Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Things We Hide From The Light

Whenever you’re close, everything is better. The closer you are, the easier I breathe, the less I feel like life is just a never-ending pour of lemon juice into an open wound that won’t heal.

“You’re not responsible for how you were brought up, but you are responsible for your actions and reactions once you’re an adult.”

“Tell me what you need to feel safe with this. With us.”

🪽 First person dual POV

🪽 Brother’s best friend/ex
🪽 Police chief / insurance investigator
🪽 Forced proximity; neighbours

🪽 Insta-chemistry
🪽 Both have secrets
🪽 Representation of working through trauma and anxiety associated with a shooting and a medical ailment

🪽 Nickname 🥹

🪽 Found family

🪽 Banter 👌🏻

🪽 Small town vibes

🪽 ‘Touch her and I’ll kill you’ vibes (‘Touch him and I’ll kill you’ vibes 🙌🏻)
🪽 The way Knox & Nash are cinnamon rolls for Waylay 🥹

🪽 Well established secondary characters; Knox & Daisy (Book 1), Waylay (Book 1), Sloane (Book 3), Lucian (Book 3)

🪽 MC growth; risking a relationship, overcoming trauma, unhealthy family ties, boundaries, communication.
🪽 Consent culture 🙌🏻

🪽 Epilogue
🪽 Bonus epilogue 2 years later

Available in audiobook, ebook and paperback.

⚠️ Toxic relationship (platonic), violence (moderate), gun violence (explicit), death of a parent (past), death, blood (minor), parental abandonment, kidnapping, medical trauma (moderate, past).

Content Warnings

dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

CW: PTSD, gun violence, kidnapping, panic attacks, addiction (recounted), violence, domestic abuse, alcoholism (recounted), racism, police brutality, parental abandonment (recounted)

Following the success of Lucy Score's first book in the Knockemout series, Things We Never Got Over, Things We Hide from the Light focuses on Nash Morgan as he falls for Knox's best friend Lina when she comes into town for work.

I don't know why, but in some ways I think I like Things We Hide from the Light better than Things We Never Got Over even though I gave them both the same rating as well as they are both equally good.

One of the things I really like about Things We Hide from the Light is the improved writing style that Score implements for the second book in the series. There's much more of an improvement in character development and you get to understand more of Nash and Lina's backgrounds as well as how it influences their relationships with others. You also get more honest discussions about mental health and the importance of seeking help, which I really appreciate. Additionally, I think the plot twists have improved since Things We Never Got Over and it balances the conundrum of not seeing it coming while also having it make sense.

Both of them are really good MCs and I enjoyed seeing their relationship unfold on-page (though, I personally wish it's less spicy). I think Score does a great job with focusing on their relationship while also getting some "where are they now" from characters featured in Things We Never Got Over.

For those of you looking for a romance novel with small town grit, you are going to like the second book in Score's Knockemout series.

Content Warnings

ecravens's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

jonezzzing's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Content Warnings

More...