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lore_1703's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Overall: This book leaves me with some ‘what ifs’. There were a couple of amazing storylines and cute moments between the mmc & fmc, which made me enjoy this book. Other times I questioned the actions and motives of the main characters. The 13 reasons why vibe is strong with this one. I do enjoy a bit more dark or angsty high school story but this one was just not it for me.
Reasons to bump this up your TBR: This book is for you if you don’t mind reading an angsty high school romance book. The love aspect of the story is enjoyable and I did like the honesty between the main characters. There was no miscommunication for example, which is a huge plus for me.
Knox is a great mmc. He’s in my opinion a golden retriever boy wearing the ‘bad boy’ mask. He is very patient towards Ava and gives her all the respect and empathy she needs.
Reasons to bump this down your TBR: With the title Dear Ava I expected many more letters and secret admirer cuteness. I would have loved to see more poems or texts where Ava and her secret-love interest talk, trust each other and feed their friendship.
Some of the dialogue between Ava and Knox feels very ‘young’.
The ending and epilogues felt rushed. The story is slow paced and the tempo picks up a bit too much in the last 15% of the book. One epilogue would have been enough for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Suicide
monakersch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
poupimali's review
dark
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was absolutely not what I was expected.
This is not just a light and smooth story about texts and letters exchanged with a secret admirer.
Yes you have that and this is cute
BUT
This talks about serious triggers warning (rape, drugs and intoxication, mental health issues, suicide).
There is a HEA. This is a college romance but there are really heavy subjects all along.
This is not just a light and smooth story about texts and letters exchanged with a secret admirer.
Yes you have that and this is cute
BUT
This talks about serious triggers warning (rape, drugs and intoxication, mental health issues, suicide).
There is a HEA. This is a college romance but there are really heavy subjects all along.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Abandonment and Death of parent
madlove02's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, and Drug abuse
mallorym8's review
3.5
I absolutely loved Dane. He was my favorite and I definitely didn’t expect to cry during a heartbreaking scene with him and Knox. I loved Knox’s and Dane’s sibling relationship and I love how supportive Knox was of Dane. I liked Knox and Ava but I honestly think Dane was one my favorite characters in the book and I wish that we got more of him. This book was predictable but it was still good and I enjoyed reading it. I really wish Dane had his own book tho. I also felt really dumb because it took me way longer than it should’ve to realize out that it was Knox at the end of the book and not some random guy. I also really did like Knox and I liked how under his cold exterior, he was just a kid who had been through more than he should’ve been and he was just trying to help his brother, Ava, and himself. Ava was an extremely strong character, especially after all that she had been through. I also loved Tyler and I loved that Ava was such a great sister (basically a mother) to him. Also loved Wyatt and Piper.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Sexual violence, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Bullying, and Death of parent
kjenae's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
wow.
Enchanted- taylor swift (their song)
Ava and Knox’s relationship from the very beginning was very heartbreaking and complex. from the first moment i got to see them interact, i could tell that the chemistry was there. they were truly bound to fall in love. i truly believe that they’d meet and fall in love in every book universe.
• what happened to Ava that tragic night was absolutely heartbreaking and it was extremely infuriating to see the response that she got back from what she went through. no one really knows unless they’ve been in her position, but for Ava to be so strong and come back with a vengeance was so inspiring. and the way she cares so deeply for her brother, Tyler…she’s a great character
• Knox is also a very complex character. him, his brother and his dad have been through HELL. family means everything to him and it was beautiful to read about (although it was still heartbreaking w/ Dane and all). He desperately needed someone else in his corner, that being Ava. He was finally able to express how he felt about her even though he was scared because of what was happening with him and his family.
they were both broken and found something within each other, came back stronger individually and together
Enchanted- taylor swift (their song)
Ava and Knox’s relationship from the very beginning was very heartbreaking and complex. from the first moment i got to see them interact, i could tell that the chemistry was there. they were truly bound to fall in love. i truly believe that they’d meet and fall in love in every book universe.
• what happened to Ava that tragic night was absolutely heartbreaking and it was extremely infuriating to see the response that she got back from what she went through. no one really knows unless they’ve been in her position, but for Ava to be so strong and come back with a vengeance was so inspiring. and the way she cares so deeply for her brother, Tyler…she’s a great character
• Knox is also a very complex character. him, his brother and his dad have been through HELL. family means everything to him and it was beautiful to read about (although it was still heartbreaking w/ Dane and all). He desperately needed someone else in his corner, that being Ava. He was finally able to express how he felt about her even though he was scared because of what was happening with him and his family.
they were both broken and found something within each other, came back stronger individually and together
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Rape, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Child abuse
baileyt2424's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Suicide, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Classism, Death of parent, and Sexism
ellielot's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Rape
Minor: Abandonment
melodine's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Read this book because of a snippet off of tiktok and it ended up being borderline a type of book I wouldn't read but was quite enjoyable. The author gave a lot of heart and development to the characters. I don't love that they are in high school and I don't love that it was close to a bully romance but technically was not one.
The story deals heavily with S/A and I think it is well done. Overall this book was much more than it seemed.
The story deals heavily with S/A and I think it is well done. Overall this book was much more than it seemed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Suicide, and Death of parent
sophiejo_'s review
challenging
emotional
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
5.0
[ spoilers at the bottom ] y’all THIS BOOK omg i was in a slump and i think this put me back in one 😭😭
i’ve never read romance this well WRITTENNNN i mean maybe i have but it was overwhelmingly good. like knox was making me SWOON and i loved all the characters w my whole heart (esp. tyler and dane and wyatt they deserve hugs omg but esp. dane bc i love him. can i have a sequel about dane pls? pls?)
anyways i’ve realized recently that i can only ADORE a romance when i like both the main characters which makes sense but so frequently a character annoys me. like a bouncy happy girl i want to punch or a guy that’s a dick that i also want to punch. but ava was such a badass omg and knox’s vulnerable side (the best side of any guy character btw) made me want to scream and cry and throw up. soooooo
the very minuscule bad:
• a little too many all caps
• a little too many epilogues (but i can overlook it bc they were soo heartwarming which is surprising bc babies showed up which i usually hâte but i couldnt this time)
• the “plot reveal” was LAME
✨ best non romance quote ✨ “Ignore them. Testosterone-addled morons,” Wyatt murmurs next to me and tosses an arm over my shoulder, and I lean into him, needing reassurance. “Do you have any clue how much I adore you? If you weren’t gay, I’d kiss you.”
⚠️ spoilers ⚠️ but to elaborate, i wanted dean to be the one that did it. it would be sooo well done if he did it but liam made him and maybe drugged him..? or drank him into a stupor..? it’d be difficult to read but that’s how i would write it. by having liam do it (an obvious villain from the start) it felt a little expected and underdeveloped. but i can’t argue too much bc it was still fantastic, i just would’ve written it differently. [ spoilers over ]
tbh if they finished w that plot it would’ve been 6 stars but ig they’ll have to suffer w 5 lmaoo. i NEED to read others by this author bc she wrote the romance so well and full of good lines and angst but not too much sex or pda ugh it was so good. anyways i’ll stop ranting. read the triggers !! but if you can handle it, this book is the most underrated AGHHHJDIRJDK.
⚠️ triggers ⚠️
sexual assault and rape, sexual content, violence, drugs and alcohol abuse, abusive parents and relationships, abandonment, foul language and slurs
i’ve never read romance this well WRITTENNNN i mean maybe i have but it was overwhelmingly good. like knox was making me SWOON and i loved all the characters w my whole heart (esp. tyler and dane and wyatt they deserve hugs omg but esp. dane bc i love him. can i have a sequel about dane pls? pls?)
anyways i’ve realized recently that i can only ADORE a romance when i like both the main characters which makes sense but so frequently a character annoys me. like a bouncy happy girl i want to punch or a guy that’s a dick that i also want to punch. but ava was such a badass omg and knox’s vulnerable side (the best side of any guy character btw) made me want to scream and cry and throw up. soooooo
the very minuscule bad:
• a little too many all caps
• a little too many epilogues (but i can overlook it bc they were soo heartwarming which is surprising bc babies showed up which i usually hâte but i couldnt this time)
• the “plot reveal” was LAME
✨ best non romance quote ✨ “Ignore them. Testosterone-addled morons,” Wyatt murmurs next to me and tosses an arm over my shoulder, and I lean into him, needing reassurance. “Do you have any clue how much I adore you? If you weren’t gay, I’d kiss you.”
⚠️ spoilers ