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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
From my notes app as I read this installment of "the straights are NOT okay":
The dude's initials are legitimately O.M.G. and to make it worse, he and the lead girl share the exact same middle name. Spare me. The "coincidences" are so flimsy and contrived, my suspension of disbelief crumbles at the first sight of them
She has a child??? Out of nowhere?? BULL. I get that it's structured to be a *gasp* reveal for the audience, but come onnnn. She's supposed to be a loving and dedicated mother, but we go through practically half the book and she doesn't mention her son ONCE in that whole time, not even during her first person POV segments. Words fail me.
The detail of clutching a fist in front of their chest as a wordless symbol of their feelings is straight up stupid and it got stupider each time they did it.
Oh so this is another example of "the dude is a lowkey stalker who has seen the girl before and she has no idea she's been living rent-free in his mind for years before their first official meeting." Yippie. Can this tired trope die already?
These clowns have known each other for TWO. DAYS. And yet I'm expected to buy that this is a deep, meaningful, true love? Not that it's impossible to pull that off, just look at Titanic, but this is not even close to reaching that ballpark. And yes, that number goes up to a whole whopping SEVEN DAYS by the time the shower scene commences, but that is still (still!!) not an appropriate amount of time to decide if you're compatible with somebody, let alone their soulmate. Barf.
Riddle me this: if it was that easy, that quick and effortless for the girl to get custody of her son and put her MiL in place, then why did she wait until the very last second to do so? And she didn't even play the whole incriminating recording! What if she'd been faking it? The MiL just deflated and gave up on the spot, completely contradictory to her entire character up to that point. No arguments, no backlash, no threats, nada. Absolutely baffling, and made a potentially tense and high-stakes moment fall flat on its face.
It honestly feels like this segment of the "grand finale" was put on a rush order, like the rest of the book up to that point was a slow burn, taking its time, building up the plot threads, teasing the backstory one detail at a time--then those last few pages CH realized that her deadline was in 15 minutes so she scrambled to slap a bandaid on the ending and submitted it, regardless of the level of believability or whether it was a decent payoff or not. And that's the version that went to print.
The sheer level of literary gymnastics one must make in order to stuff all of these jagged pieces together and have the ending tied up in a nice neat bow, zero loose ends to be found, would be incredible if it wasn't so pathetic. The painting? The connection he had with Adam? The cop having an altercation with him in the hospital? The dad being "cured" thanks to one conversation with her? The son moving in with her? The PAINTING?? You must be out of your gd mind if you're swallowing this load of horse baloney.
I will give this nonsense a single point for its emphatic ACAB agenda, though. Aka the one aspect I could actually get on board with.
You know you've got a problem when DEXTER MORGAN THE SOCIOPATHIC SERIAL KILLER is more relatable than any of these characters. That sums it up as best as I can.
The dude's initials are legitimately O.M.G. and to make it worse, he and the lead girl share the exact same middle name. Spare me. The "coincidences" are so flimsy and contrived, my suspension of disbelief crumbles at the first sight of them
She has a child??? Out of nowhere?? BULL. I get that it's structured to be a *gasp* reveal for the audience, but come onnnn. She's supposed to be a loving and dedicated mother, but we go through practically half the book and she doesn't mention her son ONCE in that whole time, not even during her first person POV segments. Words fail me.
The detail of clutching a fist in front of their chest as a wordless symbol of their feelings is straight up stupid and it got stupider each time they did it.
Oh so this is another example of "the dude is a lowkey stalker who has seen the girl before and she has no idea she's been living rent-free in his mind for years before their first official meeting." Yippie. Can this tired trope die already?
These clowns have known each other for TWO. DAYS. And yet I'm expected to buy that this is a deep, meaningful, true love? Not that it's impossible to pull that off, just look at Titanic, but this is not even close to reaching that ballpark. And yes, that number goes up to a whole whopping SEVEN DAYS by the time the shower scene commences, but that is still (still!!) not an appropriate amount of time to decide if you're compatible with somebody, let alone their soulmate. Barf.
Riddle me this: if it was that easy, that quick and effortless for the girl to get custody of her son and put her MiL in place, then why did she wait until the very last second to do so? And she didn't even play the whole incriminating recording! What if she'd been faking it? The MiL just deflated and gave up on the spot, completely contradictory to her entire character up to that point. No arguments, no backlash, no threats, nada. Absolutely baffling, and made a potentially tense and high-stakes moment fall flat on its face.
It honestly feels like this segment of the "grand finale" was put on a rush order, like the rest of the book up to that point was a slow burn, taking its time, building up the plot threads, teasing the backstory one detail at a time--then those last few pages CH realized that her deadline was in 15 minutes so she scrambled to slap a bandaid on the ending and submitted it, regardless of the level of believability or whether it was a decent payoff or not. And that's the version that went to print.
The sheer level of literary gymnastics one must make in order to stuff all of these jagged pieces together and have the ending tied up in a nice neat bow, zero loose ends to be found, would be incredible if it wasn't so pathetic. The painting? The connection he had with Adam? The cop having an altercation with him in the hospital? The dad being "cured" thanks to one conversation with her? The son moving in with her? The PAINTING?? You must be out of your gd mind if you're swallowing this load of horse baloney.
I will give this nonsense a single point for its emphatic ACAB agenda, though. Aka the one aspect I could actually get on board with.
You know you've got a problem when DEXTER MORGAN THE SOCIOPATHIC SERIAL KILLER is more relatable than any of these characters. That sums it up as best as I can.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Unique and interesting story for a new adult romance. I definitely loved the twists and found myself tearing up at certain points.
Unique and interesting story for a new adult romance. I definitely loved the twists and found myself tearing up at certain points.
