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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
"Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape." - bell hooks, All about Love: New Visions
Kennedy Ryan simply gets better and better with each book she writes. Soledad's coming-of-age story with a subplot of romance was absolute perfection. I savored every single word KR wrote, and I will be buying a physical copy ASAP so I can re-read, annotate, and highlight absolutely everything. This was one of my favorite reads this year, and I can say with absolute confidence that the KR hype is *real* and well-deserved.
I loved so much about this and to avoid writing an entire essay, I will try to succinctly sum it up in long-winded bullet points lmao:
"Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape." - bell hooks, All about Love: New Visions
Kennedy Ryan simply gets better and better with each book she writes. Soledad's coming-of-age story with a subplot of romance was absolute perfection. I savored every single word KR wrote, and I will be buying a physical copy ASAP so I can re-read, annotate, and highlight absolutely everything. This was one of my favorite reads this year, and I can say with absolute confidence that the KR hype is *real* and well-deserved.
I loved so much about this and to avoid writing an entire essay, I will try to succinctly sum it up in long-winded bullet points lmao:
- the nods to TikTok / Instagram influencer culture - I think this book is for the BookTok/bookstagram honeys who have been hyping up KR forever lol
- the care and love that went into illustrating an authentic representation of two beautiful autistic young Black men! Judah's boys, Aaron and Adam, were so sweet, smart, and precious!
- Soledad's grief over losing her mom to cancer, and how All About Love by bell hooks operated as a way to work through that grief, as well as the grief of her old life and her marriage
- Soledad's struggle as a newly single parent, while carefully towing the line between turning her daughters (Lupe - the eldest, probably around 16 who looks most like her white dad; Inez - middle child, who has the hardest time with recognizing that her dad and only her dad is responsible for how he got in trouble with the law; and Lottie - who I believe is ~12 years old) fully against their father who stole a fuckton of money, and helping them maintain a relationship with him in their new reality of being divorced and while he is incarcerated
- The sisterhood among Soledad, Yasmen, and Hendrix: We saw a glimpse of it in Before I Let Go, and we get even more in this book. These women foster brave spaces for each other, they invite dialogue in, and they root for each other HARD! These types of friendships are invaluable.
- Hendrix gets her own bullet point because she is so fucking funny: "Girl, no one could blame you under those circumstances...Of course you went to him with legs wide open." I AM DONE WITH HER HAHAHAHAHAH
- Soledad's biological sisters make their mark too! I loved getting to know Lola (who is moving to TX to open a bookstore with her best friend turned possibly sapphic lover? Sign me up for that book!) and Nayeli
- "My friends, my sisters, my daughters. My great loves." - The way that different kinds of love was showcased in this novel and they all shined so brightly on their own and were all equally valid and valuable! Friendship, sisterhood, motherhood, daughter-hood (is this a word?), self-love, romantic partners! It all is so beautiful and an absolute privilege. I loved the homage and tribute to all kinds of love in this novel.
- Judah's curiosity around his own possible autism
- Judah and his ex Tremaine's healthy co-parenting relationship and genuine friendship: I need more representation like this. How refreshing to see!
- Judah's integrity and honor: he reminded me of Ned Stark (like NS dies because he's so dumb and cannot play the game for shit, my goddd) HAHAHA but better and smarter, because he would not lie or steal or do anything against his morals. I loved how strongly this man stood in his convictions!
- Judah's support for and dedication to waiting for Soledad to be ready for romance again
- kids, stop reading here! NIPPLE ORGASMS MY GAWWWWWWD!! KR knows how to get you hot & bothered! Steam was a 3 or 4/5 - it's a slow burn, but once it gets hot, it gets oh so steamy & delectable whewwwww!
Overall, Kennedy Ryan's writing and the characters she brings to life are an absolute gift. Her writing flows seamlessly, her characters' inner monologue is so tender and vulnerable, and the arcs simply have me in tears.
I am forever seated when she writes something new, and I will read her work until I leave earth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Ableism, Sexism, Sexual content, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Physical abuse, Cancer, and Death of parent
aromanticreadsromance's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Words cannot describe how much this book meant to me. I may not be a 40-year-old newly-divorced single mom to three girls, but I related to Soledad SO much. This is definitely more of a "love story" than a "romance," but I didn't even mind, because it was so powerful, emotional, and beautiful (which we've all come to expect from a Kennedy Ryan novel). For about half the book, Soledad is solely on a self-love and self-partnering journey, partly thanks to bell hooks (we LOVE her). I didn't even find myself skimming these parts, because I was as much invested in Soledad and Judah as individuals as I was in Soledad AND Judah as partners. Which, by the way, Judah's story was equally beautiful. The way that man was a father above all else? Ugh, I'd marry him yesterday.
