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xandriaisreading's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I found my way back to this series and I'm glad I did. I connected so much with Anna and her journey. It's not far off from the journey I'm currently on.
While her actions can be frustrating, they're understandable. Masking to the point that you lose yourself and sense of control. To get so low to the point she got before she really started to make a change, my heart ached for her. Especially during the conversations with her sister.
I really enjoyed this book just as I have the others. I wish we got to see more interactions with the previous main characters. To have Anna and Stella interact and have someone who more closely understands her struggle would've been interesting to read.
While her actions can be frustrating, they're understandable. Masking to the point that you lose yourself and sense of control. To get so low to the point she got before she really started to make a change, my heart ached for her. Especially during the conversations with her sister.
I really enjoyed this book just as I have the others. I wish we got to see more interactions with the previous main characters. To have Anna and Stella interact and have someone who more closely understands her struggle would've been interesting to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Infertility
kenzithereader's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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
3.0
The book wasn't bad, but it was my least favorite of the series. I loved the first two and their lighthearted good time romance with a sprinkle of issues. This third book felt more like it was about the characters struggle with family and autism and was really bleak for a lot of the book. The romance started to feel like the side plot and the story was much heavier than I'd anticipated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Moderate: Ableism and Infertility
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
evidoe's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
This is packaged as a romance but I really wouldn’t class it as one. It has romance in it but it,, it deals with some heavy themes around carer burnout and the mental toll of masking neurodivergency that some readers might find a bit raw for a romance but they are the reason I loved this book:
I think that this was half fiction half memoir really shines in this book. As someone who is neurodivergent who masked most of my life AND had been/is a carer for family this book just spoke to my experiences, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so seen.
I think that this was half fiction half memoir really shines in this book. As someone who is neurodivergent who masked most of my life AND had been/is a carer for family this book just spoke to my experiences, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so seen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief
Minor: Cancer
thebookishlibra_'s review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Death of parent
viireads's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, and Blood
anapsc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Ableism, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
library_kb's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
I really loved this book--first off, Anna and Quan are fantastic characters--the way that they worked to get over their own hurdles together was so satisfying to read about. I would say Anna takes a more central role in the story--and there is definitely some tough stuff that goes down. The way the book was written puts you so close to the characters and their struggles and thoughts that it is important to check content warnings--however if you are at a time to handle the content, highly recommend this story, for some it will validate their own experiences and other it will open eyes to what navigating life as an autistic woman can feel like.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Ableism
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse
matcha_pages's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
If you're looking for a light hearted romance don't read this book. It deals with some heavy topics, which is fine...but not something I want in romance books.
It starts off fun and exciting but quickly becomes Anna's journey with her autism diagnosis, family acceptance, and learning how to standup for herself. It gets really heavy and dark at points, especially with how Anna's family views her neurodivergence as weak and lazy character flaws. There's also a fair amount of family gaslighting going on. These experiences were incredibly raw and left me angry, emotionally drained, and appreciative of Hoang's vulnerability.
Given the above it felt wrong trying to enjoy the hot smutty scenes. And it didn't gave space for Quan to make mistakes, he felt stifled being perfectly patient and even keeled for Anna. I was really hoping we'd get other sides of him or learn what it was like being Khai's older brother.
I feel like Anna's story was strong enough to stand on its own.
It starts off fun and exciting but quickly becomes Anna's journey with her autism diagnosis, family acceptance, and learning how to standup for herself. It gets really heavy and dark at points, especially with how Anna's family views her neurodivergence as weak and lazy character flaws. There's also a fair amount of family gaslighting going on. These experiences were incredibly raw and left me angry, emotionally drained, and appreciative of Hoang's vulnerability.
Given the above it felt wrong trying to enjoy the hot smutty scenes. And it didn't gave space for Quan to make mistakes, he felt stifled being perfectly patient and even keeled for Anna. I was really hoping we'd get other sides of him or learn what it was like being Khai's older brother.
I feel like Anna's story was strong enough to stand on its own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Sexual content
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
takarakei's review against another edition
emotional
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
(Reread on audio) MY GOD THIS BOOK!!!! Helen Hoang I am in your walls.
This is not a lighthearted romance (jail to anyone using that tag here???). Anna deals with a LOT of really hard things throughout the book. But everything that happens, while difficult to read, is handled with such raw realness. Quan is everything and I will protect him bodily forever.
4/5🌶️
This is not a lighthearted romance (jail to anyone using that tag here???). Anna deals with a LOT of really hard things throughout the book. But everything that happens, while difficult to read, is handled with such raw realness. Quan is everything and I will protect him bodily forever.
4/5🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Ableism, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Racism
I really don't know why 'cancer' has been tagged because Anna's father is unwell due tosolspringsreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Death of parent, Grief, Ableism, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness