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skienight's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia and Homophobia
sreberko's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Was this a mess? Yes, it was. Did I fall in love with at least two characters? Yes, I did. Will I be back, reading other books from the series? Yes, I will.
Noah Dashwood is the reasonable one. The one that first thinks, and then acts. The one that would do everything for his family, and the one that had to fight to be himself. He is a trans character, and his experience and insecurities could add a lot to the book.
But they didn't. It felt like the author didn't know how to deal with the chosen topic, and preferred to be cautious.
Zach Dashwood is a hot mess. He can't see love even when it hits him in the face. He is young, spontaneous, doesn't understand the word "boundaries" or even "shame". He is the kind of character which you either hate or fall in love with.
I don't like this type of MC, and usually want to strangle them for the whole book. But!
But Zach was DELIGHTFUL. I would read the whole book only about him and his Brandon, no questions asked. Even when he was so blindly hurting a person who fell in love with him, he was too nice and sincere for his good.
For Noah & Wade's romance, I couldn't care less. It was written in a weird manner, which - to be honest - made me put the book down for a couple of days. I expected Noah to be more down-to-earth, while the descriptions for his half of the book felt chopped and non-edited. I never knew where the characters were and got lost more times than I want to admit. The never-ending list of "Wade did this" and "Noah did that" made me feel disconnected, and the sudden dialogues between different scenes disoriented me profoundly.
If the book would be only about them, I'd probably DNF it and put 1 star.
Zach & Brandon's romance was one of the cutest reads in my whole year. I don't think I ever before come across a rich MCs whose money was so non-important. Yes, everyone knew him, yes, he basically gave home and job to his lover, but he was JUST a human. It was lovely to see him in the eyes of the free-spirited Dashwood's brother, who not even once pointed out their status difference. Zach fell in love with his kindness, his pure friendship, and... his organizational skills.
Here the writing there didn't feel off. A more choppy-like style fitted perfectly for a person who couldn't focus on one thing for too long and lived just to experience.
The only thing that I can complain about is that this part of the book was too short for my liking.
The general plot and "villain" of the book were almost non-existent. Wade's sister and loss of the house weren't significant, just a nuisance that never ended with a satisfying conclusion.
After the lovely retelling of "Pride & Prejudice" I expected more from this book. It felt like it was written in a hurry, never made to a good editor (or even beta readers), and it really disappointed me. Because for me MCs are the most important part of the book, and two out of four were likable, I will be back to this book and to the series. However, that doesn't mean that the book was good and will be enjoyable to anyone. I hope that in the future Anyta Sunday will come back to this story and make significant alterations (basically: re-write it).
Because it had big potential, and the parts that were good, were REALLY good.
I received an ARC of this book from the Gay Romance Reviews, and I'm voluntarily leaving an unbiased review.
Noah Dashwood is the reasonable one. The one that first thinks, and then acts. The one that would do everything for his family, and the one that had to fight to be himself. He is a trans character, and his experience and insecurities could add a lot to the book.
But they didn't. It felt like the author didn't know how to deal with the chosen topic, and preferred to be cautious.
Zach Dashwood is a hot mess. He can't see love even when it hits him in the face. He is young, spontaneous, doesn't understand the word "boundaries" or even "shame". He is the kind of character which you either hate or fall in love with.
I don't like this type of MC, and usually want to strangle them for the whole book. But!
But Zach was DELIGHTFUL. I would read the whole book only about him and his Brandon, no questions asked. Even when he was so blindly hurting a person who fell in love with him, he was too nice and sincere for his good.
For Noah & Wade's romance, I couldn't care less. It was written in a weird manner, which - to be honest - made me put the book down for a couple of days. I expected Noah to be more down-to-earth, while the descriptions for his half of the book felt chopped and non-edited. I never knew where the characters were and got lost more times than I want to admit. The never-ending list of "Wade did this" and "Noah did that" made me feel disconnected, and the sudden dialogues between different scenes disoriented me profoundly.
If the book would be only about them, I'd probably DNF it and put 1 star.
Zach & Brandon's romance was one of the cutest reads in my whole year. I don't think I ever before come across a rich MCs whose money was so non-important. Yes, everyone knew him, yes, he basically gave home and job to his lover, but he was JUST a human. It was lovely to see him in the eyes of the free-spirited Dashwood's brother, who not even once pointed out their status difference. Zach fell in love with his kindness, his pure friendship, and... his organizational skills.
Here the writing there didn't feel off. A more choppy-like style fitted perfectly for a person who couldn't focus on one thing for too long and lived just to experience.
The only thing that I can complain about is that this part of the book was too short for my liking.
The general plot and "villain" of the book were almost non-existent. Wade's sister and loss of the house weren't significant, just a nuisance that never ended with a satisfying conclusion.
After the lovely retelling of "Pride & Prejudice" I expected more from this book. It felt like it was written in a hurry, never made to a good editor (or even beta readers), and it really disappointed me. Because for me MCs are the most important part of the book, and two out of four were likable, I will be back to this book and to the series. However, that doesn't mean that the book was good and will be enjoyable to anyone. I hope that in the future Anyta Sunday will come back to this story and make significant alterations (basically: re-write it).
Because it had big potential, and the parts that were good, were REALLY good.
I received an ARC of this book from the Gay Romance Reviews, and I'm voluntarily leaving an unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Death of parent
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