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indiekay's review
4.0
I really liked this whole series and I enjoyed this book, but I also don't have any big feelings about this one way or the other.
Great depression representation!
Great depression representation!
haydemoone's review
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nicandbooks's review
5.0
Love and Battle
Wow….just wow! This was my first full length novel by Roan Parrish and she has found herself a new fan. Despite this book being the second in the Small Change series, I felt it worked well as a stand alone (in saying that I have picked up Small Change - book #1 - to read!) so if that was a reason you were thinking of not picking it up, do so anyway!!
This is so much more than a romance novel - it's a book about the realities of living with depression and anxiety, the impact this can have on family and friends and ultimately, the paralysing nature of this condition to those who live with it. And I cannot praise Roan enough for tackling a difficult issue in a genre that can often (but I know isn’t always) be full of fluff. Jude Lucen was a character that I connected with so deeply and even though I haven’t experienced depression and anxiety to the same degree that he has, some of his thoughts, his actions, his motivations I could identify with and it was gratifying to be able to empathise with his character this way. And Faron Locklear - OMG, this man is just so super-duper swoon-worthy!! His ability to innately understand what Jude needed or didn’t need, wanted or didn’t want - Faron is the man, the partner, that all people with depression and anxiety need in their life. Sure, he isn’t perfect - no one is - but I spent so much of this book in absolute awe of the things Faron did for Jude, without even being asked most of the time, that it was just so beautiful to read about.
“You don’t want to choose,†he said. “Choosing feels hard because it could always be a mistake. And if it’s a mistake and you chose it, then it’s your fault. You don’t want it to be your fault. You already feel guilty enough. You don’t want to feel any more."
The story is one that happens fluidly and naturally, it just flows and isn’t forced. As the reader, you go on the journey with Jude as he learns to live again, as he realises that life can be more than the hell he was living in with his ex in Boston, as he reconnects with his brother Christopher and forms new relationships and bonds with those around him. Being told solely from Jude’s POV was ideal for this book and as Faron was the type of man who had an fundamental honesty about him, I never felt that I was missing out by not being privy to “seeing†the story from his perspective.
I know it shouldn’t, but it does still shock me when I can find yet another new author who I absolutely love!! And Roan is now one of my must-read, one-click authors. To write with such authenticity, such emotion, such beauty - it’s definitely something I want more of!
nicandbooks rating â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸
Amazon/Goodreads rating âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸
Wow….just wow! This was my first full length novel by Roan Parrish and she has found herself a new fan. Despite this book being the second in the Small Change series, I felt it worked well as a stand alone (in saying that I have picked up Small Change - book #1 - to read!) so if that was a reason you were thinking of not picking it up, do so anyway!!
This is so much more than a romance novel - it's a book about the realities of living with depression and anxiety, the impact this can have on family and friends and ultimately, the paralysing nature of this condition to those who live with it. And I cannot praise Roan enough for tackling a difficult issue in a genre that can often (but I know isn’t always) be full of fluff. Jude Lucen was a character that I connected with so deeply and even though I haven’t experienced depression and anxiety to the same degree that he has, some of his thoughts, his actions, his motivations I could identify with and it was gratifying to be able to empathise with his character this way. And Faron Locklear - OMG, this man is just so super-duper swoon-worthy!! His ability to innately understand what Jude needed or didn’t need, wanted or didn’t want - Faron is the man, the partner, that all people with depression and anxiety need in their life. Sure, he isn’t perfect - no one is - but I spent so much of this book in absolute awe of the things Faron did for Jude, without even being asked most of the time, that it was just so beautiful to read about.
“You don’t want to choose,†he said. “Choosing feels hard because it could always be a mistake. And if it’s a mistake and you chose it, then it’s your fault. You don’t want it to be your fault. You already feel guilty enough. You don’t want to feel any more."
The story is one that happens fluidly and naturally, it just flows and isn’t forced. As the reader, you go on the journey with Jude as he learns to live again, as he realises that life can be more than the hell he was living in with his ex in Boston, as he reconnects with his brother Christopher and forms new relationships and bonds with those around him. Being told solely from Jude’s POV was ideal for this book and as Faron was the type of man who had an fundamental honesty about him, I never felt that I was missing out by not being privy to “seeing†the story from his perspective.
I know it shouldn’t, but it does still shock me when I can find yet another new author who I absolutely love!! And Roan is now one of my must-read, one-click authors. To write with such authenticity, such emotion, such beauty - it’s definitely something I want more of!
nicandbooks rating â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸
Amazon/Goodreads rating âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸
thosemedalingkidsss's review
4.0
Reread - totally forgot about the fucking with a paintbrush scene in this! More pain and heart ouchie moments in this, so many CWs to check out. Also, yay for so much parallel play between the MCs.
eicart_reads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
littlebookterror's review against another edition
slow-paced
5.0
reread 2023
- still one of the few books that can make me cry
- I want to quote so many scenes from this omg. Like this quote from Faron that made stop and just breathe for a minute: "You don't want to choose. Choosing feels hard because it could always be a mistake. And if it's a mistake and you choose it, then it's your fault. You don't want it to be your fault, you already feel guilty enough, you don't want to feel anymore."
- currently considering how weird it would be to gift this to both of my sisters to show them I do love and appreciate them even if I suck at communicating it and if they would understand
- only a depressed person could listen to Jude going through all of this and think "this is all so true (but does not apply to me)" and isn't that ironic
- did the audiobook this time around, Greg Boudreaux did a great job
original review:
I kind of don't want anyone else to read this book. Is that a strange thing to say about something I loved so much?
I knew this story would be it me when we first get introduced to Jude through Christopher's letters in Small Change. Now he's back home after his release from the hospital, his life is a mess and Jude is not really in the state of mind to make any big decisions. The exhaustion he feels at just making the slightest of efforts (eating, dressing, finding work) - I felt that. There is also a larger subplot about his past relationship that went terribly wrong which was equally harrowing to read about, especially when you can see how his depression still twists things around in his mind (that no matter what mistakes he has made, he did not deserve what he got but he cannot see it).
The story is slow, emotional; barely anything happens. But I was captivated. The way Jude's depression manifests in his life, how it influences his thoughts, how it controls his words - it was like looking in a mirror. Seeing the problems it causes in his life as well as the kind of people he had to put with was heartbreaking to read about but it also made every moment with Faron so much more precious.
And speaking of Faron. I love characters like him; who are very deliberate and present at whatever they are doing. While is the stable counterpart to Jude, he's never made out to be this all-perfect, unflappable superhuman coming in to save the day, it's just clear that he has figured out through trial and error how he wants to live his life. (p.s. If you liked him, I suggest you might try Courtship, Ibrahim Carter has many of the same qualities.)
The book has a happy ending and I could not imagine it ending any other way but I love it's not all sunshine and roses at the end and that the time skip in the epilogue was just three months. As much as I want both of them to have it all it would not have fit the overall atmosphere of the book and since depression is not something that will vanish, I feel it would have left the wrong impression if it was all wrapped up.
I also loved that we got to see more of Philly crew (Ginger and Daniel have my heart). And Christopher is still the best younger brother one could have.
(There were a few things I would have loved to come full circle from a story perspective, (view spoiler) but lives are messy and imperfect and don't always wrap up nicely. And I feel like Jude and Faron's relationship ends up at a good stopping point for readers.)
- still one of the few books that can make me cry
- I want to quote so many scenes from this omg. Like this quote from Faron that made stop and just breathe for a minute: "You don't want to choose. Choosing feels hard because it could always be a mistake. And if it's a mistake and you choose it, then it's your fault. You don't want it to be your fault, you already feel guilty enough, you don't want to feel anymore."
- currently considering how weird it would be to gift this to both of my sisters to show them I do love and appreciate them even if I suck at communicating it and if they would understand
- only a depressed person could listen to Jude going through all of this and think "this is all so true (but does not apply to me)" and isn't that ironic
- did the audiobook this time around, Greg Boudreaux did a great job
original review:
I kind of don't want anyone else to read this book. Is that a strange thing to say about something I loved so much?
I knew this story would be it me when we first get introduced to Jude through Christopher's letters in Small Change. Now he's back home after his release from the hospital, his life is a mess and Jude is not really in the state of mind to make any big decisions. The exhaustion he feels at just making the slightest of efforts (eating, dressing, finding work) - I felt that. There is also a larger subplot about his past relationship that went terribly wrong which was equally harrowing to read about, especially when you can see how his depression still twists things around in his mind (that no matter what mistakes he has made, he did not deserve what he got but he cannot see it).
The story is slow, emotional; barely anything happens. But I was captivated. The way Jude's depression manifests in his life, how it influences his thoughts, how it controls his words - it was like looking in a mirror. Seeing the problems it causes in his life as well as the kind of people he had to put with was heartbreaking to read about but it also made every moment with Faron so much more precious.
And speaking of Faron. I love characters like him; who are very deliberate and present at whatever they are doing. While is the stable counterpart to Jude, he's never made out to be this all-perfect, unflappable superhuman coming in to save the day, it's just clear that he has figured out through trial and error how he wants to live his life. (p.s. If you liked him, I suggest you might try Courtship, Ibrahim Carter has many of the same qualities.)
The book has a happy ending and I could not imagine it ending any other way but I love it's not all sunshine and roses at the end and that the time skip in the epilogue was just three months. As much as I want both of them to have it all it would not have fit the overall atmosphere of the book and since depression is not something that will vanish, I feel it would have left the wrong impression if it was all wrapped up.
I also loved that we got to see more of Philly crew (Ginger and Daniel have my heart). And Christopher is still the best younger brother one could have.
(There were a few things I would have loved to come full circle from a story perspective, (view spoiler) but lives are messy and imperfect and don't always wrap up nicely. And I feel like Jude and Faron's relationship ends up at a good stopping point for readers.)
airin_reads's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Suicide attempt and Suicide
claire_melanie's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tragicgloom's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: War