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myneverendingtbrlist's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars - I loved this. Listened the audiobook and it's was such a sweet age gap romance.
oumou_books's review
emotional
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was enjoyable but felt too long!!
kittykels's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
3.0
Honestly unsure about how to rate this book. 3 is probably the highest I would give and 2 the lowest. Maybe it should be somewhere in between, but I can't decide.
Like:
Like:
- Jude, for the most part.
- Instant attraction yet slow burn romance
- Exploring what people want in life at 18 vs. 34, etc.
Dislike:
- A lot of the conflict doesn't seem genuine. I know this is a fictional story, but I want the characters and their flaws and their conflicts to feel genuine and organic. Unfortunately, this story reads like it's made up and sometimes a little over-the-top.
- I won't go into detail in case my own experience with mental health isn't comprehensive enough to have an opinion on this, but I felt like the mental health part of the book was written by someone who researched mental health issues without ever experiencing them. Which is fine, I don't want or expect everyone to experience mental health issues, obviously. But I experience some of the mental health issues mentioned in this book and was a little confused about how they were approached.
- This was my first age-gap romance (I think) so I made sure to keep an open mind going into this story. I think the age difference and the slippery slope of romance with an 18 year old still in high school was handled decently, but at the same time I feel like it devolved into a giant miscommunication trope. It went from interesting in the very beginning to annoying and boring by the end.
- There's spice in this book, but not a lot of it. I'm totally fine with that, but
WHY do they keep mostly hooking up while one of them is recovering from a hospital visit?!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Pregnancy
beco's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
2.75
di_lara's review
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
mnwakeford's review against another edition
3.0
Starts off well but goes downhill
This started off as a 4 star read, but went downhill around the halfway mark. The premise was good. Our hero, a 34-year old construction worker, meets an 18-year old high school student while he renovates a house next door to her school. After helping her get a tow truck when her car breaks down, a friendship of sorts develops between them. This leads him to discover the dire straits the girl is in, and as a way out of her desperate situation, he offers her a marriage of convenience.
They marry, the girl moves in, and from there, the author could have built a passionate romance out of their forced proximity and married state. Instead, we got the "will they won't they misery show" for the next half of the story. The occasional sex scenes and dramatic events are thrown in to keep the tension going, but these do very little to bring the story forward or to resolve issues in their relationship. The book was over a hundred pages too long, and by the end, I was no longer invested in this couple, just tired with the endless seesaw of up and down between them. It takes skill to develop and resolve a romance once the initial dramatic points have been set up - skills evidently missing in this story.
This started off as a 4 star read, but went downhill around the halfway mark. The premise was good. Our hero, a 34-year old construction worker, meets an 18-year old high school student while he renovates a house next door to her school. After helping her get a tow truck when her car breaks down, a friendship of sorts develops between them. This leads him to discover the dire straits the girl is in, and as a way out of her desperate situation, he offers her a marriage of convenience.
They marry, the girl moves in, and from there, the author could have built a passionate romance out of their forced proximity and married state. Instead, we got the "will they won't they misery show" for the next half of the story. The occasional sex scenes and dramatic events are thrown in to keep the tension going, but these do very little to bring the story forward or to resolve issues in their relationship. The book was over a hundred pages too long, and by the end, I was no longer invested in this couple, just tired with the endless seesaw of up and down between them. It takes skill to develop and resolve a romance once the initial dramatic points have been set up - skills evidently missing in this story.
tone611's review against another edition
3.0
I love a good age gap book. I’m fact, they are my favorite. But, this one was kind of never ending. It seemed like some of the drama was creative on purpose to actually make the book. I love the idea and plot of the story, I just wish it gave me more.
rgills's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Drug abuse, and Mental illness
mybeastisreader's review against another edition
3.0
New to me author
I honestly wanted to give at least four stars because it did have what I want on the surface but the story started frustrating with the back and forth and endless everything- for me this book felt so much longer than it needed to be but I can defo see the appeal.
Each character came with their own baggage and over time - a long time- overcame those and just did what they prob should have done a lot earlier. They worked through it and had their HEA, pets and all.
I honestly wanted to give at least four stars because it did have what I want on the surface but the story started frustrating with the back and forth and endless everything- for me this book felt so much longer than it needed to be but I can defo see the appeal.
Each character came with their own baggage and over time - a long time- overcame those and just did what they prob should have done a lot earlier. They worked through it and had their HEA, pets and all.
revv20's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
slow-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
3.0