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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
If I hear the phrase “ sexy smile” one more time I will lose it
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage
I am so conflicted about why I didn't love this book as much as I wanted to. When I saw the premise of it, I was sure this was probably going to be a 5 star read for me, because it reminded me of Colleen Hoover's 'All your perfects'. Marriage in trouble, second chance romance with the couple having problems conceiving ... also throw the amnesia spin into it ... it sounded so good. But then I got to reading it & was quite disappointed. I didn't mind the cheating ... I know that's a pet peeve for many readers here, for me it's not. I didn't like it, because I genuinely disliked Bennett. He was supposed to grovel ... Imo he did not. He just used sex to get his way. He did not want to work out their issues, he just wanted to get back together and live HEA without putting in the work. It left me so mad. I think when cheating is involved there need to be conversations, earning back of trust and lots and lots of groveling, before sex is thrown into the game... so this really didn't work too well for me. I gave it 3 stars because of Olivia's character.
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What is this? A book with a tally with how much sexual content can you put into each chapter?
To be perfectly honest, I think that my rating for this book is generous. Livvy and Bennett have a complicated relationship. Likewise, Livvy and Bennett's mother have a complicated relationship. Olivia is meant to be an African-American woman. She is younger than Bennett and she is drawn to him almost immediately due to his Age (maturity), good looks and immediate physical chemistry.
I was interested in this book because of the possibility of the two reconciling with Bennett's memory loss. I was also hoping that the filing for divorce would all be the result of a misunderstanding on his part or that it was some kind of ploy (by his mother) and he didn't actually cheat on Livvy.
Unfortunately that was not the case. We learn as the book progresses that while our main leads have chemistry and have the long history of physical attraction. You don't actually see a very strong emotional connection between regardless of them being married for almost 10 years.
Bennett is actually very emotionally immature and continuously became this martyr with how he dealt with their miscarriages.
I hated the way he treated Livvy; particularly with the way he victimized himself because of her depression and the fact that he weaponized her grief. Yes both of them were suffering the losses but she was the one dealing with the emotional and physical aspects of it. The mommas boy Bennett wanted her to take care of him WHILE she was hurting. As if doing that would help her.
how he felt with philosophy, children with the miscarriages, not victimized and weapon reaction in her depression as reasons for his actions. I think the most disturbing and disappointing part of the story was the way Bennett acted after he got his memory back. Even after all the time he spent as the "old Bennett" talking to livvy and actually hearing her side of it all the moment he remembered, he returned to his original self. Putting his wants, needs and feelings ahead of Olivia's. To lack a character development for him well over 70% into the story is a disservice to the reader and the character.
It was very disappointing and as a reader who looks for a good plot and redeemable characters, I could only hold on to hope that some big misunderstanding would reveal itself to account for all the bad things.
Moving on to a more serious point, perhaps Bennett's mother didn't like Olivia's level head, smart or quick witted tongue when she first met here. But almost a decade of the same treatment, snobbish tone and dismissive attitude towards Olivia. The two of them finally have a kind of "heart to heart" where Clare says all of this to her but the implication from the very beginning the author gives makes the reader assume her demeanor was actually racially motivated. Even after the "conversation" they have it doesn't actually change my opinion about their relationship whatsoever. In my opinion, it's ridiculous, and quite unbelievable.
For nearly a decade they've had this "not" relationship and Bennett's mother had not made any previous attempts to connect or get to know Olivia but has this conversation after he regains his memory because she can't stand to see her son hurting....he's been struggling for almost a year with his marriage not to mention the miscarriages. Which begs the question why now??
Likewise the comments of ethnicity and Olivia's skin tone are mentioned three times (at best)throughout the entire book. While reading, a majority of the time readers will forget that she is meant to be a woman of color. Whether this was unintentional or intentional decision made by the author to appease non-melanated readers of the book--I am not sure.
However, I will say I really am displeased with this attempt at almost white washing Olivia's character and the book as a whole.
I know this book is meant to be a steamy romance with Bennett and Olivia's reconciliation but the couple literally communicate with each other like they've only been together a short time rather than being married for almost 10 years. I question whether or not their emotional connection with each other grew at all during the course of their marriage because it seemed they just had a physical connection. And for all of their problems or actions to lead them reverting back falling into bed😒 Overall, I was more annoyed reading this book and it was hard to enjoy it because of all these plot holes.
I was interested in this book because of the possibility of the two reconciling with Bennett's memory loss. I was also hoping that the filing for divorce would all be the result of a misunderstanding on his part or that it was some kind of ploy (by his mother) and he didn't actually cheat on Livvy.
