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alinaborger's review against another edition
About to graduate from her later-in-life undergraduate program, Greer discovers she’s missing a fine arts requirement—one that her bff’s hot brother can help her address. But love isn’t easy for these two. Greer has dealt with chronic illness her whole life; Alex has dealt with severe anxiety. Greer’s disability makes travel difficult; Alex travels from war zones to refugee camps for his work.
The best part about their love story is that they take the time to really know each other. The trope of “he gets me so much better than people who’ve known me forever” is supported and developed by real conversation and connection. It’s not just magic, it’s also work. And it’s beautiful.
Great mental health rep here, including on-the-page therapy and panic attacks.
FWIW: I’m 100% a Kate Clayborn stan—and I worried that going back to earlier books would kill that vibe. So glad I was wrong.
The best part about their love story is that they take the time to really know each other. The trope of “he gets me so much better than people who’ve known me forever” is supported and developed by real conversation and connection. It’s not just magic, it’s also work. And it’s beautiful.
Great mental health rep here, including on-the-page therapy and panic attacks.
FWIW: I’m 100% a Kate Clayborn stan—and I worried that going back to earlier books would kill that vibe. So glad I was wrong.
cmaree88's review against another edition
emotional
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
5.0
farkle's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
pjmorse's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
elenajohansen's review against another edition
3.0
The best of the three, or at least, the one I liked best. Kudos to a male character not only going to therapy but having it shown on the page--we need more of that.
Greer's issues were something I was not familiar with, and without doing research into it, I don't know if it was portrayed accurately or not, but I did feel the representation was a touch overdramatic. Setting that aside, though, Greer always seemed to do her best to support Alex's needs, and vice versa, though in Alex's case it was mostly "don't treat Greer like she's made of glass."
While I did like it best of the three, it's still a bit of a stretched premise--did Greer's school really need to be such jerks about the mix-up? Where was any sort of advisor to catch it before it was a last-minute crisis? etc. etc.--and sometimes the fun of a romance is the wacky or unusual premise, but this seemed almost as fake and ridiculous as the second book. It's a good book, not a great one, and I liked it, but I certainly didn't love it.
Greer's issues were something I was not familiar with, and without doing research into it, I don't know if it was portrayed accurately or not, but I did feel the representation was a touch overdramatic. Setting that aside, though, Greer always seemed to do her best to support Alex's needs, and vice versa, though in Alex's case it was mostly "don't treat Greer like she's made of glass."
While I did like it best of the three, it's still a bit of a stretched premise--did Greer's school really need to be such jerks about the mix-up? Where was any sort of advisor to catch it before it was a last-minute crisis? etc. etc.--and sometimes the fun of a romance is the wacky or unusual premise, but this seemed almost as fake and ridiculous as the second book. It's a good book, not a great one, and I liked it, but I certainly didn't love it.
kitty_reads36's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book - especially the fact that the heroine had a chronic health condition and how that impacted not just her but her relationship with her family.
rachbreads's review against another edition
3.0
I have to echo what I heard in other reviews of this series, that this book is the weakest of the three. I still maintain that the first in the series, Beginner's Luck, was my favorite. I did enjoy that we got to return to Kit's family by focusing on Alex in this story. I liked Greer & Alex's characters and they had pretty good chemistry but overall, I felt like the conflict and tension weren't as poignant in this story as they were in the other two. I'm still glad I read it and got to conclude the stories of these three friends finding love - it's a really fun series!
tankytoon's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.5
Slow at first, this book did not take off immediately for me, perhaps due to the meandering narrative, but soon I am sucked into the Clayborn's portrayal of two imperfect characters trying to come to terms with their fragility.
Usually timid Greer harbors a secret: due to a chronic illness, she's tired of getting treated with kids' gloves by her family, thus when she asks her bestfriend's brother for help on a school project, she does so reluctantly.
Famous photographer Alex does not stay long at one place, so it's highly unusual for him to grant his sister's bestfriend a favor by agreeing to stick around for a month. After all, this is only the second time they met, since their initial meeting a few years ago didn't go too well .
The way that Greer unwittingly opens up to Alex, and the way that Alex unknowingly becomes fascinated with Greer, is so delectable and delicate, like a cocoon slowly opening up to become a butterfly.
Clayborn's writing is phenomenal, as well as sensual without being vulgar or salacious. I also liked how mental illness is treated here with Patricia, being such an unorthodox but likeable therapist.
At the end, I loved how Greer finally allowed herself to be vulnerable, despite years of asserting her independence and how Alex lets himself be grounded in one place and realizes that being tethered does not mean he's trapped. I also liked where there's no finite certainty of their future, but at least they make efforts to try their luck.
Usually timid Greer harbors a secret:
Famous photographer Alex does not stay long at one place, so it's highly unusual for him to grant his sister's bestfriend a favor by agreeing to stick around for a month. After all, this is only the second time they met, since their initial meeting a few years ago didn't go too well .
The way that Greer unwittingly opens up to Alex, and the way that Alex unknowingly becomes fascinated with Greer, is so delectable and delicate, like a cocoon slowly opening up to become a butterfly.
Clayborn's writing is phenomenal, as well as sensual without being vulgar or salacious. I also liked how mental illness is treated here with Patricia, being such an unorthodox but likeable therapist.
At the end, I loved how Greer finally allowed herself to be vulnerable, despite years of asserting her independence and how Alex lets himself be grounded in one place and realizes that being tethered does not mean he's trapped. I also liked where there's no finite certainty of their future, but at least they make efforts to try their luck.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Addiction
alienor's review against another edition
emotional
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Chronic illness