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burlesquemouse's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Cancer, Mental illness, and Suicide
theinstabookworm'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
4.75
THE GOOD: I loved the disability representation in this. I loved that Bo was attentive and sympathetic even though he didn't understand what Win was going through. I loved Sarah and Caleb and their friendship with Win and the banter between all the characters was so good. And I loved that the book was set in Canada. I really liked the epilogue, too.
THE BAD: The story is only told from Win's POV and I feel like it would have been even better if we had Bo's POV, too. I also felt that the middle dragged a bit.
Favourite quote: "You are my soul's purpose, Win. To know you, to love you, to build a family with you, to spend every day taking care of you, to watch you shine and get all the good things you deserve out of this life."
THE BAD: The story is only told from Win's POV and I feel like it would have been even better if we had Bo's POV, too. I also felt that the middle dragged a bit.
Favourite quote: "You are my soul's purpose, Win. To know you, to love you, to build a family with you, to spend every day taking care of you, to watch you shine and get all the good things you deserve out of this life."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, Mental illness, Cancer, Abortion, Emotional abuse, and Ableism
ambercunningham's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Oh my god. Bo. That’s it. That’s the tweet. I am obsessed with these two. This book is sweeter than candy and I ate it the fuck up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, and Sexual content
madeline's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Mental illness
aksmith92's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
Boy, was I nervous to tackle this rom-com book by Hannah Bonam-Young. Pregnancy in romance books is one of my least favorites, but I heard such good things and had to give it a go. I liked how Bonam-Young even said in a preface that she recognizes this accidental pregnancy trope isn't the best, but she wanted to do it anyway. I will say I did find this novel a bit "trope-y," but I had such a good time and couldn't put the book down. I loved the prose, I loved the plot, and I did love the characters for the most part. I think it was also essential to read a book about disabled folks finding joy and love - a premise we most certainly don't get to read that often.
We follow the point of view of Winnifred, or Win, a 28-year-old living and working in Canada and just trying to get by. She has had some challenges in the past, from dealing with an emotionally immature mother, to coming to terms with a toxic past relationship, and living and thriving with a disability: a hand that from birth didn't quite form or grow. At her best friend's Halloween party one night, she meets Bo, or Robert, or Robbie (so many identities!), and they hit off because they both dress up as pirates, and he is missing one leg from the knee down. They relate and understand each other almost instantly, and as you can imagine, one thing leads to another, and oops, Win is pregnant. The problem is she only wanted something casual and hadn't talked to Bo since the party. The book follows Win as she tells Bo and continues her journey in pregnancy.
I LOVED Win and Bo's banter. They were truly a delight to witness. I've heard some reviews about this book where folks say that Bo is one of the most unrealistic characters ever because he is flawless. I would kind of agree - the dude definitely makes minimal mistakes and seems to know what to do in a very challenging situation. But, I will say that after reading Bo's back story and understanding what happened to his leg and what the pregnancy means to him makes me a little less irked by this. Honestly, I feel like every heterosexual dude should read this book on what to do if accidental pregnancy were to happen and how to treat someone going through challenging times. Bo was a joy to read about; I loved his character so much. I also enjoyed Win's relationship with her best friend, Sarah, and Sarah's husband, Caleb. The trio was fun to read. The support Sarah and Win gave to one another was unparalleled, and I love to see a fabulous, solid friendship story in a novel.
I will say, like every single one of the rom-com/romance books I read, I struggle to rate this a 5 star simply because there is a bit of an immature miscommunication issue peppered throughout - it's usually, and in this case, true, that the main female character is CONVINCED that the dude is hung up on an ex, and instead of asking him about it proceeds to make all decisions about their relationship under the assumption that it is fact. I know it is used to create needed tension in a literal romance novel, and quite honestly, it can be realistic. But it simply just drives me mad. I understand Win's apprehension about forming a relationship with Bo - she wants to ensure co-parenting works, not have an ultra-complicated relationship if someone gets hurt, etc. But this whole ex thing didn't need to be in there. Win overthinks! I get it and can get past that. But I disliked the assuming miscommunication in here.
Lastly, there is something insidious about BookTok and tropes recently (in my opinion). I am so tired of the main female characters GAWKING at the main male characters. I understand the author wants to paint a picture of how the main female character finds her love interest attractive in many ways, including physically. But sometimes, it's just so much. I know it's trying to build the relationship, but I candidly feel it's a cop-out for building the relationship more emotionally and interestingly. While this novel didn't overload me with this sentiment, it was too much.
