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spearly's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.0
I glance over at Rev. Every time I’m with him, I want to stare. Some of that is because he keeps so much hidden. All I ever see is the edge of his jaw, the sculpted arch of his lips, the line of his nose. His eyes, always in shadow.
I think of gaming, where I’m in control and no one sees the real me. I wonder if the computer is my version of the hoodie.
More Than We Can Tell follows Rev, Declan's best friend from Letters to the Lost, and Emma, a shy gamer girl who keeps running into Rev behind their local church. It delves into Rev's traumatic past that was hinted at in book 1 (and boy, does Kemmerer go there!), as well as Emma's experiences being a girl in the male-dominated field of video games.
This book was intense. I was so curious about Rev after reading Declan and Juliet's story, and safe to say, I was not disappointed. He is such an incredibly nuanced character. Usually I am not a fan of books with too much God-iness, too many religious themes and whatnot, but it made complete sense with Rev's character. It helped my understand him and his history with his abusive father. My heart broke for him.
And Emma! Obviously, she makes some mistakes. But she's a teenager going through something very similar to my own teenage experience, so I understood her motivations. And she was the perfect person to bring Rev out of his shell. I loved their chapters together, and the love story was even a bit more satisfying than D and J since we actually get a bit more detail with the romance.
The Declan and Juliet cameos were perfection. We obviously saw more of D, considering he's Rev's best friend, and he's just as wonderful as I remember.
I wouldn't be opposed to another companion novel featuring Cait (Emma's best friend). Brigid? What do you say?
Overall, a heart wrenching romance that delves even more into themes of grief, of trauma, and family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault, Vomit, Racism, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Infertility, Cursing, and Cancer
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