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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
My heart feels so warm after reading this book.
MC Charlie is wonderfully written. I found his struggle with anxiety relatable, and well incorporated to the story.
Love interest Ben was so likeable. I was rooting for them from start to finish.
This story has a good amount of spice and a sprinkling of kink (bondage/shibari). But more importantly the story was sweet, and heartfelt. Also a beautiful nod to the importance and validity of found family.
MC Charlie is wonderfully written. I found his struggle with anxiety relatable, and well incorporated to the story.
Love interest Ben was so likeable. I was rooting for them from start to finish.
This story has a good amount of spice and a sprinkling of kink (bondage/shibari). But more importantly the story was sweet, and heartfelt. Also a beautiful nod to the importance and validity of found family.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Hayden Stone is a new author to me and I also didn't read the first book in this series, so I went into this rather blind. Good things first: As is usual with most romance series, this book can absolutely be read on its own, it doesn't require you to know what happened in the first one - I might have missed some little extras for the fans, and I think Charlie, our protagonist, does meet the first book's protagonist at one point (at least the name is the same based on the first one's blurb, so I guessed as much), but that's about it.
"When London Snow Falls" is your rather typical romcom, but there's nothing that makes it shine. There are cute moments, but because the characters are written a little inconsistently and Charlie is just a combination of way too many issues without focussing on any of them (former alcoholic and drug abuser, though now he can apparently both drink alcohol and take certain drugs in moderation without issues which I found a little weird; anxiety disorder that reads like someone not suffering from anxiety wrote a book about someone with anxiety; self-medication due to that anxiety disorder; a self-imposed dating ban that doesn't really mean anything; a two-year old child that was conceived in a drunken bender; comically loathsome parents that despise him for his problems in the past and his sexuality). It's way too much and thus feels shallow. Charlie's love interest, Ben, often feels like barely a character - he's basically perfect.
The dialogues are supposed to be witty, but often come off as cringey instead, and some plotlines are so forced into the story for added drama that I wanted to skip entire chapters (the jealousy plot during the last few chapters, why this? why?). The plot itself seems both rushed and drawn out at the same time, with instalove which I simply don't enjoy in 95% of books that have this trope.
All in all this is an okay romance with some cute scenes, but neither the writing nor the plot or characters really hit home.
Many thanks to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for the arc!
"When London Snow Falls" is your rather typical romcom, but there's nothing that makes it shine. There are cute moments, but because the characters are written a little inconsistently and Charlie is just a combination of way too many issues without focussing on any of them (former alcoholic and drug abuser, though now he can apparently both drink alcohol and take certain drugs in moderation without issues which I found a little weird; anxiety disorder that reads like someone not suffering from anxiety wrote a book about someone with anxiety; self-medication due to that anxiety disorder; a self-imposed dating ban that doesn't really mean anything; a two-year old child that was conceived in a drunken bender; comically loathsome parents that despise him for his problems in the past and his sexuality). It's way too much and thus feels shallow. Charlie's love interest, Ben, often feels like barely a character - he's basically perfect.
The dialogues are supposed to be witty, but often come off as cringey instead, and some plotlines are so forced into the story for added drama that I wanted to skip entire chapters (the jealousy plot during the last few chapters, why this? why?). The plot itself seems both rushed and drawn out at the same time, with instalove which I simply don't enjoy in 95% of books that have this trope.
All in all this is an okay romance with some cute scenes, but neither the writing nor the plot or characters really hit home.
Many thanks to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for the arc!
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes