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clairew97's review
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Mental illness, and Misogyny
now_booking's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The premise is that Harper is a high-achieving final year dental student struggling with an intense anxiety disorder, PTSD and a fear of failure who meets Dan, a former financial sector guru turned dental student bearing the crushing weight of expectation to carry on the family dental business. Sparks fly immediately and “Dental Dan” is all in till their unresolved issues get in the way of their happiness.
I think this was written with a lot of understanding and empathy for people with anxiety disorder. It dealt with themes of parental death and grief and anxiety and pressure really well and I think those parts of the book were dealt with the best. I really enjoyed the secondary characters (Thu, Indira, Lizzy, even Alex) but I felt like more could have been made of them to make a richer, more balanced story. Everytime they were on the page, they shone but I think sometimes they disappeared a lot. I also felt that for being so nosy, they kind of didn’t speak up to Harper in ways they could have before things got really bad. I couldn’t tell if this was because they didn’t know how bad her mental health was or if it was that they didn’t want to rock the boat, but there was some dissonance with how intrusive they otherwise were as a trait of their friendship. I think Alex could have been better utilized as a friend for Dan, giving him someone else to talk to and to develop as a character within his complex relationship with his mother rather than just Harper and internal monologues. I also think it would have been good to see that relationship in person especially since she wasn’t live particularly far away so that we could make our own judgements.
One thing I really liked about Harper and Dan was that they were (eventually) good commmunicators and the development of the friendship and transition to lovers was a delight to read. For an Instlove-based plot, their coupledom was very believable. I’m glad I read this and would read something else from this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishers.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Classism, Grief, Sexism, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Car accident
Moderate: Abandonment and Ableism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Gaslighting
mandaraffe's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Toxic relationship
lnzava's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident, Cancer, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying and Medical content
ambersbooks's review
- 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
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Death of parent
Moderate: Terminal illness and Bullying
bookwormbullet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, and Misogyny
katiemack's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is both an incredibly sweet (but not sugary) romance novel and an accurate (but not pedantic or preachy) depiction of how anxiety, grief, and unrealistic parental expectations can affect one's relationships and one's sense of self. While a dental school seems like an unlikely place for love, the book produces a lot of steamy scenes alongside a relationship that blossoms from friendship (a short-lived friendship, I might add) to a solid romantic pairing. Part of me hated how perfect Dan was, but the other part of me (the part with anxiety) was so taken with how much he cares about Harper and supports her (though I wish she had reciprocated). The dialogue is also raunchy and laugh-out-loud funny.
Grab this if you're looking for something with depth but still want a depiction of a swoony romantic relationship.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death of parent and Bullying