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laurensalisbury's review against another edition
1.0
The internalized misogyny in the Jimenez books I've read have officially put me off any of her stuff now. The fact that she cannot write any side female characters that aren't referred to as "crazy" or "bitches" is too much to be forced to slog through. The Lola character and the way every other character talks about her made me cringe at first and then just finally pissed me off. The fact that she was compared to Lohan who we know now was exploited just makes it even more clear that Jimenez has some stuff to work through when it comes to women.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Alcohol
courtneyfalling's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Well... it was definitely better than The Friend Zone (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/90f78ed5-d681-4e16-be7f-d4b650bff02d). I liked Sloane a lot as a strong-willed, creative, determined-against-all-odds MC. This book also explores grief and unexpected young widowhood pretty well, all things considered. I had mixed feelings a lot of the way through about Lola's presentation and stereotype (misogyny!), but I think this ultimately ends in a good place without simplifying how either Lola or Jason experienced it. There's one random crappy homophobic conversation for like, no reason? Which I think stuck with me because it highlights a lot of my vague issues with sexuality, sex, and gender in these books. To a lesser extent than The Friend Zone but still to a noticeable extent, Jimenez simply cannot figure out how to really write fairly balanced, feminist cishet relationships in the way I think she thinks she is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Car accident, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
reading_between_the_trees's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I loved the format of this book. It made me want listen to music more often while I read, and in my opinion the playlist associated with the book was awesome. I discovered some new artists and enjoyed listening to some favorite artists. It was also a cute love story with good pacing and fresh plot points. My main issue was the heteronormativity and the toxic gender roles that were perpetually present throughout reading. It was a big distraction for my while reading and took away from my enjoyment of the story. It was woven into the dialogue, the relationship tensions, and pretty much every aspect of the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Infidelity
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Self harm, and Misogyny
Minor: Vomit and Emotional abuse
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