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koistyfishy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
I think I am cursed with books that I love and hate at the same time because THIS IS ANOTHER ONE that I absolutely adored until it went full 180 and I was asking myself what the fuck just happened???
This dual POV mostly follows Naomi with a few sprinkling of Knox. Naomi has just Julia Robert's herself out of her wedding and made her way to nowhere-ville Virginia AKA Knockemout because her IDENTICAL "lowlife" TWIN sister Tina has asked for help. When she arrives she is immediately accosted and attacked for being Tina and left with an 11-year-old niece - her car and money stolen by her lovely sister and no phone. In comes Knox, the grumpy tattooed knight on a shiny motorbike who wants nothing to do with this uppity needy pain in his ass but can't help but help this damsel in distress.
So I'm not going to lie...I was giggling at this banter like a schoolgirl - it was perfect. The tension, the humour, the snappy attitude. But underneath this book had a compelling message of what it means to be loved by someone and what your worth means. The fact that asking for help once in a while is not a weakness and when people love you it is ok to show some vulnerability. It also helped that the writing was super easy to get sucked into.
From a character perspective, Naomi was a powerhouse. She has been dealt with a shit hand and when she arrives in town it derails further. But talk about determination and resilience. She was smart and able to stand up for herself when needed but also so incredibly hard on herself. She is the definition of self-sacrifice and accommodating and would bend over backwards and sell her kidney to not be seen as a burden, effort or inconvenience to anyone. I really liked that she had to grow past this part of her "people-pleasing" character and the way that this was done was beautiful and compelling and a big reason why I adored some aspects of this book.
I also liked that there wasn't really "miscommunication". That is something that is the complete opposite in this book - the ability they effectively communicate boundaries and expectations and have mature conversations. Yes, obviously even though boundaries on feelings are discussed we still know this is a romance and those won't be kept. But the fact that these conversations were had is a big deal. Their actions however were sometimes far from mature and I had to remind myself constantly I wasn't reading about new adults and these people were basically my age (FMC at least)...
I did like that the mature conversations were also had between Waylay and Naomi. Naomi is new to parenting and very abruptly had to step into the role. Normally with "normal" teens a lot of difficult conversations occur. Now imagine how exponentially this increased when she is dealing with a teen who sees her as a stranger, has been abandoned and neglected her whole life and doesn't trust adults easily. She rebels, curses and acts out. It was so wonderful watching the relationship form between Waylay and Naomi and the conversations these two were able to have after they established trust just melted my heart.
Knox is my problem with this book. I love a big growly grumpy man. They are my kryptonite and the fact that his first instinct was to look after Naomi and Way was absolutely adorable. The way he stepped in, how he cared for the both of them and how well the attraction and pull he felt with Naomi was written was chef kiss fantastic. HOWEVER, THIS GUY IS THE KING OF MIXED FUCKING SIGNALS. I would normally forgive this but his actions irritated me and made this go down in ADORATION.
Then there is the awesome fantastic tell-it-like-it-is best friend Stef who I adore and would love to see a little novella of his escapades. He is like the gay best friend everyone wants in their corner and though his personality is very stereotypical and cookie cutter for that generalisation I liked his presence...
Trope Summary:
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Small Town Romance
▶ Alpha Male
▶ GrumpyXSunshine
▶ Tattoos
▶ Rich Guy Romance
▶ Slow Burn but instalust/attraction
▶ Mine
▶ Found Family
▶ Touch her you die
▶ Workplace Romance
Overall this was spicy, fluffy, sweet and heartwarming and won't be the last Lucy Score book I pick up!
Graphic: Gun violence, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Infertility and Addiction
jade_sanderson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Bullying, Infertility, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, and Drug abuse
alesiaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Abandonment, Sexual content, and Physical abuse
Minor: Infertility
megcat13's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Infertility
sbbailey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Bullying and Addiction
Minor: Infertility
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Kidnapping, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Addiction, Sexual content, and Gun violence
Minor: Infertility and Car accident
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual content, and Gun violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
Minor: Infertility and Addiction
melly82092's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Infertility
vanesst's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Addiction, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Gun violence and Infertility
lizzie_b99's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
I think there was a lack of character description for Knox. It's pretty clear what Knox loves about Naomi, but I found the reverse rather lacking.
There were a few sections that I think were unclear and required more editing. Given all the hype on Bookstagram, I'd hoped that I'd like this more, but it was still pretty decent. I had some issues with it (there are a lot of my spicy scene ick words), but it's still a cute novel.
Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Child abuse
Minor: Body shaming, Alcoholism, Infertility, Death of parent, Addiction, and Car accident