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Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Car accident, Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Medical content
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders
I was NOT disappointed. This book was such a treat. The humor and writing style that I loved from the author's debut were on full display, and most of the problems I had were much improved. This was leaps and bounds better!
What I liked:
1) No insta-love: This was a contemporary romance where the characters actually had a history together. It wasn't just boom meet cute and married a few weeks later.
2) The friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers combo tropes: You will understand if you read.
3) No ridiculous miscommunications: Sure there was some miscommunication (mainly from their past as teenagers); however, it wasn't overdone. For the most part the two main characters would talk out their problems and not let things fester.
4) The male lead wasn't crazy possessive: Sure Liam felt jealousy when other men flirted with the girl he liked, but he didn't immediately jump to wanting to pummel them into oblivion.
5) The family interactions: These are some of my favorite parts of Desai's novels.
What kept it from being a five star read?
1) Both books in the series seem to be trying to get away from the typical romance heroine "type", while appreciating diversity in women. This is great and one of the things that drew me to the series in the first place. However, I'm noticing a trend where in order to accomplish this goal women who would be considered conventionally attractive (blonde, blue-eyed, thin, etc.) are being portrayed in a very negative light (vapid, sexually inappropriate, petty, cruel). The overall vibe given is that women who look like this are bad people, who can't be trusted. We shouldn't have to build people up, by pushing others down.
2) Interestingly, the male protagonists in the novels are very much the traditional perfect male leads (tall, handsome, intelligent, wealthy, chiseled abs, etc.), and the female characters put down other less perfect men for their looks as not good enough.
Neither of these things are a good look when you are celebrating diversity in your characters.
Hope this changes in future books.
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Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and I hope this author keeps improving. Will read more.
Graphic: Car accident, Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Medical content, Medical trauma
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Alcohol
“‘We fell in love because it was meant to be. And you became mine at a bus stop in the rain.’”
How cute, am I right?!
Representation
- Indian-American protagonist and side characters
- minor bisexual side character
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Car accident
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug use, Medical content
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content, Car accident
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders