Scan barcode
bookishval's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
I have mix feelings and such a complicated history with this book.
According to my goodreads activity, I marked this book as to-read on February of 2022. I don't remember when I started reading it, but it was around that time.
Thanks to this book, I realized how important trigger warnings are for me and that Grief was an issue for me. I didn't know grief was going to be portrayed so raw and explicit in this book, and even though I was enjoying the story, when Willa's mom died, I found it difficult to continue reading.
Here's the thing. I read as an escapism, and I prefer to read rom-coms with a HEA. So, I tend to avoid romances with sad endings. However, before using Storygraph, I did not know when books dealt with sensitive and delicate topics unless it was written on the synopsis. So I was taken aback with this book, and it helped me know that grief, and especially reading about the death of a mother, was difficult for me.
So, after the death of Joy, Willa's mother, I had to stop reading the story at 77%. I tried, but since her terminal illness was brought up I was hesitant to keep reading.
I didn't think I would pick up the book again, but I wanted so bad to read the second one in the series and I knew reading them in order was kind of important. I believe they can be read as stand-alones, but since Ryder's siblings are so present in the book and the next ones are about them, I felt like I had to at least finish it. Besides, I was only missing 13% of the book. So, I read it quickly relying on the audiobook and here I am.
I honestly don't remember my feelings toward the book and the characters before the death of Willa's mother made me stop reading. And I even had to read other reviews to remember some important moments and roles other characters had in Willa and Ryder's story. So, my opinion is not reliable, and I'm pretty sure all of the things I just mentioned before proof that my issues with this book were mainly on me.
Also, it's not helpful that from the beginning, the book I most wanted to read in the series was the second one. I read the first one partly out of obligation, and that's not a great way to start a book. It's one of the worst, in fact.
So, overall, I did enjoy the book in the beginning, not so much Willa's character to be honest. I liked their bickering and chemistry, but at times I found her character frustrating. The chapters from when Willa's mum moved in with Ryder's family to when Willa had to deal with her grief were difficult to process and tedious, not something I enjoy reading and hopefully will avoid in the future thanks to trigger warnings.
Unfortunately with this book, the bad (things I remember clearly), outweighs the good (positive things I have a hard time remembering). I do want to you to know that I love how Chloe is careful and caring while writing. She knows how to write complex and well-thought characters, and I really appreciate it. This was the third book I read of hers, and even though it was my least liked, I'm looking forward to the others in this series, hoping this book opened good stories for me.
According to my goodreads activity, I marked this book as to-read on February of 2022. I don't remember when I started reading it, but it was around that time.
Thanks to this book, I realized how important trigger warnings are for me and that Grief was an issue for me. I didn't know grief was going to be portrayed so raw and explicit in this book, and even though I was enjoying the story, when Willa's mom died, I found it difficult to continue reading.
Here's the thing. I read as an escapism, and I prefer to read rom-coms with a HEA. So, I tend to avoid romances with sad endings. However, before using Storygraph, I did not know when books dealt with sensitive and delicate topics unless it was written on the synopsis. So I was taken aback with this book, and it helped me know that grief, and especially reading about the death of a mother, was difficult for me.
So, after the death of Joy, Willa's mother, I had to stop reading the story at 77%. I tried, but since her terminal illness was brought up I was hesitant to keep reading.
I didn't think I would pick up the book again, but I wanted so bad to read the second one in the series and I knew reading them in order was kind of important. I believe they can be read as stand-alones, but since Ryder's siblings are so present in the book and the next ones are about them, I felt like I had to at least finish it. Besides, I was only missing 13% of the book. So, I read it quickly relying on the audiobook and here I am.
I honestly don't remember my feelings toward the book and the characters before the death of Willa's mother made me stop reading. And I even had to read other reviews to remember some important moments and roles other characters had in Willa and Ryder's story. So, my opinion is not reliable, and I'm pretty sure all of the things I just mentioned before proof that my issues with this book were mainly on me.
Also, it's not helpful that from the beginning, the book I most wanted to read in the series was the second one. I read the first one partly out of obligation, and that's not a great way to start a book. It's one of the worst, in fact.
So, overall, I did enjoy the book in the beginning, not so much Willa's character to be honest. I liked their bickering and chemistry, but at times I found her character frustrating. The chapters from when Willa's mum moved in with Ryder's family to when Willa had to deal with her grief were difficult to process and tedious, not something I enjoy reading and hopefully will avoid in the future thanks to trigger warnings.
