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alis143's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Self harm, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Death, Dementia, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
katherineguild35's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Violence, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Rape, Gore, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Dementia, Confinement, Blood, Torture, Animal death, and Alcohol
kristinlovallo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Self harm and Alcohol
allieraj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Graphic: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Murder, Rape, Grief, Confinement, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Cursing, Torture, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Self harm, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Gore, Dementia, Animal death, Miscarriage, Violence, and Toxic relationship
klsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Violence, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Dementia, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Blood, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization
reddeddy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Cursing, Confinement, Grief, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Murder, Abandonment, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Stalking, Torture, Violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Medical trauma, Abortion, Blood, Dementia, Alcohol, and Gore
Minor: Gaslighting, Medical content, Pregnancy, Car accident, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, and Incest
hannibanani29's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Mental illness, Murder, Alcohol, Self harm, Cursing, and Alcoholism
Minor: Grief, Homophobia, Car accident, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, Torture, Dementia, and Death of parent
emmab_86's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Grief, Sexual violence, Rape, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Death, and Suicide attempt
dontbechey20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
One of my favorite things about this book is how raw and real it is. It's not an insta-love story that works out perfectly. It has glaringly obvious and frustrating bumps along the way, which makes the love between Dean and Cora feel so real and authentic. As a reader, I was THROWN every which way with my emotions. I spent the entirety of this book crying, laughing, swooning, and yelling from pure and utter frustration.
Authors can very quickly and easily fall into a "pit" of trauma and pain. Writing a story stemming from pain, dispair, and trauma can be easy. Jennifer seamlessly joined two timelines together to tell the love (and hate) story between Dean and Cora. She somehow brings awareness to dark, heavy, and deep topics, while simultaneously keeping the book hopeful and hauntingly beautiful. I was honestly worried the entire book was going to be focused on the abduction, so as I got through the first chapters that were utterly disgusting (in the best way possible), I was worried Jennifer was only going to hone in on the ugly. To my surprise, she pivoted the story rather quickly to focus on the part of the story a lot of people avoid - the recovery. That is why this book is so powerful.
This book is not meant for everyone, but if you can find the mental space and capacity to read it, please do. You will not regret it. It will leave you aching, crying, and in love with both characters individually and together. Also, this book is NOT focused on the spice. Expect spice (don't worry, it gets better), but that is not the focus of this story.
Quote from the book: "I know I said you’re holding me underwater but you’re the only thing keeping me afloat." I CAN'T!! How can you read that and not fall in love?!
BRB, going to see if I can find a matching necklace, because I need to torture myself every single day with a reminder of a chef kiss of a book boyfriend.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Sexual content, Rape, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Self harm, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol
aliceloyallaleon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Dementia, Grief, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Car accident, Rape, and Self harm