Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Headstrong Like Us

This book was a mess and I loved every minute of it.

As usual, these two are written like actual well adjusted humans. I didn't realise how much I needed stories where characters are not constantly kept in the dark by their significant others.

It was wild, as the blurb warns you, and always just a little cheesy but in the best way.

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lunahale's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

this book gets one star for luna and donnelly. even individually, i loved them so much in this, and we got to see A LOT of donnelly—especially in his relationship with farrow (which i LOVE). and even though they didn’t have that much interaction with each other (at least less than i wanted them to get, there was actually a fair amount of discussion about them considering they’re background characters), and they literally projected the words “one time thing” into the sky on a billboard, i still loved them. if they get done dirty, i will literally never read another kbr book—i mean it. they are my favs and i will riot.

this book gets another star for sulli and akara. they probably had the most page time in this book compared to all the other books combined--and i know that this was because kbr are trying to prep us for the poly, but i’ll take it.

sulli literally broke up with her boyfriend bc she found out he told akara to “stop flirting with her.” it’s a literal gold mind of moments—especially when sulli said, out loud, “My boyfriend told Akara to stop flirting with me” and banks took a shot saying “i’m team kitsulli.” so maybe i thrived a little this go around.

one more star for loren hale. i know a lot of people are upset about his arc in this story, but honestly, i thought it was the best part of the book.

lo IS an alcoholic. that doesn’t change with time. and people are upset bc kbr is “ruining his development” but i disagree. i don’t know if it’s because my father is an alcoholic, but it was so utterly human to read about lo’s struggles in this. to me, it made him a real person and not just a character in a book. and just because someone is sober for a really long time, doesn’t mean they won’t relapse. i think a lot of the people that are complaining about him—complaining about kbr making him—buying that bottle of whiskey just don’t personally know an alcoholic and want nothing about lo to change. lo is still a great person. he’s still an amazing dad. he still loves lily. he’s STILL an alcoholic. so this might be an unpopular opinion, but i loved loren hale in this book.

the last star is for

ripley because he was the cutest baby, and i really liked the whole story line surrounding him—even if it made me sad.

and i guess this star can also go to farrow and moffy because i actually enjoyed reading about them and this is probs my fav book with them in it. (even though i also gave llu and alu four stars. i know. i make no sense.) i felt like they actually had a relationship in this and it wasn’t all just sex. i mean, they got married in this so i would hope this would be the case, but i had to wait til now to feel like i finally got what i’d been waiting for with them. a perfect wedding book, in my opinion.

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ashlightgrayson's review

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emotional 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

4.0

Farrow and Moffy are engaged and planning their wedding. They have moved in with Moffy's parents, Lo and Lily, temporarily as they plan the wedding. We got a glimpse of Farrow's ex-boyfriend in the last book, so this time we got a glimpse into Moffy's sexual history with a side character. That felt more like a moot point for entertainment as far as plot, but it didn't take away from the other parts of the story I enjoyed.

Donnelly is currently on Xander's detail and we keep getting hints of his interactions with Luna. I'm excited to see where their relationship goes in the future. There is a good amount of foreshadowing that they are upcoming, so we'll see how that happens. Donnelly is also plays an important role in a major shift in Moffy and Farrow's lives.

I think it was an amazing show of friendship for Farrow to take on the responsibility of being a parent for Donnelly's nephew. Maximoff and Farrow also are a great example of what communication between a healthy couple looks like. Farrow made sure that Maximoff was willing to take on the responsibility with him before agreeing. They also share the responsibilities of parenting very well which only helps to strengthen their relationship.

We get to see how close Farrow and Donnelly, and by association, Moffy throughout the plot. If Moffy and Donnelly weren't close friends before, they definitely are now. There is a lot of loyalty and love not just within the romantic relationships of the story, but also the friendships and I love that.

There is an exploration throughout the story of a lot of Moffy's insecurities. This includes his fear of becoming a sex addict or alcoholic. He is able to communicate openly with Farrow about his insecurities which shows the stability of his romantic relationship with him. In addition, Farrow knows Maximoff well enough to know when he is not feeling well or when he is overthinking something. He makes sure to question him about it and make sure he is doing okay. Moffy's family is also very perceptive of his mental and emotional well being because they know he is willing to do almost anything for those he cares for, even at his own expense. It is clear that despite his love for his family, he isn't perfect. He has flaws and insecurities that will never completely go away. However, he is surrounded by an excellent network of family and friends that will defend him (even from his own vile grandmother because she's terrible). I think this was an adequate conclusion to Farrow and Maximoff's story and I'm looking forward to other romances between the other couples.

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