Unfortunately with this book, the bad (things I remember clearly), outweighs the good (positive things I have a hard time remembering). I do want to you to know that I love how Chloe is careful and caring while writing. She knows how to write complex and well-thought characters, and I really appreciate it. This was the third book I read of hers, and even though it was my least liked, I'm looking forward to the others in this series, hoping this book opened good stories for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Ableism and Sexual content
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Cancer, Medical content, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
Moderate: Ableism
chrisljm's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
too many mentions of bee-stung lips
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Cancer, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Chronic illness, War, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Pedophilia, Sexism, Ableism, and Drug use
rickireadss's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
*reread july 2022 as the audiobook: AMAZING!!! the narrators were perfect for willa&ryder and i loved being back with them because they might be my favorite couple (which is so hard to choose istg)
5⭐️!!!
CHLOE, WHAT DID YOU PUT IN THIS BOOK?!?! (this is gonna be a long review so buckle up babes)
i LOVE reading books with deaf and/or mute representation because i, myself, am hard of hearing and had an aunt who was deaf. being able to see stories about people i can relate to/understand is important to me, and chloe did an amazing job at portraying it through ryder.
i bought this entire series because i follow chloe on tiktok and MAN did it deliver. this frenemies-to-lovers story about a misunderstanding between the two is just golden and i loved the banter between ryder and willa. the way they became friends with each other before getting involved romantically made my heart so warm, because it was everything i’ve ever wanted.
i fell in love with willa the moment the book started and i would do absolutely anything for ryder, hands down. also the fact that they were able to connect with soccer (my absolute favorite sport) just really hit home for me. their relationships with the sport itself were also super relatable.
this story made my heart so full and i cannot WAIT to jump into the next books because chloe delivers in all aspects. 🖤
⚠️: death of parent, cancer, terminal illness, ableism, grief, injury/injury detail, medical content, vomit, war
SLIGHT SPOILER BELOW:
when willa & ryder are discussing how they want to be intimate with each other (including impact play & dominant/roughness behavior), i literally started to freaking cry because while i’m a big old virgin and have never been in this kind of situation, i have always known i wanted it to be a discussion outside of the bedroom that wasn’t uncomfortable rather than my partner just incorporating it without prior discussion or asking in the heat of the moment because i am such a people pleaser i would probably say yes even if i didn’t want it. (god that was a lot of words in one sentence 😂) also when willa brings out the mirror so ryder can see read her lips and expressions when he’s hitting it from behind?!? I DIED ON THE SPOT, my heart was so full.
5⭐️!!!
CHLOE, WHAT DID YOU PUT IN THIS BOOK?!?! (this is gonna be a long review so buckle up babes)
i LOVE reading books with deaf and/or mute representation because i, myself, am hard of hearing and had an aunt who was deaf. being able to see stories about people i can relate to/understand is important to me, and chloe did an amazing job at portraying it through ryder.
i bought this entire series because i follow chloe on tiktok and MAN did it deliver. this frenemies-to-lovers story about a misunderstanding between the two is just golden and i loved the banter between ryder and willa. the way they became friends with each other before getting involved romantically made my heart so warm, because it was everything i’ve ever wanted.
i fell in love with willa the moment the book started and i would do absolutely anything for ryder, hands down. also the fact that they were able to connect with soccer (my absolute favorite sport) just really hit home for me. their relationships with the sport itself were also super relatable.
this story made my heart so full and i cannot WAIT to jump into the next books because chloe delivers in all aspects. 🖤
⚠️: death of parent, cancer, terminal illness, ableism, grief, injury/injury detail, medical content, vomit, war
SLIGHT SPOILER BELOW:
when willa & ryder are discussing how they want to be intimate with each other (including impact play & dominant/roughness behavior), i literally started to freaking cry because while i’m a big old virgin and have never been in this kind of situation, i have always known i wanted it to be a discussion outside of the bedroom that wasn’t uncomfortable rather than my partner just incorporating it without prior discussion or asking in the heat of the moment because i am such a people pleaser i would probably say yes even if i didn’t want it. (god that was a lot of words in one sentence 😂) also when willa brings out the mirror so ryder can see read her lips and expressions when he’s hitting it from behind?!? I DIED ON THE SPOT, my heart was so full.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Grief, and Cancer
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, and Medical content
Minor: Vomit and War
mmkn_99's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
3.75
Great love story, better than Love Hypothesis. It allowed for character development and the humanization of characters in addition to a super slow burn with nuggets of sexiness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Sexual content
thebookishcajun's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Cancer, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism
thelibraryofalexandra's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism and Grief
alyssajp's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
tropes: frenemies
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Ableism
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Sexual content, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Vomit, Ableism, and Alcohol
danajoy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, Death of parent, Cancer, Medical trauma, and Medical content