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annahamburger's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Mental illness, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Outing, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
Minor: Violence, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Cancer, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Medical content, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Car accident, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Racism
amy_in_the_city's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
I loved this book so much! Introverts finding the one person that doesn't drain them is literally my dream! It was funny at times, heartbreaking at others. I liked that it didn't romanticize small towns and acknowledged small towns aren't a good fit for everyone. It also had some LGBTQIA+ representation, with a biromantic demisexual main character. The scene where Maggie tears into Aiden's biphobic relatives was one of the most satisfying things I've ever read, as was seeing Aiden stand up for himself.
As someone on the ace spectrum, I appreciated that this book had a main character, especially an older character, discovering that they were demisexual. However, the book got some things wrong about asexuality. At one point, Maggie explains that "Ace is also called 'graysexual.'" A quick Google search would have confirmed that those two terms don't mean the same thing and that "graysexual" is actually just one of many different types of asexuality. It's clear from other terms used in explaining asexuality that the author did research various terminology. It just seems like she got confused at some point with a couple of terms, but I wish there had been a sensitivity reader or an editor that could have caught this before it made it into the final book. I also thought Aiden seemed pretty clearly demiromantic as well, but this was never brought up and his demiromantic traits were lumped in with his demisexual traits. Terminology issues aside, I thought the demisexuality was represented well, and Aiden felt authentically demi in how he experienced the world and in how he reacted to learning there was a word for how he was.
Overall, this was a cute romance, and I had a great time reading it!
As someone on the ace spectrum, I appreciated that this book had a main character, especially an older character, discovering that they were demisexual. However, the book got some things wrong about asexuality. At one point, Maggie explains that "Ace is also called 'graysexual.'" A quick Google search would have confirmed that those two terms don't mean the same thing and that "graysexual" is actually just one of many different types of asexuality. It's clear from other terms used in explaining asexuality that the author did research various terminology. It just seems like she got confused at some point with a couple of terms, but I wish there had been a sensitivity reader or an editor that could have caught this before it made it into the final book. I also thought Aiden seemed pretty clearly demiromantic as well, but this was never brought up and his demiromantic traits were lumped in with his demisexual traits. Terminology issues aside, I thought the demisexuality was represented well, and Aiden felt authentically demi in how he experienced the world and in how he reacted to learning there was a word for how he was.
Overall, this was a cute romance, and I had a great time reading it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Biphobia, Outing, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
Minor: Infidelity, Acephobia/Arophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Car accident, Drug abuse, and Grief
unusablebooklore's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Ohhh lovely middle life romance - our wonderful MCs are in their 40s
I devoured this book, being on a bit of an audio binge finding this had audio available via KU was a treat.
There was strong Bisexual/Demi/Ace MMC rep. I appreciate seeing a bisexual MMC in a mixed gender relationship and the SUPPORT from his leading lady was top notch.
Low heat but I didn’t notice until the “Are we going to have sex?!” at 79%.
TW: LOADS of Biphobia, an outing, and mild Asiaphobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Outing
Minor: Xenophobia
allingoodtime's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
5.0
This is a new-to-me author and now I want to read all the books. I didn’t know what to expect as I’m not a gamer but my kids and husband are, would I connect with these characters? The answer is – instantly! I felt Maggie to my very soul. Then I got to know the huge cinnamon roll that is Aiden and I couldn’t wait for them to meet in person, or IRL.
As much as I was anxious for that first IRL meeting, I am also glad I got to know both Maggie and Aiden separately and in-depth. When there were any misunderstandings between them or with others, it helped me to know where they were coming from. Yet, for the most part, these two got each other on a level few (if any) others did. Definitely not Aiden’s family.
Speaking of Aiden’s family, that’s a whole thing. His mom is terrible and it breaks my heart how much Aiden feels responsible for her and tries to take care of her in such a respectful way. His brother isn’t bad, per se, but he’s quite useless. And the cherry on the sundae of this terrible family is his sister-in-law. The way the situation with her was handled in the past all the way to the present, over 10 years, is despicable. How Aiden still has love left in his heart for any of these people is beyond me. On top of their treatment of him, he somehow felt he deserved it since he wasn’t what they wanted him to be.
Maggie’s family wasn’t better, but she no longer has to deal with them. There are those in town that insert themselves into her life though, and not in a good way. The audacity of some people. Just because you don’t understand someone’s life choices doesn’t mean they are wrong. Maggie is an introvert and does not want to socialize at book clubs or football parties. Not because she’s depressed but because that is not her personality. Let her be!
Once Maggie and Aiden meet in person they click. So much so that Maggie is the person who recognizes that Aiden may be ace or demi and explains those definitions to him. I love that Maggie admits she’s not an expert and that Aiden doesn’t need to have a label, but she wanted to help him understand there is nothing wrong or other about him.
Although there are more now than there used to be, I don’t often come across romances with mature adults. These characters are 48 and 50 years old and I love how this story shows that, even when you have your life together in many ways when it comes to career and goals, it’s never too late to learn more about yourself. In doing so, Maggie and Aiden didn’t have to change who they are. Their relationship brought out the best in both of them and gave them the peace they hadn’t yet found in their personal life.
I didn’t want to put this book down and only did when I had no choice. It is fantastic.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Xenophobia
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