Scan barcode
shaykay's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
3.5
I liked the covers and wanted to love these ones because I loved Still Beating; however, this duology wasn't for me. The first book needed to be faster, and then this one left out what I liked from the first book. It was a good duology, just different from what I expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
cassidylee's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
bribreez's review
emotional
hopeful
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
*POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD! ESPECIALLY WHEN REFERRING TO PREVIOUS BOOK “An Optimist’s Guide to Heartbreak” in duet.
Fear not people! Lucy and Cal’s story isn’t over yet! That cliffhanger in the previous book had me shocked and quite frankly worried about what happened! Thankfully, in this book, “A Pessimist’s Guide to Love”, we got to see what ended up happening following the cliffhanger as well as finally get Cal’s point of view.
With the cliffhanger ending with Lucy’s life on the line, Cal was in the midst of an emotional turmoil, and thinking he may have lost Lucy. I would say most of the beginning if not most of the story, Cal felt guilty for what happened to Lucy, and believed it was his fault Lucy ended up almost dying due to her heart condition. While it wasn’t Cal’s fault by any means, he still felt conflicted and with so much going on with him internally, he started to rely a lot on alcohol to numb his guilt and fears. The coping mechanism that Cal relied on wasn’t the best thing for him, but with everything that happened with Lucy, he went back to what he knew would “help” him which was alcohol and potentially pills.
Lucy on the other hand was trying to get back to her life, but also trying to figure out things with Cal. Lucy and Cal cared deeply for one another, but with Cal’s belief that he wasn’t good enough for Lucy or couldn’t provide her with the kind of relationship she wanted, he was in a way an obstacle himself in them finally getting together. With all that angst still prevalent in this book, there was plenty of tension and desire swirling in the air between Lucy and Cal. For all of Cal trying to “distance” himself from Lucy, he couldn’t ignore his possessive nature when it came to Lucy. Plus it was hot seeing Cal get all territorial over Lucy. Ahh I know not the best thing to love about fictional men but hey, this is just a story and as long as it doesn’t hurt people or hurt the characters in the story themselves then technically speaking Cal wasn’t a walking red flag… at least to me lol.
The love between Lucy and Cal was not easy, they had their share of ups and downs, and had to work in order to be together. Despite Cal’s inner demons clawing at him internally and momentarily considering reverting back to his addiction, he took the initiative, and gave himself space to work on himself. Cal initially felt like he couldn’t give Lucy the love she deserved, but seeing how he was around her, and how Lucy was so happy being with Cal, it made perfect sense for them to be together. I loved the whole grumpy/ sunshine dynamic between Lucy and Cal, and seeing how Lucy brought out a warmth to Cal’s stern and serious demeanor was a nice change for him. Cal and Lucy found their way back to each other, and seeing them finally be together and enjoy what was essentially their honeymoon phase and get even more serious made me happy for them. Cal may seem all tough and gruff, but when it came to Lucy, he was not only protective and possessive over her, but willing to do anything to bring smiles on her face *Cue me swooning & also tears of joy.
I really enjoyed reading this second book in the duet! Cal and Lucy’s story started off with plenty of sadness, grief, and heartbreak, but they managed to overcome so much, and found their happy ending together. I really loved the meaning behind the songs that Lucy wrote or even the tattoo that Cal had, as well as just the depth of meaning sprinkled throughout the story in remembrance of Emma and all that Cal and Lucy had together. I especially loved this book in seeing Lucy and Cal get the happy ending they deserved. The ending and epilogue filled my heart with joy. I feel like the epilogue held so much significance and love that I just about wanted to cry, but instead I was just brimming with love! So cute the way Cal and Lucy’s story ended! Cal and Lucy were easy to fall in love with from Lucy’s infectious positivity and laughter to Cal’s protective and secretly a softie when it came to Lucy. Definitely make sure to read the previous book as it a MUST in order to understand this book, and of course I hope you enjoy this book and the characters as much as I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Alcohol