Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Things We Left Behind

I literally just finished this book and as I'm typing this review, I keep wiping tears from my eyes, looooool. It's funny but while I can't imagine ever getting married or wanting to have kids, reading about fictional characters in a connected series doing the big weddings and having tons of babies and getting the overall picturesque happily ever afters will turn me into a sobbing wreck. Gets me every damn time! The ending and the epilogue was just so sweet and made for a very beautiful ending to this series.

I'm so glad this book was as good as it was, especially because of how much I disliked Things We Hide From the Light. This story featured a damn good enemies to lovers plot, which is rare for a contemporary romance. But the beef between Sloane and Lucian made sense for how much they hated each other. And when the reader gets the full story, the emotional impact will definitely cut deep. I loved the banter (even if it was a little excessive sometimes) and the spice was like the cherry on top to a very good book.

Was this a perfect, 5 star read? Nah, it has its issues that prevent that. For one, I think the author could've went without the leftover loose ends from book two to take up a lot of book three's plot. The continuation of the Anthony Hugo plot distracted from Things We Left Behind's strengths, which, for me, were the romance and character development of Sloane and Lucian. Secondly, I encountered some pacing issues and I felt the story was stunted in some places in favor of a lot of repeating elements. For example, did we really need 10 different scenes with the main characters feuding the exact same way? Remember, this is book 3 in a connected series. The foundation of the characters disdain for each other has already been set; I don't feel like it was totally necessary to spend another 51% of this book reiterating that point.

Anywho, I enjoyed this book overall! I think I would like to continue reading more from this author in the future, but I'm going to strictly do that if her book is a 400 page novel MAXIMUM!

Content Warnings

xomandymoo's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0

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clareasday's review against another edition

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emotional tense 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

4.75

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clairee3's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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bookjunkie15's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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beckyremillard's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

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conpierre's review against another edition

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adventurous funny sad tense 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

4.0

Does it make sense to say favorite characters but not my favorite book of the series? Since the beginning, I felt that Sloane and Lucian just oozed main character energy and I couldn’t wait for them to get a book. The book definitely didn’t disappoint with the chemistry between these characters. They just ooze meant to be and you can’t help but root for them. I love their banter and how crazy they drove each other throughout the book.

Now the only reason I wouldn’t rate this as my favorite is because even though I’m completely team Sloan and Lucian I didn’t find the book as exciting as the other two. My favorite of the series would have to be Things We Never Got Over.

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