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annahamburger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual content, Death, Sexual harassment, Grief, Sexism, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Cursing
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Racism
Minor: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship
lasafica_reads'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
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual content and Racism
agnesbebon's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Terminal illness, Dementia, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcoholism and Sexual assault
staticsandstationery'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
I loved both of them. Rhi started as a boss babe who never slept with the same man twice (a trauma response to her last serious relationship) who was then able to balance her professional life and her focus on her work and her career with her relationships - with her family, her friends, and with Samson. Samson was multidimensional and powerful, and while I originally found myself wishing he hadn't been a hulking ex-linebacker and had been the mildly geeky owner of a rival company, the added element of CTE and the death of both his father and his uncle was surprising. It added a wonderful level of depth to Samson that made him even more loveable.
They diversity of the characters in this book should definitely be acknowledged - there is completely wonderful representation of different races, different sexualities (okay we could have seen more of this, but it was there), and different levels of mental wellness. It was fascinating and fun and steamy as hell.
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, and Mental illness
ticktock's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
sarahm96's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Racism, Misogyny, Grief, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
kfmcf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I found both leads likeable and grounded. Samson was sweet but not so absurdly so it became unbelievable. Rhi was spunky and fiery but showed a vulnerability that rounded her character out well. I do wish we had gotten to see a bit more of the side characters. For how long this book was we got a lot of the leads (which isn't bad) but we didn't get much time with some of the compatriots like Lakshmi, Harris, etc. I don't mention Katrina on that list because I know she's the FL of book #2.
Plot-wise, I knew where the story was leading but it mostly made sense and had a few surprises thrown in. I won't go into detail for spoilers sake but the ending was expected but made sense. Also, I do want to mention that this is one of the only romance books without an epilogue that I've read where I still feel fulfilled by the plot and characters' arcs. I do want to commend Alisha Rai on that because it is usually a severe pet peeve of mine.
Lastly, I want to say that I greatly appreciated this book's focus on the brain effects of prolonged football playing. As someone who likes sports, football has always been infuriating to me because of the disturbingly high rates of brain injury and sustained aftereffects. This book doesn't beat around the bush about the issue but it also shows why players keep playing. Focusing on this topic made this book have a more solid footing, in my opinion.
Overall, I do recommend this book and look forward to reading the sequels!
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Sexism
Minor: Alcohol
kylieqrada'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
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Terminal illness, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Dementia, and Grief
itsmeyseniab's review against another edition
I knew right off the bat that I wasn't a fan of the writing style, but that was something that I was willing to overlook. However, I find these characters extremely unlikeable and bland all at the same time. The entire "conflict" of this story left a bad taste in my mouth as well... a family emergency is perfectly acceptable grounds to have been "ghosted"...
Graphic: Chronic illness and Terminal illness
Minor: Death