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lmcarr0314'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
4.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content, Car accident, and Pregnancy
tannerlauren's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Car accident
grace33's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Car accident
dianaschmidty's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved how Mike, Rory, and Olivia made a little family! I’ve read a lot of books featuring a single parent, but I’m not sure that I’ve ever felt the connection within the developing family quite like how I felt it in this book! I loved how Jenny Holiday was not afraid to shy away from the effects that change can have on children and their behavior. Families, especially in the wake of tragedy, are complicated and this book did such a great job at conveying that!
My favorite parts of this book were all of Mike’s POVs. He was just perfect! He had so much depth to his character that made him feel so real. I loved watching his growth as he juggled his grief with learning to be a single parent while also continuing his NHL career and finding love again in the wake of his loss. Also, I listened to the audiobook and Joshua Jackson has an amazing narrator voice! I’d listen to him narrate a thousand audiobooks!
I loved the chemistry between Mike and Rory! They felt like a real adult relationship in ways that few books achieve! They also just had the type of chemistry that led me to tell “JUST KISS ALREADY” at my book!
I really appreciated how complex Rory was as a character. It was both heartbreaking and really inspiring to watch her grow and heal from her emotional abuse at the hands of her mother. I also get why she wrote those letters. While they were a little cringey, I really appreciate when books write 18 year olds as dramatic and stupid, which is much more accurate than a lot of portrayals of teenagers in the media. And when you factor in her trauma from dancing, her escapism into the world where “Mike” is her only confidant makes sense.
Now, with that being said, I did still kind of hate the third act conflict. I don’t often like when there’s a big secret (often secret identity) hanging over the head of one of the MCs and this book didn’t really change that opinion. I do completely get why she didn’t tell him, but I will say that (slight spoiler) when she does decide to tell him, she does it in a terrible way and that his reaction is somehow simultaneously justified and way too harsh. I don’t know, I just know that I didn’t like it.
Overall, I do really recommend this book, especially if you love your romance books to feature a lot of emotional depth!
Thank you to Jenny Holiday, NetGalley, and Forever for providing me access to this book.
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Death, and Sexual content
100_pages_hr's review
3.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident and Death
tinamayreads's review
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
Graphic: Eating disorder and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief
tamsterdam_reads's review
- 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
3.5
Both Joshua Jackson and Emily Ellet did a great job with their narration.
Moderate: Pregnancy, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
readingonthefly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, and Car accident
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Death
hjb_128's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, and Death
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault
juicy_juice'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? No
3.25
- Hot NHL player
- Slow burn
- People who go to therapy to become the best versions of themselves
- Mature topics
- Bad ending
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Death of parent