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bribreez's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
*Check Trigger Warnings before reading.
4.75⭐️/ 3-4🌶️
Suffering the lost of a loved or a friend is always a heartbreaking experience. For, Logan she lost her best friend, Sofia, and on top of losing the one person who knew her best, she was now faced with the biggest change to her life, becoming the legal guardian of Sofia’s children. Logan found herself in the role as a single parent trying to help care and get to know Sofia’s children, and always trying to maintain a good relationship with Sofia’s parents. Luckily, Logan wasn’t alone since Sofia’s older brother, Alvaro was there to help. This emotional story had a lot of heart, sadness, love, and tropes ranging from slow burn romance, best friend’s brother, single parent, and age gap romance.
If you like the single parent trope then I think you’ll enjoy reading this book. I also think you’ll like this book if you’ve read, Mariana Zapata’s book, “Wait for It” that had a similar plot line to Logan’s. In Logan’s case, she wasn’t the kids actual parent, but became their legal guardian after their mom passed away. Logan became a parent to Sofia’s kids, and it was a new adjustment not just for her, but the kids and Alvaro as well. I could tell that Logan wanted to make sure everything went according to plan from making sure the kids had everything they needed to ensuring they felt comfortable with her. Although, with all the planning and organizing Logan did, some things you couldn’t control as seen by Dash, the oldest of the three kids constantly at odds with her or even with Vienna’s temper tantrums, and the youngest, Lachlan. While I’m no expert when it comes to kids, I could see that Logan was always trying her best, and not just to honor her late best friend’s wishes, but also trying to be there for the kids. At times, I just wanted to hug Logan and let her know it was ok, and to take a breather, my girl was going through it, but at least she had Alvaro to help along the way.
Best friend’s brother/sister’s best friend is one of my favorite tropes, and seeing how Alvaro was, it was easy to fall for the six foot tall retired MMA fighter! Alvaro was literally a strong man both physically and mentally. Alvaro was the kind of man who tried to do right by his family, but even when his parents didn’t agree with him becoming an MMA fighter, he still sought to mark his dream a reality. I was expecting Alvaro to be more off stand-ish towards Logan in the beginning, but I was glad to see that he fought for Logan to raise the kids just as his little sister, Sofia wanted. Plus, seeing Alvaro take on a parenting role to his nephews and niece made him more aware of their needs as well as helping Logan. As much as Alvaro agreed into helping Logan with the kids, the sparks were bound to fly with them essentially living together in Logan’s penthouse and coincidentally enough having alone time when the kids weren’t there! Alvaro was a “take charge” kind of man, and OH BOY DID HE TAKE CHARGE WITH LOGAN! WOO! The way Alvaro dirty talk to Logan, commanded her intimately with trust was sexy, and called her, “Jefe” (boss) was both sexy and at other lighthearted. Alvaro was just all around GREAT!
Omg I feel like I haven’t read a book this fast in a while that was so good and held my attention all the way through! This was an emotional story with lots of heartfelt moments as well as equally heartbreaking sadness that really tugged on my heart strings. Logan became not just a legal guardian to her best friends kids, but a parent who did the utmost to give them the best life possible after suffering a terrible loss of their mom. Alvaro was a great advocate to support Logan through the new transition of being the sole caretaker of his nephews and niece. I really felt sympathetic towards all the characters from Logan to Alvaro to even the kids as they worked their grief and adjusting to a new life. The tropes in this book were absolutely amazing from, single parent, retired MMA fighter, best friend’s brother/ sister’s best friend, age gap romance, forced proximity, and a sprinkling of slow burn romance. Logan and Alvaro had great chemistry and oh boy were those two intimately connected when it came to those heated scenes together! OMG! IT WAS HOT! A tall, muscular, former fighter who was wholeheartedly in love with his sisters best friend, YES I LOVED IT! I wasn’t expecting the bit of danger in this storyline but I actually liked how it played into Alvaro’s storyline which made it a bit suspenseful. As a whole, this book had me captivated all the way through, and I loved every moment of it! I was really happy to see Logan find her way towards happiness and even after suffering the loss of her best friend, she managed to find her own family, not those of blood, but by choice. I also really loved the epilogue since it further showed a happy ending for Logan and Alvaro and (sigh) it was really satisfying to read! Highly recommend reading this story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Grief, and Death
readers_together's review against another edition
hopeful
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Infertility and Injury/Injury detail
tenderbench's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Infertility
peepbabby's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
When Sofia died, she asked her former college best friend to be her children's guardian. Sofia had a destructive marriage and finally was able to get away. Logan hasn't seen her friend in years. The former marriage caused a rift in their relationship and they were eventually pulled away from each other. Logan is devastated to see that this is the end of her best friend's story.
Logan lived the successful, overachiever life already but what she has always wanted was a family. Coming from a life of luxury and privilege, Logan's upbringing and current life could be described as cold and not suitable for the 3 children that she has now been entrusted with. Logan, desperate to make this work, accept the condition from the children's grandmother, that their uncle, Alvaro, must live with them.
This story is heartbreaking. There is truly something special in these pages. The way that the relationship between Sofia and Logan was presented made you constantly wonder what if? This is a dual POV slowburn spicy romance and it was totally worth it. I love the way that the relationship between Logan and Alvaro was built. The way the would be randomly staring and listening to their thoughts go on some spicy tangents and then correct themselves. THE GYM WHEWWWWWWWWWWW. I loved the gym scene so much.
More importantly, though, the forgiveness we see from this family brought me to tears so many times. The children, UGH THE CHILDREN. They were so sweet and honestly just so sad. The way the baby started to get more comfortable with Logan made me cry a lot. It was always so small but so big at the same time. Watching Logan learn about the children and their personalities really let you know that she cared. That this was more than something an old friend asked her to do.
Finally, the letter. There will be NO SPOILERS. Just know this is the part of the story that tears at your heartstrings. This was the spilling over point in the story and it made to such a beautiful conclusion. Gummy bears will always be special to me.
Logan lived the successful, overachiever life already but what she has always wanted was a family. Coming from a life of luxury and privilege, Logan's upbringing and current life could be described as cold and not suitable for the 3 children that she has now been entrusted with. Logan, desperate to make this work, accept the condition from the children's grandmother, that their uncle, Alvaro, must live with them.
This story is heartbreaking. There is truly something special in these pages. The way that the relationship between Sofia and Logan was presented made you constantly wonder what if? This is a dual POV slowburn spicy romance and it was totally worth it. I love the way that the relationship between Logan and Alvaro was built. The way the would be randomly staring and listening to their thoughts go on some spicy tangents and then correct themselves. THE GYM WHEWWWWWWWWWWW. I loved the gym scene so much.
More importantly, though, the forgiveness we see from this family brought me to tears so many times. The children, UGH THE CHILDREN. They were so sweet and honestly just so sad. The way the baby started to get more comfortable with Logan made me cry a lot. It was always so small but so big at the same time. Watching Logan learn about the children and their personalities really let you know that she cared. That this was more than something an old friend asked her to do.
Finally, the letter. There will be NO SPOILERS. Just know this is the part of the story that tears at your heartstrings. This was the spilling over point in the story and it made to such a beautiful conclusion. Gummy bears will always be special to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse
daisycantread24's review
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, Suicide, Violence, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
kbairbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
5.0
I have too much to say so I need to get this out of the way first. I am so unbelievably blessed to be a part of Amy’s arc team. I got an early copy of Keepsake in exchange for an honest review.
I am enraptured. I thought I saw someone say this as well, but the way this book broke me and then put me back together and gave me a kiss on the head was every f****** thing. I don’t even know how to describe how special this book was, how well it talked about grief, and how grief presents differently in different people. The difficulties of family and the tragedies we experience in life and the small moments that bring people together and the way hard conversations are necessary, but can also be healing and the hardest thing you’ve ever done at the same time. It was vulnerability and kindness and fear and failure and joy and elation and love and hurt and suffering all wrapped into one incredible story.