For as much as this felt like Soledad's story, the book opens with Judah and his then-wife, Tremaine, mediating the end of their marriage. It was refreshing to read about an actually amicable, mutual divorce, where we could see how much Judah and Tremaine loved each other, but were no longer in love with each other. Judah is father to twin boys, Adam and Aaron, at different points on the autism spectrum (and might be autistic himself, though he has never been formally diagnosed). At the time of the divorce, they are twelve. I loved the tender loving care with which Kennedy represented their autism. I know she is a mother to an autistic son, but even so, you can tell she did her research on how autism shows up differently in different people (and you can tell how much she loved and cared about these two/three autistic characters).
Three years later, Soledad is getting ready for her husband's company Christmas party. From the very beginning, we are privy to the ways in which her husband, Edward, neglects, undervalues, and diminishes her. He makes her feel unwanted ("You have pushed out three kids. Things get loose down there" should NEVER be words that come out of ANYONE'S mouth) and like she's nothing without him (when really, he is nothing without her... major projection). Together, they have three girls, Lupe (15/16), Inez (maybe 13?) (who worships the ground Edward walks on), and Lottie (11). At the Christmas party, Soledad and Judah meet for the first time. Edward despises Judah (but that hatred likely stems from fear... of being caught in his web of schemes and lies), and because he's jealous that Soledad and Judah had an instant connection, he has angry sex with Soledad that night. The next morning, cops show up and arrest Edward (and that's as much as I will say without spoiling anything).
I want to touch on why this book meant so much to me. After her split with Edward, Soledad needs to learn that she is whole on her own. She's not half of anything. We hear those phrases all the time - my other half, my better half - that when you're single, you start to question your completeness. Soledad starts dating herself, and she brings the world along with her (oh yeah, she becomes a major influencer... if only it were that easy!). She learns that she is not by herself; she is with herself, and that is so powerful and badass. (And Judah is SO respectful of her boundaries and her decision not to date, even though he likes her. Another reason to like him!)
I could have easily ingested this book in a day or two, but I took my time with it. I'm feeling empty without it, but it's inspired me to 1) read bell hooks' All about Love, and 2) date myself.
I cannot recommend this book enough. It is life-changing (I don't normally think of fiction in those terms, but seriously. It will change your life).
And lastly, screw you, Edward. I hope you rot in hell.
I'm beyond grateful to have received an e-ARC of this book, and I'm providing a voluntary, honest review. All thoughts are my own.
For as much as this felt like Soledad's story, the book opens with Judah and his then-wife, Tremaine, mediating the end of their marriage. It was refreshing to read about an actually amicable, mutual divorce, where we could see how much Judah and Tremaine loved each other, but were no longer in love with each other. Judah is father to twin boys, Adam and Aaron, at different points on the autism spectrum (and might be autistic himself, though he has never been formally diagnosed). At the time of the divorce, they are twelve. I loved the tender loving care with which Kennedy represented their autism. I know she is a mother to an autistic son, but even so, you can tell she did her research on how autism shows up differently in different people (and you can tell how much she loved and cared about these two/three autistic characters).
Three years later, Soledad is getting ready for her husband's company Christmas party. From the very beginning, we are privy to the ways in which her husband, Edward, neglects, undervalues, and diminishes her. He makes her feel unwanted ("You have pushed out three kids. Things get loose down there" should NEVER be words that come out of ANYONE'S mouth) and like she's nothing without him (when really, he is nothing without her... major projection). Together, they have three girls, Lupe (15/16), Inez (maybe 13?) (who worships the ground Edward walks on), and Lottie (11). At the Christmas party, Soledad and Judah meet for the first time. Edward despises Judah (but that hatred likely stems from fear... of being caught in his web of schemes and lies), and because he's jealous that Soledad and Judah had an instant connection, he has angry sex with Soledad that night. The next morning, cops show up and arrest Edward (and that's as much as I will say without spoiling anything).
I want to touch on why this book meant so much to me. After her split with Edward, Soledad needs to learn that she is whole on her own. She's not half of anything. We hear those phrases all the time - my other half, my better half - that when you're single, you start to question your completeness. Soledad starts dating herself, and she brings the world along with her (oh yeah, she becomes a major influencer... if only it were that easy!). She learns that she is not by herself; she is with herself, and that is so powerful and badass. (And Judah is SO respectful of her boundaries and her decision not to date, even though he likes her. Another reason to like him!)
I could have easily ingested this book in a day or two, but I took my time with it. I'm feeling empty without it, but it's inspired me to 1) read bell hooks' All about Love, and 2) date myself.
I cannot recommend this book enough. It is life-changing (I don't normally think of fiction in those terms, but seriously. It will change your life).
And lastly, screw you, Edward. I hope you rot in hell.
I'm beyond grateful to have received an e-ARC of this book, and I'm providing a voluntary, honest review. All thoughts are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Infidelity
Moderate: Cancer, Body shaming, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Ableism
rootedreader's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Not my typical read, my first from this author. I enjoyed reading both of the mc's journey as individuals and as parents. I didn't enjoy the sexual content or the repeated descriptions of their bodies throughout. That and some of the internal and external dialogue seemed forced.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Ableism and Racism
michelle_my_belle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Misogyny, Violence, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Terminal illness, Cancer, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent, Dementia, Physical abuse, Stalking, Pregnancy, Ableism, and Abandonment
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