Unfortunately that was not the case. We learn as the book progresses that while our main leads have chemistry and have the long history of physical attraction. You don't actually see a very strong emotional connection between regardless of them being married for almost 10 years.
Bennett is actually very emotionally immature and continuously became this martyr with how he dealt with their miscarriages.
I hated the way he treated Livvy; particularly with the way he victimized himself because of her depression and the fact that he weaponized her grief. Yes both of them were suffering the losses but she was the one dealing with the emotional and physical aspects of it. The mommas boy Bennett wanted her to take care of him WHILE she was hurting. As if doing that would help her.
how he felt with philosophy, children with the miscarriages, not victimized and weapon reaction in her depression as reasons for his actions. I think the most disturbing and disappointing part of the story was the way Bennett acted after he got his memory back. Even after all the time he spent as the "old Bennett" talking to livvy and actually hearing her side of it all the moment he remembered, he returned to his original self. Putting his wants, needs and feelings ahead of Olivia's. To lack a character development for him well over 70% into the story is a disservice to the reader and the character.
It was very disappointing and as a reader who looks for a good plot and redeemable characters, I could only hold on to hope that some big misunderstanding would reveal itself to account for all the bad things.
Moving on to a more serious point, perhaps Bennett's mother didn't like Olivia's level head, smart or quick witted tongue when she first met here. But almost a decade of the same treatment, snobbish tone and dismissive attitude towards Olivia. The two of them finally have a kind of "heart to heart" where Clare says all of this to her but the implication from the very beginning the author gives makes the reader assume her demeanor was actually racially motivated. Even after the "conversation" they have it doesn't actually change my opinion about their relationship whatsoever. In my opinion, it's ridiculous, and quite unbelievable.
For nearly a decade they've had this "not" relationship and Bennett's mother had not made any previous attempts to connect or get to know Olivia but has this conversation after he regains his memory because she can't stand to see her son hurting....he's been struggling for almost a year with his marriage not to mention the miscarriages. Which begs the question why now??
Likewise the comments of ethnicity and Olivia's skin tone are mentioned three times (at best)throughout the entire book. While reading, a majority of the time readers will forget that she is meant to be a woman of color. Whether this was unintentional or intentional decision made by the author to appease non-melanated readers of the book--I am not sure.
However, I will say I really am displeased with this attempt at almost white washing Olivia's character and the book as a whole.
I know this book is meant to be a steamy romance with Bennett and Olivia's reconciliation but the couple literally communicate with each other like they've only been together a short time rather than being married for almost 10 years. I question whether or not their emotional connection with each other grew at all during the course of their marriage because it seemed they just had a physical connection. And for all of their problems or actions to lead them reverting back falling into bed😒 Overall, I was more annoyed reading this book and it was hard to enjoy it because of all these plot holes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, Toxic relationship
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.75 stars
i mean i knew it was the amnesia trope but also the cheating trope? with not enough groveling?
i mean i knew it was the amnesia trope but also the cheating trope? with not enough groveling?
How the f* am I going to discribe what this book did to me?
Did it only take me 7 hours to read is? Yes.
Did I cry my eyeballs out while reading this? Yes
Did it made me read it during my work hours? Absolutely.
My favorite book of QB Tyler without question.
——
2nd read : 5/02/2023
Can you believe that I forgot how the book was going to end. I now got the privilege to read this as a paperback . And I enjoyed it even more. Hands down still one of my favs of all time.
Did it only take me 7 hours to read is? Yes.
Did I cry my eyeballs out while reading this? Yes
Did it made me read it during my work hours? Absolutely.
My favorite book of QB Tyler without question.
——
2nd read : 5/02/2023
Can you believe that I forgot how the book was going to end. I now got the privilege to read this as a paperback . And I enjoyed it even more. Hands down still one of my favs of all time.
This book was heartbreaking and beautiful and absolute perfection. It is definitely an emotional roller coaster and I loved every second of it. Now I do need to preface this by saying that there is infidelity and this book also deals with miscarriages. So if you don’t like that in a book then don’t read this. That simple. This also contains the amnesia trope and is a marriage in crisis. Ok now that that’s out of the way, I absolutely loved this book. Now I DO NOT CONDONE CHEATING. I REPEAT I DO NOT CONDONE CHEATING. But I am a sucker for angst and pain. And this had me crying. This book isn’t meant to be a rom com or cutesy. It’s meant to be real and raw and angsty. The groveling and pain that this book has is superb. I’ve learned that I now love the marriage in crisis and also the amnesia trope because these have angst like no other. One of the most painful things in this book is that you can see just how much they love each other. Then when something so big and mortifying happens you can see how much it breaks them. Honestly one of my top favorite reads of the year.
fast-paced