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Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'
Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues by H.S. Valley
7 reviews
betweentheshelves'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
4.0
What starts as an innocent project shows Tim and Elliott that they might be more compatible than they thought. What starts as a friendship evolves into no-strings-attached hookups. But when feelings start to spark between them, they realize that emotions can start to get messy. Especially when they don't know if the other person also feels them, too.
Thanks to NetGalley and Independent Publisher's Group for an advanced copy of Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues by HS Valley to review! I heard a pitch for this as a mini book conference I went to last fall, and it sounded right up my alley. And I was right! Plus, one of the comp titles was Red, White, & Royal Blue, so you know I had to read it.
Outside of having a really long title, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Tim and Elliott have excellent chemistry, right from the beginning. The way their relationship evolves throughout the book feels realistic, and you'll come to love these two goofballs by the end. And the magical baby egg assignment is such a fun concept! I don't know why someone hasn't included that in a book before. It made their whole relationship even more fun.
While the comp titles are Red, White, & Royal Blue and The Magicians, I think a more fitting comparison is Carry On. You've got magic, rivals to lovers, and a magical school. Sure, neither of them is a vampire, but the overall tone and story felt similar to me. So, if you love Carry On, you'll probably enjoy this!
My only qualm is that I wish the world building had been made a bit clearer. The whole magical school thing was cool, but I still wasn't quite clear on the magical system and how it worked. A few more details in that regard would have been helpful.
Outside of that, this is a super fun, light read, and it'll be a great one to add to your romance TBR!
Graphic: Alcohol, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Minor: Misogyny, Colonisation, and Lesbophobia
dododenise'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: Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Misogyny and Lesbophobia
aromarrie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Abandonment and Alcohol
lady_moon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
And btw it's nice to read a fantasy book where the world isn't in great danger that should be stopped by some random teenagers. I honestly loved how this felt like a normal teen romance drama but they just happen to be in a magical school with a silly magical problem.
Graphic: Alcohol and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Misogyny, Bullying, Colonisation, and Lesbophobia
echoingtales's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Abandonment and Alcohol
hayleyvem'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
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual content, and Alcohol
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The only tiny criticism I had was that I felt like Tim's relationship with his father needed more space at the end. But this wasn't the focus of the book so it wasn't enough to dock the overall 5 star rating I've given it!
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Cursing, Homophobia, Colonisation, Sexism, Misogyny, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Mental illness, Blood, and Ableism