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duhbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
It was an enjoyable read I just don’t think this one hit as hard as it’s predecessor. Maybe if it had been a complete standalone and not an interconnected series I might’ve given it a higher rating but then again I don’t think I would’ve picked it up
nickcarravay's review against another edition
5.0
I love when book two is not a slump when your expectations of a great read are met. How often does that even happen anymore?
This book absolutely did that for me. I loved Yes & I Love You, so the bar was set pretty high for this follow-up and this one cleared it with flying colors. The characters have a completely different set of challenges from the first book, so they don’t feel formulaic. Their fears and dreams feel very real and so do their wins and losses.
I am a sucker for exes being in the picture as supportive people who are still in your life and this book delivered a surprise on that front.
I also love a book that makes me enjoy a thing that I, in real life, do not. In this instance, scary movies, which I (a giant scaredy-cat) do not go near, but I loved them in the context of these folx.
Gimme a good friend gang and some supportive secondary characters and I am there, or rather here, in my reading nook. So get your blanket and your sipping drink and settle in for this steamy, sweet, final-girl-gets-the-guy love story.
This book absolutely did that for me. I loved Yes & I Love You, so the bar was set pretty high for this follow-up and this one cleared it with flying colors. The characters have a completely different set of challenges from the first book, so they don’t feel formulaic. Their fears and dreams feel very real and so do their wins and losses.
I am a sucker for exes being in the picture as supportive people who are still in your life and this book delivered a surprise on that front.
I also love a book that makes me enjoy a thing that I, in real life, do not. In this instance, scary movies, which I (a giant scaredy-cat) do not go near, but I loved them in the context of these folx.
Gimme a good friend gang and some supportive secondary characters and I am there, or rather here, in my reading nook. So get your blanket and your sipping drink and settle in for this steamy, sweet, final-girl-gets-the-guy love story.
cassheni07's review against another edition
4.0
I think I love Roni Loren…
Her writing is thoughtful and interesting, the story is so much more than just a spicy romance. I love her inclusive characters and the way she writes on trauma in relationships from an educated place (she was a mental health therapist.) The spice is on point tho, that slow build. Mmhmmmm. I loved the characters in the first book in this series most, Jasper and Hollyn. You can read these books as a stand alone, but I am glad I read them in order.
Hill had that, rugged (see: werewolf) sweet defender quality that I find… sexy. Andi had massive walls but still, was working hard to get through. This book was much much lighter on the witty banter though, which is why it gets a lower rating than the first book. I live for the witty banter that Jasper and Hollyn were expert at! This book is worth a read.
Can’t wait to read Eliza’s story!
Her writing is thoughtful and interesting, the story is so much more than just a spicy romance. I love her inclusive characters and the way she writes on trauma in relationships from an educated place (she was a mental health therapist.) The spice is on point tho, that slow build. Mmhmmmm. I loved the characters in the first book in this series most, Jasper and Hollyn. You can read these books as a stand alone, but I am glad I read them in order.
Hill had that, rugged (see: werewolf) sweet defender quality that I find… sexy. Andi had massive walls but still, was working hard to get through. This book was much much lighter on the witty banter though, which is why it gets a lower rating than the first book. I live for the witty banter that Jasper and Hollyn were expert at! This book is worth a read.
Can’t wait to read Eliza’s story!
bibliobrittish's review
4.0
This is how you write consent. This is how you write recovery. And it's steamy as hell in all the best ways. Roni Loren has stolen my heart with her romances that explore what are, oftentimes, more difficult topics, first with YES & I LOVE YOU, and now with its companion.
Andi is a bundle of extroverted and vigilant chaos who wants so desperately to do good and be good to those around her. Hill is a broody cinnamon roll who doesn't believe anyone could actually love him. Both are grappling with PTSD for different reasons and after one hell of a meet-cute, begin helping each other without becoming codependent. I also adored the cameos.
While all's well that end's well in romance, I will caution readers that this book is rife with triggers related to sexual assault, stalking, murder, and fire rescue gone wrong, so be kind with your mind.
Andi is a bundle of extroverted and vigilant chaos who wants so desperately to do good and be good to those around her. Hill is a broody cinnamon roll who doesn't believe anyone could actually love him. Both are grappling with PTSD for different reasons and after one hell of a meet-cute, begin helping each other without becoming codependent. I also adored the cameos.
While all's well that end's well in romance, I will caution readers that this book is rife with triggers related to sexual assault, stalking, murder, and fire rescue gone wrong, so be kind with your mind.
meganoliveri's review against another edition
2.0
Cute in theory, not very fleshed out IMO. It felt like there was a lot of fluff and not a lot of things really going on, the self loathing of the Hill was getting tiring. I think I will still read the last book on the trilogy but this has not been my favorite romance.
chelsearl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
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? No
3.5
maymay0316's review against another edition
5.0
This book gave me everything I wanted and more.
I agree with another reviewer that one of the best things about it is visibility and representation. I have just gotten more into reading this year but I this was the first romance book I came across with an interabled couple. I enjoyed Roni Loren's writing and felt she was respectful to both of the main characters when talking about the trauma and struggles they went through.
