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bzliz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The pacing is perfect and I knew this was going to be something special right away. I’m absolutely thrilled to find a main character with a chronic illness that doesn’t spend the whole book consumed with woes about it. Chloe has her good days and her bad days and either way she still has a personality. Similarly, Red is supportive and thoughtful without infantilizing Chloe or sexualizing her disability, and he also has a personality outside of her, plus his own issues that he’s dealing with. It’s refreshing to see a diverse cast that feel like real people and doesn’t seem to be ticking off boxes for representation. The spice was also excellent without feeling overly vulgar which is a serious achievement.
Mind the trigger warnings!
Abandonment: off page
Car accident: on page
Chronic illness: on page
Panic attacks/disorder: on page
Sexual content: on page
Toxic relationship, emotional abuse, gaslighting, physical abuse: off page
Graphic: Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
deldc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
3 or 3.3?
lol i have lots of mixed thoughts and feelings regarding this book. probably bec it only became interesting (at least for me) at 60%, and it didn't even get to superb.
but then a few good things must be said:
it's either i started with the wrong book to judge miss talia hibbert's writing and novels, or she really still has room for improvement, like all novelist, after all.
this one wasn't so bad. i liked a few plot representation in some one-liners -- which i didn't expect i'd be able to decipher given that i don't usually see through such. in connection to that, i liked her metaphors. it's just that sometimes the meanings became repetitive. some dialogues were too cheesy and forced for my taste, especially during intimate scenes that usually have few expected conversational exchanges. there's also a moderate amount of unnecessary side comments that confused my attention.
so again, i want to try more of talia hibbert and i look forward to reading the next of this series. i feel that she has something important to put out there through her novels. for example, in this, she conveyed topics such as fibromyalgia and chronic pain struggles (i expected the story would somehow center on this so it's a bit frustrating that it wasn't.) , the stigma that comes to people dealing with illnesses, coping and moving on with past trauma, abusive relationships, and my favorite: opening oneself to a relationship despite having unresolved trauma and learning to work it out even if it means a simultaneous cycle of effort and pain.
wholly, i didn't like this at first. i didn't admire the lust that consumed this book halfway. i thought this was problematic to tolerate for a romance genre at least (and so was chloe and red's blooming relationship) hence, it made the book hard for me to read. i expected conflicts later on in chloe and red's relationship, aside from the fact that romance plots typically go that road, but also because they were both unready to deal with themselves to be able to care for each other beyond the promise of lust. then, change happened and i was in for it. i was rooting. thank my reading challenges, i couldn't drop this. the change made my rating go higher above 2 lol. i'm glad that this didn't turn out so bad.
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
_alyssar_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content and Chronic illness
Minor: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Ableism, Car accident, Cursing, Death, and Racism
auudrey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Ableism, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
fanboyriot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Plus Sized MC
Switching POV
Chronically ill MC
Light Enemies to Lovers
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Cursing, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Gaslighting, Ableism, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Body shaming
Minor: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Drug use, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Fatphobia, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
kayleejanes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, and Emotional abuse
theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Chloe and Red are both adorable characters, with lots of their own baggage. Seeing them work through things together as well as on their own was wonderful to read. And their email banter had me grinning the entire time.
I can’t wait to get to know Chloe’s family better in Talia Hibbert’s other books!
If you’re looking for a cute, funny, heartwarming, and sexy read look no further!
Graphic: Chronic illness, Classism, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
Moderate: Ableism, Drug use, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol, Physical abuse, Violence, Car accident, and Racism
chanelwritesromance's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Chronic illness, Classism, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
chloelj27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Chronic illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Gaslighting
Minor: Domestic abuse and Cursing
nefariousbee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
it was funny, having ME/CFS this is the first time I saw an MC who faced similar everyday challenges that me so I loved that, the lvoe interest made me wonder if I could be with a man after all. sex scenes are 10/10.
oh and the relationship trauma is portrayed beautifully.
what else could one want from a romance book, really
Graphic: Chronic illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Ableism, and Toxic relationship