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elenushka8's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Death
the_vegan_bookworm's review
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I loved the diverse asexual representation in this book! Both Malcolm and Joy showed unique aspects of the spectrum of asexuality. I also loved how autism-coded Joy is, and I really related to a lot of her experiences with being 'too honest'.
I like the dynamic between Fox and Joy, as it is PEAK grumpy x sunshine. This being said, I didn't feel invested in the plotline with Malcolm because he never seemed to be an appealing character to me. Like I can't see why she is so into him, which undercuts a lot of the plotline.
I like the dynamic between Fox and Joy, as it is PEAK grumpy x sunshine. This being said, I didn't feel invested in the plotline with Malcolm because he never seemed to be an appealing character to me. Like I can't see why she is so into him, which undercuts a lot of the plotline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, and Mental illness
shinypurplepants's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was a hard book to rate so I let it sit for a while to process. I did not enjoy this book as a whole but there were parts that were done well.
Pros
- the way asexuality was handled made me feel seen! i enjoyed the discussions had by the characters because i feel i have had the exact same ones, word for word.
- i love romance books that explore different types of romance! it was nice to see the QPP-style relationship between our leads
Cons
- i did not like any of the lead characters so... well it's hard to enjoy a character-driven story when Joy causes you anger!!!
- the author makes a lot of references that went over my head and it was more often annoying rather than endearing because of the frequency
- seriously despite my happiness to see a QPP out in the wild i was so upset by how TOXIC the relationship was! why? the only representation we have so far and it's borderline abusive?! gross!
Pros
- the way asexuality was handled made me feel seen! i enjoyed the discussions had by the characters because i feel i have had the exact same ones, word for word.
- i love romance books that explore different types of romance! it was nice to see the QPP-style relationship between our leads
Cons
- i did not like any of the lead characters so... well it's hard to enjoy a character-driven story when Joy causes you anger!!!
- the author makes a lot of references that went over my head and it was more often annoying rather than endearing because of the frequency
- seriously despite my happiness to see a QPP out in the wild i was so upset by how TOXIC the relationship was! why? the only representation we have so far and it's borderline abusive?! gross!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
emilineopines's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Racism and Toxic friendship
kcbatts's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Alcohol and Panic attacks/disorders
millie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
not bad but also not great? i feel like tye characters are very. um. frustrating i would say? there's an unnerving lack of communication between characters and also we don't learn much about them either i mean learn /things/ but also nothing.
malcolm is the biggest presence in the book and we don't know anything about him.
idk what else to say, i think its very well written, the pacing is okay sometimes jumbled but fine but the weakest point might be characters : a main character who spend more than half the book moning iver someone is quite... i wouldn't use upsetting but it certainly put you in a mood.
lots of good points for ace rep, explaining ace spectrum & having an ace black woman. disconcerted by the absence of secondary queer characters.
malcolm is the biggest presence in the book and we don't know anything about him.
idk what else to say, i think its very well written, the pacing is okay sometimes jumbled but fine but the weakest point might be characters : a main character who spend more than half the book moning iver someone is quite... i wouldn't use upsetting but it certainly put you in a mood.
lots of good points for ace rep, explaining ace spectrum & having an ace black woman. disconcerted by the absence of secondary queer characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Sexual content
aromarrie's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
there’s something so comforting about the way that claire kann writes and joy just kinda stole my heart well into the book, faults and all. seeing how fox grew to care for her just as much for the same reasons put a big smile on my face and i love how much exploring there was in this story as there was romance and communication.
regarding the asexual rep, as someone who’s aro myself, there’s still a big line to cross there but i still connected to joy a lot regarding her feelings for malcolm, as complicated as they were. and i’m just so damn relieved to have read a main character as self-aware as joy who strives to be her best but is also allowed to make her mistakes and feel the way she does.
the character dynamics among joy, fox, malcolm, and summer added some tension well near the beginning of the story but there were some good memories made that i’m grateful for. i hope that they all find the peace & happiness each and every one of them deserve, leaving behind their pasts and old habits if they can.
this is perhaps as good of a summer read as i could’ve stumbled upon, so that’s cool.
regarding the asexual rep, as someone who’s aro myself, there’s still a big line to cross there but i still connected to joy a lot regarding her feelings for malcolm, as complicated as they were. and i’m just so damn relieved to have read a main character as self-aware as joy who strives to be her best but is also allowed to make her mistakes and feel the way she does.
the character dynamics among joy, fox, malcolm, and summer added some tension well near the beginning of the story but there were some good memories made that i’m grateful for. i hope that they all find the peace & happiness each and every one of them deserve, leaving behind their pasts and old habits if they can.
this is perhaps as good of a summer read as i could’ve stumbled upon, so that’s cool.
Content Warnings
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia and Alcohol
cheye13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Not explicitly a panic attack, but a fear of heights greatly affects a character. No explicit sexual content, but there is open and direct discussion of the possibility of and general topic of intercourse. Racism, religious bigotry, and acephobia are touched on in the briefest of mentions. While not explicitly toxic, the friendship explored is acknowledged as unhealthy.bookhoarderbea's review
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Religious bigotry and Bullying
thefatpaperback's review against another edition
5.0
Vacation romance with unrequited love and fake dating trope. Joy loves her best friend, so she fake dates his current crush’s ex to make him jealous. Features ace characters and interracial pairings. Love loved loved this book! It’s a great escape.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia and Sexual content
Minor: Racism and Death