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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
I have never related to a character quite like Halle. It made me feel so seen and validated.
medium-paced
OMG, I just love Hannah Grace’s books. She just knows how to write good characters and make you fall in love with them.
From the start, I adored Halle. She is so relatable and I enjoyed her so much because everything she was going through I could relate to my life. I don’t have any friends in my life that I can rely on and it was so nice to see that represented in a book. It was also beautiful to see Halle gain friendships for life. And not because of anyone in her life, but because of her. They loved her for her. It made me feel so seen and I loved this book for that. It gave me hope that I’ll find my people someday ❤️
Henry was also super relatable and I loved that his friends embraced him and supported him, even though he way have had different ways of coping with things. I liked that there were no labels used, Henry was just Henry and everyone loved him for him.
There wasn’t much of a plot to this book, but I didn’t care because the character development in this book was *chef’s kiss
From the start, I adored Halle. She is so relatable and I enjoyed her so much because everything she was going through I could relate to my life. I don’t have any friends in my life that I can rely on and it was so nice to see that represented in a book. It was also beautiful to see Halle gain friendships for life. And not because of anyone in her life, but because of her. They loved her for her. It made me feel so seen and I loved this book for that. It gave me hope that I’ll find my people someday ❤️
Henry was also super relatable and I loved that his friends embraced him and supported him, even though he way have had different ways of coping with things. I liked that there were no labels used, Henry was just Henry and everyone loved him for him.
There wasn’t much of a plot to this book, but I didn’t care because the character development in this book was *chef’s kiss
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-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
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Alcohol
Minor: Sexual assault
Wow I have never felt more seen (and called out??) by a protagonist in a romance novel. Halle is a book-lover, a people-pleaser and suffers from a burden that all eldest daughters share. I found her character to be really compelling and unlike most of the romance novels I've read. The author captured the struggle of being an eldest daughter and a people-pleaser perfectly! And it was lovely to see how Halle grows over the course of this book. I also was a fan of Henry as a character- especially how his neurodivergency was such an integral part of his personal and academic life. We got to see a really nuanced and flawed perspective of Henry, which I was glad to see after having him be such a perfectly lovable side character in Icebreaker. The romance between the two leads is so well written. The buildup is slow and satisfying, the two characters are complementary and are actively making each other better versions of themselves. I really fell in love with Halle and Henry's relationship, which continued to grow up until the very end of the book. The only gripe I have with this book is the endless Icebreaker universe... there are too many side characters to keep track of that are irrelevant unless you've read both of the previous books. Personally, I wish there were less intrusions from these minor characters who are name-dropped for no particular reason, as they don't add anything meaningful to the story currently being told. In terms of the UCMH series, this is definitely my favorite. I found the characters more compelling and realistic than the previous books. Nate and Stassie perfectly fit the stereotypical romance couple- I feel like I've seen it a million times before. Henry and Halle feel distinct and unique in their own right. The second book, Wildfire, is definitely my least favorite (I DNF'd because Aurora was such an annoying protagonist and seemed like a blander, carbon copy of Stassie from book 1). So if you're going to read anything from this series, I would highly recommend Daydream and Icebreaker (Wildfire not so much).