Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

155 reviews

adiloretto's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"I'm a mess. A work in progress. I'm two steps forward and one step back. I hoard my cheese, and I can't efficiently load the dishwasher, and I'm going to struggle with the truth until the day I croack. Jack knows all of this, and he loves me. Not anyway, but because."

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rosmariinireads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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meggiemeggie52's review against another edition

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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

4.0

This was so cute, but not a love for me. I loved Jack, the development of Elise and Jack's relationship, and how he helped her open up and be more honest with people... but Elsie not even knowing who *she* is or being able to tell her best friend she doesn't like the movies they watch together frustrated me on multiple occasions. It also annoyed me that Elsie refused to believe that Jack didn't actually hate her, even when he told her this (multiple times) to her face.

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prettylightsandcitynights's review against another edition

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emotional funny relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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clareasday's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective tense 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

3.25


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underscoresyd's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • 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

4.0


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readers_sea's review against another edition

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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

4.5

I really enjoyed Elsie and Jack!! Jack was the perfect book boyfriend and had me swooning the whole time (even when he seemed like an a-hole). Elsie wasn’t necessarily my favorite, but she was super relatable. I love that Ali Hazelwood always makes her characters so easy to relate to!

Their story was a whirlwind that definitely kept me interested. I wish we got a bit more time with the characters in the end and got a glimpse of their happily ever after together, but I still enjoyed the journey getting there!!

The cameo of past characters was such a treat, and I loved the side characters that were introduced! Everyone in this book had such different personalities but they all went well together.

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annabananadel's review

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challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • 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

"I need you to pace us, because wherever it is that we’re going… I’m here. I’m already right here."

What can I say except that I'm running out of banter and funny annotation tabs? I can't help but laugh out loud. 

Also, thank you, Ali, for the Adam x Olive cameo. One that is not really necessary but gave me a lot of feelings. I moss them already and would definitely reread TLH in the future. 

Love, Theoretically is definitely a 5 🌟 rating. It’s been a long time since I actually LOL-ed. The comedic scenes and lines, topped up with the banters are chef’s kiss- amazing. 

It also showed how bad academic politics really is. Ali really is an amazing writer because she conveyed how hard it really is to be a woman in STEM - but also showed how people like Jack who doesn’t judge them with anything but their outputs. 

Elsie x Jack story is one of my favorites so far. The banter + emotional connection is on point and will make you fall in love with them both. Elsie’s mind is also amazingly written and I’m super glad that she’s in therapy. 

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ang3lina_'s review

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.5


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theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Not my favourite by Ali Hazelwood and that’s a shame because I was so excited to read this!

MFC, Elsie, is the dumbest smart person out of all of Ali’s novels. She doesn’t speak up for herself. Ever. With anyone. She moulds herself into whoever she thinks the person she’s speaking with wants her to be—dates, her mother, best friend, mentor, coworkers, her students, random people she’s meeting for the first time. This is her personality and I guess her idea of survival mode in academia? But it is cringy to read. 

Elsie and MMC, Jack, have a major height difference which is such a common trope I’m beyond tired of it. She needs to crane her neck to look up at him. She needs to stand on her tippy toes and pull his face towards her to kiss. His pen!s pokes her in the stomach. She’s a small-average height woman and he’s a giant. We get it. 

Elsie’s interactions with her mother felt forced. Phone calls with and memories of mommy dearest are added sporadically throughout the book. Mom calls and expects Elsie to break up fights between her two older brothers—who are  adults. We never meet the mother or the brothers so, even though their  interactions give examples of Elsie putting up with a lot of garbage from a lot of people, they felt like unnecessary characters. 

Elsie and her best friend/roommate have an odd cheese obsession. This is focused on so much it is actually a character trait. Cheese is one of the few things they have in common, but they make it work. 

Elsie does grow throughout the book with Jack’s help. She starts to tell people what she thinks and how she feels which made me proud. One of Elsie‘s dislikes is her best friend ’s taste in movies. But even though Elsie starts voicing her opinions by the end of the book, in the epilogue she’s sitting through yet another movie she doesn’t  want to be watching. Furthermore, the person she’s watching this movie with told her earlier in the book that they would never watch her favourite movies with her ever again. So Elsie is expected to compromise for their tastes, but they won’t compromise their’s for her? Eww. No thank you

The ending was meh for me. It didn’t feel as climatic as it could have been. 

Sorry. This storyline and the characters just really weren’t for me.  

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