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ashrad'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
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment and Child abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Minor: Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Sexual content
bringmybooks'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
4.0
Thank you to Edelweiss, Forever, & Hachette Book Group for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
Review: Abby Jimenez's books are just so. dang. FUN. I love how there are super serious topics presented in each of her novels, but that they are done in a way that lets you go through the tough things without feeling like you've been clobbered. This probably wasn't my favorite of the books, just because the logic/plot portion of it missed a bit for me (for the most part, I'm able to suspend disbelief for her plots, but this one felt a bit too far-fetched). That being said, I can definitely say that if you've liked her previous books, I would feel fairly confident recommending this one to you as well!
Overall Rating: ★★★★ / 4.13
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★★★
Atmosphere ★★★
Writing ★★★★
Plot ★★★
Intrigue ★★★★
Logic ★★★
Enjoyment ★★★★
Pacing ★★★★
Dialogue ★★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Child abuse, Grief, Cursing, Alcohol, Addiction, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness
enzopudge'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
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
kerrydutra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Abandonment, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Emotional abuse
maggieparedesauthor'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: Abandonment, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Cursing, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Child abuse, Medical content, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
zanazy'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
3.0
The main relationship between Emma, a traveling nurse, and Justin, a software engineer is sparked by a DM sent by Emma after an AITA post that Justin makes. In his post, Justin explains his dating curse, similar to the movie Good Luck Chuck, where every girl he dates, goes on to find their soulmate after they break up. Coincidentally, Emma DMs him because she has the same curse. After a few flirty DMs and mentions of a funny, plumbing billboard, Emma makes an out-of-character decision to change her next traveling assignment from Hawaii to Minnesota so she and Justin can "date" and break each other's curse by canceling them out.
Aside from the relationship between Emma and Justin, the best friend/sister relationship between Emma and Maddie is a large driver of several key events and character developments for Emma. Emma is Maddie's foster sister and Maddie has seen Emma at her worst, more often than she should have. Most of the worst times usually involve Emma's biological mother - Amber. Emma has major unresolved childhood trauma from frequent abandonment by her mother that has never had a chance to heal. However, Emma is good and she chooses to see the best in her mom. This eventually
Justin has issues of his own. Shortly before meeting Emma, his mother is sentenced to jail, leaving Justin to take care of his younger siblings and become their guardian. He goes through a lot in this story and the character development he undergoes is almost as big as what Emma goes through.
Because of their underlying issues, Justin and Emma's story is relatable. It can get difficult to read at times as there are several moments where their mental health is not in a good spot, especially Emma's, but it's part of who they are, and I enjoyed the insight into the minds of their characters.
This is the first book by Abby that I have read, and I enjoyed it. When I finished the story, I learned that two supporting characters and one character who makes a brief appearance in this book were first mentioned in Part of Your World, so I intend to read that book too, but as of writing this, I don't think it took anything away from my experience.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Vomit, Addiction, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content
juanat77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Car accident, Medical content, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Cursing, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Vomit
readrgurl1987'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
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Ableism, Child abuse, Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Grief
slaterj'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
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction and Emotional abuse