Scan barcode
shesreadingagain_'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
4.5
Moderate: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Drug use
vereadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The book is narrated from Macy's point of view in a dual time (then and now). Macy and Elliot meet when Macy's father buys a vacation home. There Macy meets her neighbor Elliot, and they begin a friendship.
Macy has an emotional dependency on Elliot. He becomes her emotional support and therapist at times. The relationship gets complicated when both fall in love. They got scared of ruining their friendship or being rejected by the other. This situation led them to misunderstandings, angst, and entanglements.
Elliot dumps his girlfriend as soon as he sees Macy. I would have liked to see Elliot's relationship with Rachel, his girlfriend. She was the person who helped him deal with the aftermath of his breakup with Macy. I dislike the way Elliot handled things with her. Rachel deserved better.
The thing about the adult Elliot is that we don't know anything about him. We know the sweet and thoughtful teenager Elliot. But Adult Elliot is a complete mystery.
The conflict drags on unnecessarily. Elliot and Macy could have worked out their problems from the start. Unfortunately, this harms the reading because once the truth comes out. What happened to them that night is intense, and we don't have enough time to process everything. As readers, we only have a little time to digest and deal with that information.
The climax of the conflict wasn't well handled. We find out that Elliot cheated on Macy with another girl. When Elliot explained the situation, it became clear that he was sexually assaulted. Elliot was so drunk that he couldn't consent to having sex. Emma preyed on him. Even more, considering how confused he was that he thought he was with Macy. Consent works both ways!
At some point, he admitted to having a breakdown while he was with a girl. That is PTSD!
It is a pity that the authors didn't treat the scene as it was. What happened to Elliot is as important and traumatic as what happened to Macy.
Graphic: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Car accident
sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I don't particularly like the tropes used in this, but I could handle the miscommunication part until there was this really weird, unbelievable cheating trope thrown in there. If you don't mind or even enjoy these tropes though, then this book may be for you, this rating is very much a "not for me" rating and doesn't suggest that it's a bad book.
Also there was a really weird detailed, semi-explicit sex scene between teenagers in the past timeline that was completely unnecessary. Fade to black when they're minors, please, and leave the detail to the adult timeline.
Overall, I liked the writing and Macy's character, particularly her in the current timeline, but the ending and the conflict that lead to the loss of communication for 11 years just seemed unnecessary to me. If you can look past the tropes, or if you enjoy them, then this book may be for you but it wasn't for me. I've liked 50% of Christina Lauren's books though, so I'll definitely give another a shot.
Graphic: Death of parent and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
serendipity421's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Car accident
Minor: Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Drug use
hdoomk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Cancer, Car accident, Cursing, Sexual harassment, Death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcoholism
riella_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really enjoyed this though!
Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Infidelity, Cancer, Sexual content, Car accident, and Panic attacks/disorders
daringreader13's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Grief, Rape, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
kyleethecatlady's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer and Infidelity
Minor: Medical content and Panic attacks/disorders
audreynunn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent, Vomit, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death
booksanna's review
- 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
At first, I considered giving it a 4.75, afterall, it was only a romace book. But I ultimetly decided that this book deserved nothing less than a 5.
The only complaint(more like a personal preferance) was the sexual content. It definitly felt realistic and beautiful, but I felt that sometimes the story heavily relied on it for plot stability. I persoanlly don’t find that pleasing, but I can understand why its a great too to use.
Graphic: Death of parent and Car accident
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Vomit and Panic attacks/disorders