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bookscatsandtats'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? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
sea_tea_books's review against another edition
3.0
Happily Ever After. Spicy scenes (eventually).
And now, the cons:
Such a slow burn; like, too slow. The pacing was odd. It felt like the story was riding at 20mph through a school zone for 90% with a few bumps along the way, then suddenly floored it to two spicy scenes at the very end. The result was a clunky story that abruptly ended just as the story picked up steam. Was this why the author included not only an epilogue but also bonus content at the end, to compensate for the abrupt ending?
This book should come with trigger warnings due to themes of childhood trauma, parental alcoholism, and domestic violence within toxic families in both main character backstories.
Not a fan of the main character Vanessa continuously threatening violence against others. And the other main character Aiden being emotionally dysregulated on a daily basis. Let's not normalize these issues by excusing rage and threats as unavoidable consequences of her upbringing, or accepting rudeness and apathy as the norm because he's just a grumpy guy.
Finally, a small pet peeve (pun intended) of mine is when people claim being a pet owner is the same as or similar to being the parent of a human being. In the About the Author section, Mariana Zapata calls her dogs "her...oversized children" and she wrote "child" when referring to the dog Leo in the story. We'll have to agree to disagree on that one, Mariana.
Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Abandonment
storieswithannej's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
All I know for now is that I love this book and made me feel so much. I just can’t put all these feelings into words now. BRB, swooning over Aiden.
Minor: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Violence
juliaaaaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Gaslighting, Car accident, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Injury/Injury detail
lkahre'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
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Car accident, Addiction, and Alcohol
darcerenity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment
bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
Moderate: Car accident, Alcohol, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Drug abuse
clementine789'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
3.75
That paired with the INCREDIBLY slow burn and repetitive writing was driving me crazy, but I kept coming back to these characters and had to see it through. They had some great development and adorable scenes; I’d definitely read another one of the author’s novels this year.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Car accident, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Addiction, and Drug abuse
takarakei'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
Vanessa had a rough childhood and still has a very strained relationship with her family so that is good to know going in.
🌶️3/5 (sneaks in)
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, and Car accident
Minor: Drug abuse and Sexual assault
This is the new to trad pub version and I will say some things could've done to be updated a bit more ex: there's a scene in which Aiden is groped by a fan.