendship...this will be a book I tell everyone about. 🥰
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Addiction
Minor: Infertility, Death of parent, Abandonment, Infidelity, and Ableism
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