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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My third Marley Valentine, and I think I can safely say that maybe she's just not for me. Maybe how she writes heavier subject matter just doesn't hit for me. I thought it was an interesting setting that I typically like reading about that being established couples, and the subject matter seemed it could be heavy and have the depth that I look for. It was... fine. It felt a little short. I understood where both MCs were coming from in their actions, but it didn't quite hit the emotional impact that I would have expected. Everything seemed surface level and lacked nuance, and if it did, the nuance was barely touched upon outside of being mentioned.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
That was such a heartbreaking, raw story, and I could feel the love and pain in every single line.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Made me cry (which is very rare) but then put be back together again. A hard fought & beautiful HEA…(AKA the Marley Valentine special) 🥹
emotional
inspiring
sad
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:
Yes
I didn’t’t cry, but this book definitely tapped into my feels. I really liked the flashbacks, they were really well spaced and added to the story in a way that propelled it forward. I liked the journey for both Jesse and Leo, it felt authentic and not forced or rushed. The grief and love throughout the books wasn’t corny or fake, which sometimes happens with heavily emotional stories.
What We Broke: ★ ★ ★ ★ . 5
Marley Valentine
He is everything I love and everything that hurts.
Suffering a loss, Leo and Jesse are struggling to move on, putting their marriage and their family at risk.
Tropes:
– Marriage in crisis
–
Ugh, the pain. What We Broke is so heartfelt and raw. I am a total sucker for marriage in crisis (I love pain, apparently) so I had always wanted to read this one even though I was scared but it was so worth it.
Jessie Ricci-Hunt. What a hero. Seriously, he's a star. I adore him with every single bone in my body. He was the glue, the rock, the thing that kept the family and the marriage together as best as he possibly could. I was in awe of his strength and his kindness and his selflessness overall. He was the most amazing, strong character and honestly everyone could learn a thing or two from him.
Leo Ricci-Hunt. Man, this boy broke my heart in a very different way. There were moments where I wanted to be mad at the way he was giving up on the marriage and then when I heard his thoughts and how he saw himself, that killed me even more. I wanted to tell him he was worth it, that he deserved family, and that no one was better off without him.
I would have loved to see a little bit more of the regrowth between Jessie and Leo once Leo started to turn back around. I know he was trying, but it felt like too little too late and even though Jessi would do anything for Leo, I wanted Leo to do more to show Jessie that he was there and he was trying. I just felt like after everything he went through, Jessie deserved that.
I was so happy once they finally were back on the same page again, even if it took a lot to get there. The therapy, the way they handled things with Raine and Zahra... it was so well written. It was also so nice to see the cameos from Julian and Deacon, my first Marley couple in [b:Without You|52315215|Without You|Marley Valentine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584003432l/52315215._SY75_.jpg|73984467].
I love Marley Valentine so much.
Marley Valentine
He is everything I love and everything that hurts.
Suffering a loss, Leo and Jesse are struggling to move on, putting their marriage and their family at risk.
Tropes:
– Marriage in crisis
–
Spoiler
TW: alcoholism, stillbirth, alcoholic parentsUgh, the pain. What We Broke is so heartfelt and raw. I am a total sucker for marriage in crisis (I love pain, apparently) so I had always wanted to read this one even though I was scared but it was so worth it.
Jessie Ricci-Hunt. What a hero. Seriously, he's a star. I adore him with every single bone in my body. He was the glue, the rock, the thing that kept the family and the marriage together as best as he possibly could. I was in awe of his strength and his kindness and his selflessness overall. He was the most amazing, strong character and honestly everyone could learn a thing or two from him.
Leo Ricci-Hunt. Man, this boy broke my heart in a very different way. There were moments where I wanted to be mad at the way he was giving up on the marriage and then when I heard his thoughts and how he saw himself, that killed me even more. I wanted to tell him he was worth it, that he deserved family, and that no one was better off without him.
I would have loved to see a little bit more of the regrowth between Jessie and Leo once Leo started to turn back around. I know he was trying, but it felt like too little too late and even though Jessi would do anything for Leo, I wanted Leo to do more to show Jessie that he was there and he was trying. I just felt like after everything he went through, Jessie deserved that.
I was so happy once they finally were back on the same page again, even if it took a lot to get there. The therapy, the way they handled things with Raine and Zahra... it was so well written. It was also so nice to see the cameos from Julian and Deacon, my first Marley couple in [b:Without You|52315215|Without You|Marley Valentine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584003432l/52315215._SY75_.jpg|73984467].
I love Marley Valentine so much.
OMG
I don’t have enough words to say how this book makes me feel, it broke me and put me together at the same time. One of my favorite book this year
I don’t have enough words to say how this book makes me feel, it broke me and put me together at the same time. One of my favorite book this year
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes