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brittneyreads's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Went into this thinking it was going to be a rom-com, but I ended up getting more than I bargained for (in a good way). A fair warning, this story features an unlikable female character. I personally loved Liya's "take no shit attitude" but I can see why it wouldn't work for some people. I will say that the book does a good job of showing how this is a defense mechanism due to some trauma she faced as a teenager, so it makes her someone you can root for even if you don't agree with the way she handles thing. Jay is definitely a good foil for her personality, he isn't unnerved by a head strong woman, and knows how to step in and help without taking away her agency.
These two had great chemistry, and the transition of their relationship from mutual disdain to tentative friends to liking each other was done very smoothly and naturally. I will say that because their chemistry was sooo off the charts, I was disappointed that we didn't get any steamy scenes between them. That would have been so good!
I'll also say that I found it really weird when they were, I believe, freshly official and Jay was making comments about getting her pregnant with his baby (they were brushed off as jokes, but they seemed like the type of jokes that were low key serious comments). This book spent a lot of time showing us how Liya is seen as a sex object by so many men in her life and how that's messed her up, and Jay kept insisting that he saw her as more than that, then the second he's able to slap the label "girlfriend" onto her he wants to start making babies? It didn't rub me the right way.
As I said earlier, I thought this book was going to be a rom-com, and although there were some funny moments, I wouldn't classify this as a romcom. If you see my content warnings, you will see that there are mentions of rape in this book, specifically, the rape of a minor. This is actually a big plot point, although the rape itself is not depicted on page nor talked about in any explicit manner. There are also a few big moments of victim blaming and attempted gas lighting that occurs in this book as well. I did like that this is a story about a survivor of sexual assault trying to deal with the residual trauma of what happened to her, and how she is able to still have her happy ending. But, I'm not sure if I'm in a position to decide whether or not these tough topics were dealt with well.
These two had great chemistry, and the transition of their relationship from mutual disdain to tentative friends to liking each other was done very smoothly and naturally. I will say that because their chemistry was sooo off the charts, I was disappointed that we didn't get any steamy scenes between them. That would have been so good!
I'll also say that I found it really weird when they were, I believe, freshly official and Jay was making comments about getting her pregnant with his baby (they were brushed off as jokes, but they seemed like the type of jokes that were low key serious comments). This book spent a lot of time showing us how Liya is seen as a sex object by so many men in her life and how that's messed her up, and Jay kept insisting that he saw her as more than that, then the second he's able to slap the label "girlfriend" onto her he wants to start making babies? It didn't rub me the right way.
As I said earlier, I thought this book was going to be a rom-com, and although there were some funny moments, I wouldn't classify this as a romcom. If you see my content warnings, you will see that there are mentions of rape in this book, specifically, the rape of a minor. This is actually a big plot point, although the rape itself is not depicted on page nor talked about in any explicit manner. There are also a few big moments of victim blaming and attempted gas lighting that occurs in this book as well. I did like that this is a story about a survivor of sexual assault trying to deal with the residual trauma of what happened to her, and how she is able to still have her happy ending. But, I'm not sure if I'm in a position to decide whether or not these tough topics were dealt with well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Child abuse and Rape
sridevi93's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
niah's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.25
I really really like how the trauma was handled in this book imo. I feel like it did justice to how someone in that situation would feel and react. I’m not that well versed in this kind of culture but I did learn a lot from this book and it kind of reminded me of I think it was, Dating Dr. Dil.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Fire/Fire injury
nehaslibrary's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.25
i found that this book got better as it progressed which is a very uncommon phenomenon
i love how effortlessly indian culture was weaved into the storyline and how effortlessly certain societal issues were discussed in the right way
i love how effortlessly indian culture was weaved into the storyline and how effortlessly certain societal issues were discussed in the right way
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual assault
raina_61's review against another edition
4.25
Fan-fucking-tastic
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
zoiebell's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
bandysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
3.75
A love story of two people who have experienced a lot of trauma. They must learn to trust each other and that leads into a deeper than normal romance story. I liked that this book talked about actual real issues
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Bullying, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
renaaa_'s review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
This was an amazing book. The FMC and MMC are both non traditional in their very traditional Indian community. The FMC is ostracized from her community, but she still makes an effort to show up for her loved ones. The relationship between the two main characters was really authentic and I love that they both help each other grow and handle their grief/trauma. TW for SA
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
susanknights's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
hannah_clover's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury