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joensign's review
challenging
emotional
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Transphobia, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual content
c100's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Minor: Death of parent
myceliamorel's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Child death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Abandonment and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Grief, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, and Emotional abuse
jennireadsmaybe's review
challenging
hopeful
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? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Addiction, Transphobia, and Death
Minor: Suicide attempt
kfmcf's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
4.75
This book took me awhile to get through not because of its quality, but its content. I greatly urge anyone who is interested in reading this book to please check the CWs.
We're first introduced to Ely Cohen who you learn off-the-bat is an addict in recovery. You also learnt that she is returning to her home area of NYC for the first time in nearly a decade, which on its own is pretty tough, but with the added layer of being from a Chabad Orthodox neighborhood (Crown Heights) adds more tension and insecurity to her character. That's a lot, and Ely's struggles with addiction, religion, and her art are captivating, but at times (understandably) overwhelming. Ely then meets Wyatt who is (unknowingly) her knew professor at her new art program. I do wish that we got a bit more of Wyatt's POV. With the little that we were given I almost wish that it had been single POV, not because I didn't like Wyatt because I did, but I just felt that Ely had so much more given to her and Wyatt didn't get the meat of his POV until 2/3s of the way through the story.
Ely as a character could have very easily fallen into the "annoying" bucket of female POVs that people are so willing and able to toss characters into. "Annoying" a lot of the times usually means they're immature or outspoken or confident or somewhere in-between. Ely is very confident - she knows who she is, what she wants, but that doesn't mean that she's faultless. And that's what I appreciate about her. We're able to see her cracks and her deepest thoughts and who she really sees herself as. I want the best for Ely, and I'm sad that the epilogue was only a month in the future because we as the reader don't really get to know what she's doing post-Parker.
Also...there is a trope that I really don't like in romance and it's insta-love. This isn't insta-love in the base sense of the trope, it's insta-lust which is valid. However, at the end of the book (this is not a spoiler it's a romance), their relationship has escalated very fast and there's 'I love you's and it's like...it hasn't been that long. It's not the most egregious example I've seen, but it took me out of it a little bit. And the third act breakup was unnecessary. I had literally just thought how nice it was that there wasn't one and then immediately ate my words on the next page. RIP.
Wyatt's trans-ness I think was also handled very well. The author didn't shy away from explicit sex while still having moments of explicit communication between the two. He also discusses his thoughts on being trans but it isn't all he is or the whole point of his character. There is the relationship with his dad being dysfunctional, but he's just seen as Wyatt the Master Artist for the majority of the book which is great. I do just wish we got to see more of Wyatt making art since we got to see so much of Ely doing so.
Don't do drugs, kids.
We're first introduced to Ely Cohen who you learn off-the-bat is an addict in recovery. You also learnt that she is returning to her home area of NYC for the first time in nearly a decade, which on its own is pretty tough, but with the added layer of being from a Chabad Orthodox neighborhood (Crown Heights) adds more tension and insecurity to her character. That's a lot, and Ely's struggles with addiction, religion, and her art are captivating, but at times (understandably) overwhelming. Ely then meets Wyatt who is (unknowingly) her knew professor at her new art program. I do wish that we got a bit more of Wyatt's POV. With the little that we were given I almost wish that it had been single POV, not because I didn't like Wyatt because I did, but I just felt that Ely had so much more given to her and Wyatt didn't get the meat of his POV until 2/3s of the way through the story.
Ely as a character could have very easily fallen into the "annoying" bucket of female POVs that people are so willing and able to toss characters into. "Annoying" a lot of the times usually means they're immature or outspoken or confident or somewhere in-between. Ely is very confident - she knows who she is, what she wants, but that doesn't mean that she's faultless. And that's what I appreciate about her. We're able to see her cracks and her deepest thoughts and who she really sees herself as. I want the best for Ely, and I'm sad that the epilogue was only a month in the future because we as the reader don't really get to know what she's doing post-Parker.
Also...there is a trope that I really don't like in romance and it's insta-love. This isn't insta-love in the base sense of the trope, it's insta-lust which is valid. However, at the end of the book (this is not a spoiler it's a romance), their relationship has escalated very fast and there's 'I love you's and it's like...it hasn't been that long. It's not the most egregious example I've seen, but it took me out of it a little bit. And the third act breakup was unnecessary. I had literally just thought how nice it was that there wasn't one and then immediately ate my words on the next page. RIP.
Wyatt's trans-ness I think was also handled very well. The author didn't shy away from explicit sex while still having moments of explicit communication between the two. He also discusses his thoughts on being trans but it isn't all he is or the whole point of his character. There is the relationship with his dad being dysfunctional, but he's just seen as Wyatt the Master Artist for the majority of the book which is great. I do just wish we got to see more of Wyatt making art since we got to see so much of Ely doing so.
Don't do drugs, kids.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Addiction, Death, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
thepermageek's review
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-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
A beautiful swoon-worthy queer Romance book that is also about reconciling with your past, getting & staying sober, negotiating boundaries, making art, and having hot, consent-focused sex!
What a wild romp!
What a wild romp!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Transphobia, Drug use, Sexual content, Death, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Domestic abuse
louisekf's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Alcohol, Sexual content, Death, Addiction, and Drug abuse
bi_n_large's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Death
Moderate: Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm
klutzykara's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
I think this succeeds as a character study of two people finding comfort in art, religion, community, and each other as they navigate their individual addiction recovery, trauma, and difficult family situations, & far less on the 'love story' promised in the synopsis. I had mixed feelings about the romance element due to the circumstances and timeline of events around them, and I felt like these aspects took away from the emotional core of the story at times. As such, I would recommend for the characters not the romance. Some spoiler thoughts below.
I can see the professor/student component that arises after a one night stand are meant to set the stage for the romance trope 'wanting what you can't have.' I think it'd have worked much better if they were simply both art students because their attempts to balance between Wyatt's position of power and Ely's own self determination were discussed, but seemingly still unresolved when Ely's struggles with her own recovery has her reaching out to Wyatt. This enters murky waters for me. It becomes this balancing act of 'well, this is not professional' but also 'I can't not help someone in need, even despite my inappropriate feelings for her, & especially since I have been through something similar myself." The narrative of two people connecting over shared struggles and supporting one another through recovery and hardship is a compelling one that really didn't need to be complicated by any potential power differentials. Especially frustrating how quickly Wyatt turns on her after they sleep together at his parent's house.... when he invited her to for his father's funeral..... as that is apparently when he decides to set the boundaries. The break up and the reconciliation in quick fashion were far less satisfying after all of this went down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Transphobia, Sexual content, and Drug abuse
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.75
Thanks to Random House for the free copy of this book.
- A SHOT IN THE DARK is a book that blends a romcom premise with the heavy internal exploration of a literary fiction novel.
- I don't always enjoy a novel as plotless as this one, but I found Ely and Wyatt to be such magnetic characters and I flew right through it.
- This book is so queer and so messy. It's also loving and thoughtful, and hopeful without promising that everything will work out perfectly.
- A SHOT IN THE DARK is a book that blends a romcom premise with the heavy internal exploration of a literary fiction novel.
- I don't always enjoy a novel as plotless as this one, but I found Ely and Wyatt to be such magnetic characters and I flew right through it.
- This book is so queer and so messy. It's also loving and thoughtful, and hopeful without promising that everything will work out perfectly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Vomit, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Transphobia, Abandonment, Homophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Cursing