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cheye13's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a bit of a disappointment from my favorite author. With the republishing of this series, I wonder if this one will get some edits (or if there were earlier drafts that I'd've liked more).
This is one of those romances where the characters' individual plots feel out of balance; Fen's grief (understandably) shadows Alfie's internal and familial homophobia and loneliness. I don't think the storylines are badly paired, just that they needed a little more balance on the page. A number of the plot threads also felt a bit thin, which left me unsatisfied by their resolutions. Like Alfie's internalized homophobia - Fen yells at him a bit and he's fixed (basically).
It also falls into the camp of enemies-to-lovers romances who elide the enemies chapter too quickly and easily. I understand why we sped through the bullying premise, but if that was the intention, I'm not sure why it was included at all, especially given how intense it was. One of those cases where I would've preferred either extreme (no bullying involved, or angst for half the book) rather than the middle ground it fell in.
I definitely appreciate this as a stepping stone for the author to write his next books, and the writing style I love is still there. But it didn't have that Alexis Hall magic that clues the book to my hand until it's done.
This is one of those romances where the characters' individual plots feel out of balance; Fen's grief (understandably) shadows Alfie's internal and familial homophobia and loneliness. I don't think the storylines are badly paired, just that they needed a little more balance on the page. A number of the plot threads also felt a bit thin, which left me unsatisfied by their resolutions. Like Alfie's internalized homophobia - Fen yells at him a bit and he's fixed (basically).
It also falls into the camp of enemies-to-lovers romances who elide the enemies chapter too quickly and easily. I understand why we sped through the bullying premise, but if that was the intention, I'm not sure why it was included at all, especially given how intense it was. One of those cases where I would've preferred either extreme (no bullying involved, or angst for half the book) rather than the middle ground it fell in.
I definitely appreciate this as a stepping stone for the author to write his next books, and the writing style I love is still there. But it didn't have that Alexis Hall magic that clues the book to my hand until it's done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Dementia, Blood, Bullying, and Death of parent
Minor: Biphobia
the death of the parent involves medically assisted suicide; homophobia is both general and regarding close family; the bullying is intense but described as past eventspurplepenning's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Bullying, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Biphobia, Cursing, Death of parent, and Dementia
Minor: Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Violence, and Child abuse
Internalized homophobia, sexism, toxic masculinity (all challenged); assisted suicide (terminal illness)
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