One of the best things about the book is how much I appreciated Andi and Hill's characters individually as well as their romance together. Andi is a girl after my own heart. True crime lover, podcaster and horror film buff with red hair. I loved how before Hill came along even with the trauma she faced, she was still unapologetically herself. I loved how you could see how much Hill appreciated Andi and how it hurt him to see someone had hurt her so bad. He was so sweet and caring and I also love that he had his own passion in showing others how to cook and feeding those close to him.
The good thing was even with their demons Andi and Hill felt like a team vs co-dependent relationship. Andi would call Hill out when things got weird and he was honest with her. He would make sure she was comfortable when they started getting closer physically. When one would share something personal, the other would follow. I love how you can see both characters struggle with vulnerability but how there is consent, patience and communication between both parties.
I agree with other reviewers that there are some dark subject matter discussed that could be triggering to some but I felt that it was handled very respectfully. It was a beautiful story about a couple being able to find safety in each other.
I agree with another reviewer that one of the best things about it is visibility and representation. I have just gotten more into reading this year but I this was the first romance book I came across with an interabled couple. I enjoyed Roni Loren's writing and felt she was respectful to both of the main characters when talking about the trauma and struggles they went through.
One of the best things about the book is how much I appreciated Andi and Hill's characters individually as well as their romance together. Andi is a girl after my own heart. True crime lover, podcaster and horror film buff with red hair. I loved how before Hill came along even with the trauma she faced, she was still unapologetically herself. I loved how you could see how much Hill appreciated Andi and how it hurt him to see someone had hurt her so bad. He was so sweet and caring and I also love that he had his own passion in showing others how to cook and feeding those close to him.
The good thing was even with their demons Andi and Hill felt like a team vs co-dependent relationship. Andi would call Hill out when things got weird and he was honest with her. He would make sure she was comfortable when they started getting closer physically. When one would share something personal, the other would follow. I love how you can see both characters struggle with vulnerability but how there is consent, patience and communication between both parties.
I agree with other reviewers that there are some dark subject matter discussed that could be triggering to some but I felt that it was handled very respectfully. It was a beautiful story about a couple being able to find safety in each other.
jeannethinks's review against another edition
4.0
Trauma comes in many forms, and this book does an excellent job of showing you the impact. Letting someone see your vulnerability is the highest form of trust.
1943tre's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up because I am a woman of generosity.
I read them out of order, but I've now completed the entire Say Everything series and I think I'd rank them: #3, #2, #1. Roni Loren, I've said it before and I'll say it again!, is a very competent romance writer. Even if she doesn't deliver super high highs for me, I feel like they're all consistently pretty good. All three have really good steam with impeccable consent, extremely healthy communication, and like, a strong message, lol, at the end. They're also all very much Romances and NOT women's fiction, which will appeal to some.
One thing she has done twice in this series is introduce a friends-with-benefits arrangement. I really don't love this for some reason. I think it's just a little predictable how it's going to work. One person is always so deadset on the other person only seeing them as a friend, though since these books are dual-POV we the readers know otherwise, and it gets a little frustrating. The other thing that grates me on a little in this book is just how SWEET it is lol? There's definitely angst and both Hill and Andi are dealing with some legitimately serious traumas, but it's wrapped up so sweetly at the end that it's kind of like, really???? I also think Loren's dialogue is a bit cheugy. Her characters, basically always, sound like they're coming out of feel-good sitcoms written by...older people (is this mean lol?) and not like what 20/30-somethings would actually say. It's a bit jarring.
That said, this book had really good pacing. I couldn't put it down and the third act conflict at the end legitimately had my heart racing. I could see how others would find it triggering, so I guess I will say that if you are not into reading about attempted assault, I'd avoid. Loren used to be a social worker apparently and I think it really shows––she treats her characters with care and their emotional journeys are always complex and quite lovely by the end.
I read them out of order, but I've now completed the entire Say Everything series and I think I'd rank them: #3, #2, #1. Roni Loren, I've said it before and I'll say it again!, is a very competent romance writer. Even if she doesn't deliver super high highs for me, I feel like they're all consistently pretty good. All three have really good steam with impeccable consent, extremely healthy communication, and like, a strong message, lol, at the end. They're also all very much Romances and NOT women's fiction, which will appeal to some.
One thing she has done twice in this series is introduce a friends-with-benefits arrangement. I really don't love this for some reason. I think it's just a little predictable how it's going to work. One person is always so deadset on the other person only seeing them as a friend, though since these books are dual-POV we the readers know otherwise, and it gets a little frustrating. The other thing that grates me on a little in this book is just how SWEET it is lol? There's definitely angst and both Hill and Andi are dealing with some legitimately serious traumas, but it's wrapped up so sweetly at the end that it's kind of like, really???? I also think Loren's dialogue is a bit cheugy. Her characters, basically always, sound like they're coming out of feel-good sitcoms written by...older people (is this mean lol?) and not like what 20/30-somethings would actually say. It's a bit jarring.
That said, this book had really good pacing. I couldn't put it down and the third act conflict at the end legitimately had my heart racing. I could see how others would find it triggering, so I guess I will say that if you are not into reading about attempted assault, I'd avoid. Loren used to be a social worker apparently and I think it really shows––she treats her characters with care and their emotional journeys are always complex and quite lovely by the end.