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toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
BIG RAMBLING AND SCREAMING AHEAD
If you know this book at all, you know that it's about Ben and Fallon, who meet on the same day every year for 5 years while Ben writes a book about it. I wasn't prepared for it to be way more than that.
For that reason...
I'm gonna start off by calling out @colleenhoover directly and letting her know that i'm going to need some $$ for upcoming therapy bills because so far everything that i've read from her has made me feel literally insane and feral.
I loved this book and I hated this book. These characters are both dumb clowns. I love them, but they are, in fact, dumb clowns and they made me want to scream so much of the time. I'm not saying this is a bad thing or a good thing, it's just a thing. I tend to think that if a book can elicit some sort of strong reaction from me, then it's good. So, I suppose I'm counting it as a good thing.
In order for Ben to not immediately start giving me serial killer vibes, I had to picture him as Avan Jogia because *swoon* - anyway though, if you read the book, you know why this ultimately did not work out for me, and why I, in the end, wore the clown nose and shoes.
I thought that the writing was good and engaging; it had dual POVs which I always love. I sometimes feel like something is missing if there isn't a dual POV. I did think that sometimes the language was a little corny for me, but then when I sat back and assessed each character a little more: they are very, very corny people at heart. It is simply a part of the characterization, so I was no longer holding that against them.
So much of this book - particularly the second half, had me crying my eyes out. I was sitting out on the balcony of my apartment openly weeping for Ben and Fallon. Having said this, I do have some critiques of their relationship overall, which I've just discussed with a friend over DM. I won't get into specifics here, but there is toxicity there and some things that personally, if it were me, I'd be outta there. However, that didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book. If you follow me closely, you know that I sort of love messy dynamics and complicated relationships and even toxic, horrible ones. However, if these things trigger you, I would advise maybe skipping this one.
Colleen, if you are reading this for some reason - first of all, why are you reading this???? and second of all - please know I love your books very much and that my excruciating pain is merely an indication of just how much I love them. Thank you.
If you know this book at all, you know that it's about Ben and Fallon, who meet on the same day every year for 5 years while Ben writes a book about it. I wasn't prepared for it to be way more than that.
For that reason...
I'm gonna start off by calling out @colleenhoover directly and letting her know that i'm going to need some $$ for upcoming therapy bills because so far everything that i've read from her has made me feel literally insane and feral.
I loved this book and I hated this book. These characters are both dumb clowns. I love them, but they are, in fact, dumb clowns and they made me want to scream so much of the time. I'm not saying this is a bad thing or a good thing, it's just a thing. I tend to think that if a book can elicit some sort of strong reaction from me, then it's good. So, I suppose I'm counting it as a good thing.
In order for Ben to not immediately start giving me serial killer vibes, I had to picture him as Avan Jogia because *swoon* - anyway though, if you read the book, you know why this ultimately did not work out for me, and why I, in the end, wore the clown nose and shoes.
I thought that the writing was good and engaging; it had dual POVs which I always love. I sometimes feel like something is missing if there isn't a dual POV. I did think that sometimes the language was a little corny for me, but then when I sat back and assessed each character a little more: they are very, very corny people at heart. It is simply a part of the characterization, so I was no longer holding that against them.
So much of this book - particularly the second half, had me crying my eyes out. I was sitting out on the balcony of my apartment openly weeping for Ben and Fallon. Having said this, I do have some critiques of their relationship overall, which I've just discussed with a friend over DM. I won't get into specifics here, but there is toxicity there and some things that personally, if it were me, I'd be outta there. However, that didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book. If you follow me closely, you know that I sort of love messy dynamics and complicated relationships and even toxic, horrible ones. However, if these things trigger you, I would advise maybe skipping this one.
Colleen, if you are reading this for some reason - first of all, why are you reading this???? and second of all - please know I love your books very much and that my excruciating pain is merely an indication of just how much I love them. Thank you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Cancer and Vomit
Minor: Pregnancy
mayak_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Body shaming, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death of parent, and Drug abuse
lascorrigansgf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Wow! Just wow! Colleen did it yet again. This story is just better than anything I’ve ever read. Yes, it was cliché. But aren’t we all thirsty for a cliché love? I loved the main characters, how she portrayed them. And what I loved the most and shocked me even worse, was the plot twist. Never had I expected it would be such a mind blowing plot twist. The ending made it all for me. It was the most cliché ending I ever read but still made me shed a few tears. It wasn’t as sad as I thought it would be, I mean yes it broke my heart, but I didn’t cry as much as I thought I would because deep inside me I was sure CoHo wouldn’t let me down with the ending. So, yeah. 100% recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Blood, Cancer, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
samvanz12's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, and Terminal illness
lexa's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I found the premise of this book unbelievable. I did not really like either of them. And I hated the plot twist. That said, I was captivated for some reason and binge read it over a couple days.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Medical trauma
Minor: Suicide, Cancer, and Blood
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