Loved that it was such a quick read with great characters, and loved the idea of the Confessions art gallery! Enjoyed the intrigue, the back and forth between past and present events, the build up to the secrets and eventually getting to the big confession at the end. It kept me hooked all the way.
BUT - felt that confession should have continued a story a bit more, not end it like the way it ended. Ending was good, but left me feeling...unsatisfied, I guess. Like I wanted more but that's all I would get.
Don't want to give any spoilers away so that's all I can say about that! This is another great read from Colleen Hoover, which is now one of my favorite authors this year.
BUT - felt that confession should have continued a story a bit more, not end it like the way it ended. Ending was good, but left me feeling...unsatisfied, I guess. Like I wanted more but that's all I would get.
Don't want to give any spoilers away so that's all I can say about that! This is another great read from Colleen Hoover, which is now one of my favorite authors this year.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Great book. Colleen hoover did it again! Ending felt a little rushed but would definitely recommend.
I think this book was good. It isn't my favorite Colleen book, but overall my reading experience was enjoyable. I think what made me like the romance despite the suddenness of it was the chemistry. The way the author built up the secrets and confessions, and I think that made their feelings for each more realistic and palpable. I also thought that the photographs added a nice touch. I loved that I could put an image to the words she was describing.
I think the battle for custody of Auburn's son was a devastating part of the plot. Seeing how hard she was trying to just fail made my heartache.
Lastly, I want to talk about Owen and how he knew Auburn. I thought that was lovely because it tied the story up to the beginning of the book. When Adam and she were talking about her finding other love and the end revealing that Owen was at that hospitable and helped her say her last goodbye to Adam. I believe it made me think a lot about fate and destiny. I thought it got tied up well, and I think it is a great book to read.
I think the battle for custody of Auburn's son was a devastating part of the plot. Seeing how hard she was trying to just fail made my heartache.
Lastly, I want to talk about Owen and how he knew Auburn. I thought that was lovely because it tied the story up to the beginning of the book. When Adam and she were talking about her finding other love and the end revealing that Owen was at that hospitable and helped her say her last goodbye to Adam. I believe it made me think a lot about fate and destiny. I thought it got tied up well, and I think it is a great book to read.
“I'm afraid if I listen to my heart once, I'll never figure out how to ignore it again.”
I hope everyone is having a good holidays. In my desperate efforts to read 100 books by the end of the year (I am at 96, I am not sure if I will make it), I am reading a whole lot of Colleen Hoover. This one was not my favorite one so far, but that's not to say that it wasn't a gripping read. This review contains a lot of border-line spoilers,
My Rating: A-
My Thoughts: I read this one in one go, unable to put it down. The scenario is captivating, what do you choose? Your son or the man you love? Trey really freaked me out, he was your typical abusive asshole, everyone knows someone like him and that's what made him terrifying. This is the second Hoover book I've read, where a brother goes after his dead-brother's lover with a child involved. I am really curious as to how often this happens in real life. Colleen Hoover's books always have a way of really causing a gut-wrench right when you think you are out of the woods, this one is no different.
What I Liked: The gripping choice that Auburn has to make between Owen and her child kills me. In Hoover's book, there is always some great choice, some unparalleled dilemma. Every time there seems to be no way out, until there is. I think that is what draws so many people to read her books. People revel in the drama of it, me as much as anyone else.
What I Disliked: The ending wasn't as satisfying for me as Colleen's books usually are. I thought the conflict was resolved too easily, I thought that it was strange that Auburn never got her "big reveal" of Owen's whole story. It just left me feel unsatisfied, which is strange because these books normally wrap up so nicely. There is also a moment where Own repeats over and over, "I deserve you." This really bothered me. I know everyone deserves love and all that what not, but it felt like he was forcing Auburn to choose him over her son, not necessarily letting her make her own decision.
Would I recommend it? Yes, another solid read from the New Adult section.
Is this book on your to-read list? What is your favorite Colleen Hoover book? What is your confession?
-Leah
I hope everyone is having a good holidays. In my desperate efforts to read 100 books by the end of the year (I am at 96, I am not sure if I will make it), I am reading a whole lot of Colleen Hoover. This one was not my favorite one so far, but that's not to say that it wasn't a gripping read. This review contains a lot of border-line spoilers,
My Rating: A-
My Thoughts: I read this one in one go, unable to put it down. The scenario is captivating, what do you choose? Your son or the man you love? Trey really freaked me out, he was your typical abusive asshole, everyone knows someone like him and that's what made him terrifying. This is the second Hoover book I've read, where a brother goes after his dead-brother's lover with a child involved. I am really curious as to how often this happens in real life. Colleen Hoover's books always have a way of really causing a gut-wrench right when you think you are out of the woods, this one is no different.
What I Liked: The gripping choice that Auburn has to make between Owen and her child kills me. In Hoover's book, there is always some great choice, some unparalleled dilemma. Every time there seems to be no way out, until there is. I think that is what draws so many people to read her books. People revel in the drama of it, me as much as anyone else.
What I Disliked: The ending wasn't as satisfying for me as Colleen's books usually are. I thought the conflict was resolved too easily, I thought that it was strange that Auburn never got her "big reveal" of Owen's whole story. It just left me feel unsatisfied, which is strange because these books normally wrap up so nicely. There is also a moment where Own repeats over and over, "I deserve you." This really bothered me. I know everyone deserves love and all that what not, but it felt like he was forcing Auburn to choose him over her son, not necessarily letting her make her own decision.
Would I recommend it? Yes, another solid read from the New Adult section.
Is this book on your to-read list? What is your favorite Colleen Hoover book? What is your confession?
-Leah
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An easy read with cringy characters and writing. Not for me