Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun

165 reviews

starry's review

emotional funny 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

3.5

This was cute! As a Portlander, I loved how rooted in the city this book felt, not just in the major moments like at Powell's, but even in the smaller details like the lack of snow plows (it sucks). The theme of failure vs. failure to try was really well-executed, and made for a really satisfying payoff when Ellie has to really put herself out there in the end.  Unfortunately, I found myself looking for more moments of the side characters like Andrew and his extended family and Dylan, and wanting a little bit more distance from Ellie. But I still really enjoyed it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Biphobia

Minor: Transphobia, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia

danileah07's review

funny hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Homophobia and Infidelity

frantically's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I loved the concept of this but the execution was just too riddled with miscommunication for me. Also, the way Jack didn't even pretend to understand in what different situations she and Elle were in — of course 200 thousand dollars would've changed her life. That's not something you easily say no to.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Outing, Sexual content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Drug use

Minor: Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, and Emotional abuse

joensign's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol

samanderson24's review

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

jennikreads's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity

Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual content

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Extremely adorable and fun to read! After trying and bailing on several Christmas romances this year, I finally found one that was a keeper. Romance can be really hit or miss with me, and I was worried that this one, which combines tropes like crazy, wouldn't fly and I'm super glad I gave it a chance!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Biphobia, and Infidelity

Moderate: Transphobia

Toxic parent

skudiklier's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

I didn't know almost anything about this book going in, and wow was I pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. I read almost the entire book in one sitting, because I couldn't put it down. The romance was perfect, and also it was weirdly and unintentionally relevant for me, as someone who just moved to Portland less than two months ago. I loved the bi rep, the anxiety rep, the demi rep, the nonbinary rep, the way they try (and fail) to not fall victim to unnecessary miscommunication as horribly as the straights always do in romances. (Also is it just me or is Ellie also autistic??? I both have anxiety and am autistic so sometimes it's hard for me to tell what social anxiety things are related to which haha. But idk she felt extremely autistic to me and I'm gonna say I also loved the (maybe unintentional) autistic rep as well.) This was a perfect book to start the year with, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a lovely queer holiday romance.

Edit to add: I actually kind of forgot what The Charm Offensive was about, and now that I went back to look at my (5 star) review for that book, I'm even more convinced that Alison Cochrun is one of my new favorite romance authors. In both books, I was super sucked in and read them basically in one sitting. But even better, in both books I felt like even the parts of romances that I don't like (e.g., when they have a fight and break up near the end, usually over some miscommunication) were handled much better in these books than in most romance novels. Like, Cochrun clearly puts a lot of effort into making sure the relationships are as healthy and realistic as possible, while still giving us all the normal pieces of a romance and keeping the drama amped up. I'm just so impressed! And I can't wait for Cochrun's next book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Sexual content, Child abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, and Mental illness

Moderate: Cursing, Biphobia, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Cancer, Stalking, Outing, Vomit, Acephobia/Arophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Murder, Grief, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Death, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Toxic parents, cutting off family members

ladyinverse's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

5.0

this is an absolute live trapezoid of a book with plenty of LGBTQIA rep and it's the perfect holiday sapphic romance.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment and Alcohol

Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

savagesav25's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I wanted to like this book so bad but Ellie really just pissed me off as a character and the whole book was through her point of view so it made it hard to read. As someone with anxiety, Ellie is the embodiment of the worst parts of it which is so so important for people to read an understand but beyond that I feel like she had no character or personality. Like all she was supposed to be Was anxiety, and while I know some feel like their anxiety swallows them whole a good majority of the time, there is a sparkle of a real person there and I think that was lost in this book. Also her penchant for lying really made me angry (she had to consistently remind herself to be honest), but that’s just a personal problem. The plot and the other characters were really great and it was fun to read for a bit but when it’s a 1st person pov book and you don’t like the character whose pov it is… it’s hard to finish

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders