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bree_h_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
This book WOULD have been five stars if not for the “not technically related but still weird” thing between Marian and Rob.
Much like The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, this book was written with prose that were so delightful and funny. The writing style also does such a great job of conveying the characters and their distinct personalities. I really did appreciate the grumpy x sunshine with a grumpy woman and sunshine man, but they felt far more complex than that too. I really appreciated that extra complexity because I feel like I too often find characters in this sort of dynamic to he EXTREMELY one note and flat.
The character being dynamic and well rounded also worker well in how Rob and Marian played off each other. I loved their dynamic and how they quipped and flirted with each other. It was really endearing and just made the romance feel extra sweet. It also really heightened the sense of yearning and longing between the two.
My ONLY gripes were that Marian’s PPD didn’t feel like it got proper focus and the weird thing between Marian and Rob. To start, I felt like every interaction Marian had with Eliza or when she thought of her was filled with a sad kind of love. She clearly loved Eliza, but it felt like she didn’t know HOW to love her. It just felt a bit glossed over. Then there was the fact Marian and Rob were not quite related but almost. Marian is the mother of Rob’s half sister and there’s just something odd about her and him having a romance with this being glossed over. A consequence of the setup from The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, but I would really like to pick the author’s brain on why Marian and Rob had to be not quite related but almost.
Overall a really great read and was so enjoyable it made me look over whatever the relations between Marian and Rob were.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Dementia, Death, and Gun violence
Minor: Pregnancy, Medical trauma, and Murder
navayiota's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In some ways it felt like an improvement from the first book, as unbelievable as that is. I enjoyed it so much. I would recommend this duology in a heartbeat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Confinement, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Stalking
cameronmh's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Cursing
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Classism, and Misogyny
Almost all of the negative content is in the past. Marion has escaped (kshertz's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This is such a cute sequel. I probably like it more than the first book which is so hard to do. But Marian is just such a bad ass. Robs absolute obsession with her was sooo sexy. I definitely loved their chemistry and banter. I was confused why Marian was so easy forgiven for just disappearing so that’s why it’s not 5 stars. But it’s excellent, couldn’t put it down! Read it!
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Death
imds's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Dementia, Abandonment, Death, Sexual violence, Confinement, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death of parent
rachelditty's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I went into this with low expectations since I didn't entirely love the prequel. I can say very surely that I like this sequel more than I like Kit Webb, but it isn't very high on my list of enjoyed reads this year.
While I really appreciate how considerate Rob is with Marian, constantly checking in with her and making sure she's alright, be it while they're having sex or while they're robbing someone, there were times where it came across as a bit overbearing to the point of almost babying Marian. I know that's not what he was intending, and Marian never felt that way, but toward the end I wanted Rob to lay off a bit; she obviously knows how to take care of herself, and they both know it.
I think the romance in this story would have been a little more pulling if there had been less of a devotion to each other before they'd even met. We get the background that, because they wrote to each other, they really began to fall in love before they even met. It came across in much the same regard as with Percy and Kit in the sequel--both couples were infatuated with each other, and then suddenly they were completely in love. The only exception to this, I think, is Marian. She gives us the context that she hasn't felt safe in a long time, and Rob makes her feel safe. And I know with Rob it's kind of stated that he's been away from his friends for so long that he's latching onto the first person he feels comfortable with, but that's never really compiled into something stronger, at least not in a way that really felt satisfying to me.
One thing I really loved about the book was Marian herself. Her motives and attitude felt very grounded in reality, and the way she guided us through her thought processes felt real. I think something Cat Sebastian did really well was never explicitly stating what kind of sexual trauma Marian had; it was just a part of adjusting to she and Rob's intimacy. I think that subtlety could've been applied to Rob as well. I thought it was unnecessary for him to state plain and clear that he doesn't like small rooms because it reminds him of prison. It was clear enough in the context and in his character; I think that aspect would've been a lot more powerful if it was shown to us more instead of explicitly told.
The interactions between Percy/Rob/Kit/Marian could've been so much more, I thought, especially the interaction between Kit and Marian. I felt like they barely spoke and suddenly she was leaving her baby with him. I wanted to see more of those odd pairings--Rob and Percy, Marian and Kit--but we never really got it as deeply as I'd hoped before all four of them were being put into scenes together. I did really enjoy the epilogue, though, of all of them passing the baby around. That was cute.
I'm not a fan of sex scenes at all, just personally, but the communication between Rob and Marian was great to see. However, the segue into the final sex scene, I thought, was very sudden and a bit out of pacing.
Finally, and maybe this was because I was listening to it on audiobook, I thought the last third of the book was a bit confusing--I had a hard time following what Marian and Rob were doing, where they were going, and why they had to go there. That might've just been me though.
Not sure if I want to read more from Cat Sebastian after this. I know she writes explicitly about queer historical romance, and I think this is her first series for YA, so maybe her more adult series are a bit more fleshed out. Other people seem to really like this series, based on the 4+ star ratings on both books, but they're not really for me.
I think the romance in this story would have been a little more pulling if there had been less of a devotion to each other before they'd even met. We get the background that, because they wrote to each other, they really began to fall in love before they even met. It came across in much the same regard as with Percy and Kit in the sequel--both couples were infatuated with each other, and then suddenly they were completely in love. The only exception to this, I think, is Marian. She gives us the context that she hasn't felt safe in a long time, and Rob makes her feel safe. And I know with Rob it's kind of stated that he's been away from his friends for so long that he's latching onto the first person he feels comfortable with, but that's never really compiled into something stronger, at least not in a way that really felt satisfying to me.
One thing I really loved about the book was Marian herself. Her motives and attitude felt very grounded in reality, and the way she guided us through her thought processes felt real. I think something Cat Sebastian did really well was never explicitly stating what kind of sexual trauma Marian had; it was just a part of adjusting to she and Rob's intimacy. I think that subtlety could've been applied to Rob as well. I thought it was unnecessary for him to state plain and clear that he doesn't like small rooms because it reminds him of prison. It was clear enough in the context and in his character; I think that aspect would've been a lot more powerful if it was shown to us more instead of explicitly told.
The interactions between Percy/Rob/Kit/Marian could've been so much more, I thought, especially the interaction between Kit and Marian. I felt like they barely spoke and suddenly she was leaving her baby with him. I wanted to see more of those odd pairings--Rob and Percy, Marian and Kit--but we never really got it as deeply as I'd hoped before all four of them were being put into scenes together. I did really enjoy the epilogue, though, of all of them passing the baby around. That was cute.
I'm not a fan of sex scenes at all, just personally, but the communication between Rob and Marian was great to see. However, the segue into the final sex scene, I thought, was very sudden and a bit out of pacing.
Finally, and maybe this was because I was listening to it on audiobook, I thought the last third of the book was a bit confusing--I had a hard time following what Marian and Rob were doing, where they were going, and why they had to go there. That might've just been me though.
Not sure if I want to read more from Cat Sebastian after this. I know she writes explicitly about queer historical romance, and I think this is her first series for YA, so maybe her more adult series are a bit more fleshed out. Other people seem to really like this series, based on the 4+ star ratings on both books, but they're not really for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Dementia
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Though I like Rob and Marian separately as characters, the dynamic of the two of them together was kind of boring for me. The plot also dragged so I ultimately had no clear sense of where the story was going or what I was waiting for, which gave me the impression of the book's pace being very slow.
I did appreciate Marian's backstory of trauma and how the author worked that into the sexual scenes thoughtfully and with boundary-oriented solutions (without undoing the established boundaries, which often happens in romance stories with trauma-related boundaries).
I did appreciate Marian's backstory of trauma and how the author worked that into the sexual scenes thoughtfully and with boundary-oriented solutions (without undoing the established boundaries, which often happens in romance stories with trauma-related boundaries).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Dementia, Murder, Death, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
Minor: Pregnancy
pottersauce's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder and Death
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