For the first 30% of the book I thought I wasn’t Vibing with the story. Keyword being I thought. It felt cold to me and I wasn’t connecting with the characters and I wasn’t sure how the story was going to go for me. But then the tables turned, and I’m not gonna spoil it here, but there was one specific moment that happened that completely changed the game for me. I loved, loved, loved seeing how the characters grew together, watched their love grow, their connections grow and it was just so beautiful. All the talk of therapy and healing and again it was just incredible. This is one of those books that’s going to stick with me long after I’ve read it and I am so thrilled and blessed to have been able to read it. Amy, I am in awe of you.
I am enraptured. I thought I saw someone say this as well, but the way this book broke me and then put me back together and gave me a kiss on the head was every f****** thing. I don’t even know how to describe how special this book was, how well it talked about grief, and how grief presents differently in different people. The difficulties of family and the tragedies we experience in life and the small moments that bring people together and the way hard conversations are necessary, but can also be healing and the hardest thing you’ve ever done at the same time. It was vulnerability and kindness and fear and failure and joy and elation and love and hurt and suffering all wrapped into one incredible story.
For the first 30% of the book I thought I wasn’t Vibing with the story. Keyword being I thought. It felt cold to me and I wasn’t connecting with the characters and I wasn’t sure how the story was going to go for me. But then the tables turned, and I’m not gonna spoil it here, but there was one specific moment that happened that completely changed the game for me. I loved, loved, loved seeing how the characters grew together, watched their love grow, their connections grow and it was just so beautiful. All the talk of therapy and healing and again it was just incredible. This is one of those books that’s going to stick with me long after I’ve read it and I am so thrilled and blessed to have been able to read it. Amy, I am in awe of you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, and Classism
Endometriosis rep, mental health/anxiety rep, grief, trauma, family, latine charactersbooksandcurlz's review
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
This story captured me from the first chapter. I loved Logan from the moment she was introduced and I loved Alvaro alias “El Toro” even more. The story doesn‘t just focus just on their romance, but on how much support there was between them, how they tagged team dealing with the Dash, Vienna, and Lachlan, as well as how they navigated the relationship with Alvaro’s parents. The mental health rep in this one is amazing, so relateable to those who suffer anxiety and depression. Especially since Logan carried a lot of insecurities around not being likable and screwing up and Alvaro was there every step just giving her words of encouragement and helping de-escalate when Logan’s anxiety would overtake her.
Let’s get to the good stuff shall we…
What I ♥️
♥️ Logan - there are so many parts of this FMC that I identify with. Her middle name was preparation and that is totally how I operate, when something unfamiliar gets thrown at me, I will basically stop my entire life to learn as much as possible, because I would rather be caught dead than unprepared. I also identify with her anxiety, with how her success is perceived by other people.
♥️ Alvaro “El Toro” - He is broken, hurt, has so much grief that I connect with, yet he is just so supportive of Logan, from getting his parents to stop fighting Logan for the kids, to co-parenting, to always having encouraging words for when Logan felt inadequate. He calls Logan Jefa, and after that he could do no harm.
♥️ The development of the family dynamics was amazing in this book, especially after everything that happened as well as the trauma and grief that everyone of these characters was processing throughout the book.
♥️ The tension - friends, the tension build up on this one was GOOD, real good.
Who is this for? If you like:
❤️🔥 Slow burn romance
✨ Legal guardians
🥊 Retired MMA fighter MMC.
♥️ Age gap (16 years)
✨ Forced Proximity
🛏️ One Bed
✨ Mental Health
And much, much more
I would like to thank the author Amy Oliveira for this eARC.
And much, much more
I would like to thank the author Amy Oliveira for this eARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Infertility and Suicide
Minor: Domestic abuse
bittersweetcritiques's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, and Domestic abuse
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