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rebeccaamorim's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Definitely liked this one better than the first book and I LOVED Matt I just thought he was the absolute sweetest! Love how he let her deal with her own traumas because of her dads death and respected that she wasnt ready for the relationship. AND THE LETTERS SO PRECIOUS 🥹
chemistryreads's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I absolutely love this book and Hannah Bonham-Young may just be my new favorite author. Her books have such an excellent balance of storytelling, romance, and authentic representation for not only disabilities, but also POC, and LGBTQIA+ people. Lane is a character that certainly lost direction in her life and has quite the interesting way to rediscover herself. Mattheus is very much the perfect MMC that is not only an amazing friend, but becomes a partner to Lane. I loved how their story felt unique in the terms of what I’ve seen in other romance books, but it also it felt like Lane and Mattheus could realistically be friends of the reader. The supporting cast of characters was also amazing and even though this is a series, it could be read alone. Tiniest of deductions for 3/5th (not exactly 3rd act) breakup, but so well done that it wasn’t so bothersome. Overall, such sweet romantic chemistry and storytelling that I will be rereading this again! 4.75⭐️, 2🌶
weroni's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
whittles09's review
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Wow, I did not see this book coming. There were a lot of topics that hit home in this book for me. The author did a beautiful job of depicting loss and the guilt of still being the one living.
Mattheus is dreamy and I'm thrilled he got his happy ending. 💜
Mattheus is dreamy and I'm thrilled he got his happy ending. 💜
rhamil12's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
torifaye's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Bonam-Young grabs my attention at the start of all their books and this was no exception!
suse_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
slow-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
Incredible. I practically inhaled this book within two days and loved it so much I even sat through the half time/not quite third act breakup. Lane and Matt are incredibly adorable and lovable characters that are so easy to identify with in any way, shape or form. I also appreciate the author for not putting a child into the equation so I didn’t have to take a star off my rating
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Grief and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Alcohol
ri_ri's review against another edition
4.0
4 'Manamea' stars
Hannah did it again with another heartfelt, exquisite, painful, inspiring and wholesome story. One of the best 'friends to lovers' book I have ever read and it also has friends with benefits trope which is not my thing but the way Hannah used both the tropes — it was perfect. You give her any trope and she can write a hell of a book from it.
Hannah has easily become my favourite author. I'm in love with her easy yet exquisitely writing. Her story-telling and the way she writes her soft and the complicated characters with so much efficiency is perfect. I also loved that there was bisexual representation, anxiety and PTSD representation. She portrayed grief and healing in such a realistic way and I liked how it wasn't something that happens in one day or one week. I also loved the found family trope with the friends and Matt's family and the representation of Samoan culture through Matt's family. Matt's family was the sweetest and it was so endearing to see them all together and the way they loved each other and how they accepted Lane in their family was so adorable.
➸ Lane
I absolutely loved her and I felt connected to her character and her anxiety about life, decisions and future. Lane may be a successful person who is living a better life but she's just an anxious girl who never moved on from her past. She's very impulsive and takes decisions just based on how she feels in that certain moment (that's so me lol). I loved how she was outspoken about her feelings and fears with Matt and how she can't do relationships and that she needed time to be her better version, not just for herself but for him as well. I absolutely loved her character development and how she accepted that she needed to move on from her father's death and how she can only do so if she accepts that she also deserves love and happiness in life.
➸ Mattheus
The perfect man doesn't exists? Wrong because Matt exists. Matt is thoughful, caring, sweet, kind-hearted, selfless, a bit grumpy, protective, patience and just... perfect. He's such a cinnamon roll with a hopeless romantic heart and would do anything in his power to make you feel comfortable. He reads, he loves classics, he recommends you books, he watched Lane's recommended movies and even reviewed them, he wrote fifty seven letters when he's apart from the girl he loved, he gifted Lane a worrying doll made by his own hands because he knew she was a very anxious person, he takes her to meet his family and treats her like his family, he's everything we want from a real man but real men are a disappointment. And he calls her 'Manamea'
“Fuck, I miss you. You’ve ruined me. Do it again.”
Hannah did it again with another heartfelt, exquisite, painful, inspiring and wholesome story. One of the best 'friends to lovers' book I have ever read and it also has friends with benefits trope which is not my thing but the way Hannah used both the tropes — it was perfect. You give her any trope and she can write a hell of a book from it.
“Are you flirting with me?” I ask. Or at least I think I do.
His soft, single laugh surprises me. “For over a year now. Thanks for noticing.” He kisses next to my ear.
Hannah has easily become my favourite author. I'm in love with her easy yet exquisitely writing. Her story-telling and the way she writes her soft and the complicated characters with so much efficiency is perfect. I also loved that there was bisexual representation, anxiety and PTSD representation. She portrayed grief and healing in such a realistic way and I liked how it wasn't something that happens in one day or one week. I also loved the found family trope with the friends and Matt's family and the representation of Samoan culture through Matt's family. Matt's family was the sweetest and it was so endearing to see them all together and the way they loved each other and how they accepted Lane in their family was so adorable.
➸ Lane
I absolutely loved her and I felt connected to her character and her anxiety about life, decisions and future. Lane may be a successful person who is living a better life but she's just an anxious girl who never moved on from her past. She's very impulsive and takes decisions just based on how she feels in that certain moment (that's so me lol). I loved how she was outspoken about her feelings and fears with Matt and how she can't do relationships and that she needed time to be her better version, not just for herself but for him as well. I absolutely loved her character development and how she accepted that she needed to move on from her father's death and how she can only do so if she accepts that she also deserves love and happiness in life.
“Sometimes it feels like everyone else has a script, and I’m doing improv.”
➸ Mattheus
The perfect man doesn't exists? Wrong because Matt exists. Matt is thoughful, caring, sweet, kind-hearted, selfless, a bit grumpy, protective, patience and just... perfect. He's such a cinnamon roll with a hopeless romantic heart and would do anything in his power to make you feel comfortable. He reads, he loves classics, he recommends you books, he watched Lane's recommended movies and even reviewed them, he wrote fifty seven letters when he's apart from the girl he loved, he gifted Lane a worrying doll made by his own hands because he knew she was a very anxious person, he takes her to meet his family and treats her like his family, he's everything we want from a real man but real men are a disappointment. And he calls her 'Manamea'
grifsgirl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-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
4.25
rachelshubin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
3.5
3.5 stars rounded up. I found Next to You to be more relatable than Next of Kin! It’s hard to beat friends to lovers, and Lane & Matt’s story was very well done. Lane suffered from agoraphobia, PTSD, anxiety and depression, and it was handled with the utmost care and respect. Matt was the definition of “in a world of boys he’s a gentleman.”
Why wasn’t it a full 4 star read? Again, the not really dating to full blown end game love was just too rushed for me! I think a lot more work and communication needed to be done to be successful for a healthy relationship. However, I still really enjoyed the story and am excited to continue reading HBY.