Reviews with content warning for Medical content - Next of Kin

Mrs. Bonam-Young made a forever fan out of my off the dedication of this book alone!!

But omg, this book was so so good. I got to the last page of the bonus epilogue and just felt so good. Like this book is a warm cup of tea or a cozy blanket on a chilly night. I’m so glad I listened to everyone about how good it was and bought a copy. And now I can’t wait to read EVERYTHING else Hannah puts out.

Chloe and Warren’s journey was so nice to watch. And to see them go from reluctant partners to not quite team members to a united front, in love and then to them being a family unit was the best. Two people who deserved all the happiness and find their partner in one another. Also just thinking about Warren being the only dad Willow will ever know just makes me emotional.

I would’ve liked to see another moment with Luke and Warren after the motel moment, as well as Chloe and her adoptive mom sitting down and working their shit out but I still really enjoyed the story.

The book was funny, heartwarming and emotional with characters easy to root for. Can’t wait to read Next to You soon!

Content Warnings

gillyreads's review against another edition

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fast-paced

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

So I really enjoyed some parts of this book. I thought the idea was interesting (although you kind of just have to ignore the part where CPS makes two people live together being entirely unbelievable). I really like Luke, the younger brother, and initially I thought the way the story explores Chloe’s experience with adoption was done well. In some parts I liked the romance, but I think possibly it would have benefited from a dual POV.

Overall though, the fact Warren punched a wall in front of Chloe and her baby sister was not dealt with well which then meant I didn’t really like the way they stayed together

. Everything was tied up is too tidy a bow at the end, happily ever after isn’t very believed is it’s depicted as every single problem is somehow magically resolved.
My initial thoughts on finishing was a mostly good book that needed some serious editing before publication but the more I think about the more I think that it just didn’t do a good job dealing with the complex issues it was trying to represent.

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breathehopebooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense medium-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? No

4.0

Very cool rep across the board: deafness, foster care, adoption, fetal alcohol syndrome. Despite the story occuring over the course of a single year, the romantic relationship seemed to develop really fast, but i understand how major life changes—such as raising an infant—can bring people together. I also found Warren’s sweet talking a little weird, but that might just be me.

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