With that said, overall, I enjoyed way more parts of this book than the parts that frustrated me. It was a lovely little read about two people working through challenges as a team and finding ways to love each other. It was beautiful!
We follow the point of view of Winnifred, or Win, a 28-year-old living and working in Canada and just trying to get by. She has had some challenges in the past, from dealing with an emotionally immature mother, to coming to terms with a toxic past relationship, and living and thriving with a disability: a hand that from birth didn't quite form or grow. At her best friend's Halloween party one night, she meets Bo, or Robert, or Robbie (so many identities!), and they hit off because they both dress up as pirates, and he is missing one leg from the knee down. They relate and understand each other almost instantly, and as you can imagine, one thing leads to another, and oops, Win is pregnant. The problem is she only wanted something casual and hadn't talked to Bo since the party. The book follows Win as she tells Bo and continues her journey in pregnancy.
I LOVED Win and Bo's banter. They were truly a delight to witness. I've heard some reviews about this book where folks say that Bo is one of the most unrealistic characters ever because he is flawless. I would kind of agree - the dude definitely makes minimal mistakes and seems to know what to do in a very challenging situation. But, I will say that after reading Bo's back story and understanding what happened to his leg and what the pregnancy means to him makes me a little less irked by this. Honestly, I feel like every heterosexual dude should read this book on what to do if accidental pregnancy were to happen and how to treat someone going through challenging times. Bo was a joy to read about; I loved his character so much. I also enjoyed Win's relationship with her best friend, Sarah, and Sarah's husband, Caleb. The trio was fun to read. The support Sarah and Win gave to one another was unparalleled, and I love to see a fabulous, solid friendship story in a novel.
I will say, like every single one of the rom-com/romance books I read, I struggle to rate this a 5 star simply because there is a bit of an immature miscommunication issue peppered throughout - it's usually, and in this case, true, that the main female character is CONVINCED that the dude is hung up on an ex, and instead of asking him about it proceeds to make all decisions about their relationship under the assumption that it is fact. I know it is used to create needed tension in a literal romance novel, and quite honestly, it can be realistic. But it simply just drives me mad. I understand Win's apprehension about forming a relationship with Bo - she wants to ensure co-parenting works, not have an ultra-complicated relationship if someone gets hurt, etc. But this whole ex thing didn't need to be in there. Win overthinks! I get it and can get past that. But I disliked the assuming miscommunication in here.
Lastly, there is something insidious about BookTok and tropes recently (in my opinion). I am so tired of the main female characters GAWKING at the main male characters. I understand the author wants to paint a picture of how the main female character finds her love interest attractive in many ways, including physically. But sometimes, it's just so much. I know it's trying to build the relationship, but I candidly feel it's a cop-out for building the relationship more emotionally and interestingly. While this novel didn't overload me with this sentiment, it was too much.
With that said, overall, I enjoyed way more parts of this book than the parts that frustrated me. It was a lovely little read about two people working through challenges as a team and finding ways to love each other. It was beautiful!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Ableism, Cancer, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol
lifeofchrstnlvly's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It’s so much easier to communicate insecurities when you don’t need to communicate them at all. Isn’t that all we ever want? To be seen and heard? Validated, even when we’re not able to ask for it.
Unlike most readers, I don't dislike the main trope in "Out On a Limb." I don't mind the tropes in this book, especially the main one. HBY did the book justice because she wrote it beautifully, and you won't even be bothered by it.
This book was like a warm hug. I found myself wishing this was already released, and that I had read this, when I was still pregnant. I felt so seen by Win's worries. The representation of disabilities was also great. Regarding Bo, I'll just come out and say it: he's perfect. I found myself wishing I had my own Bo as my beau (hehe).
At times, I found Win's constant second-guessing of Bo's intentions annoying, which started around the 46% mark. However, her qualms about Bo did not last long, which was good. Some conversations in the book were longer than necessary, which made the pacing feel a little dragging. Despite this, the book was still wonderfully written, and these issues of mine were not a dealbreaker.
I'm giving this book a rating of 4.5 stars because, while it was good, it didn't quite have that "5-star feeling" for me. I read it on my Kindle (it's available for free on Kindle Unlimited), but I didn't feel compelled to purchase a physical copy to reread it over and over again. Nevertheless, as I mentioned before, it was a good book, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Suicide, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
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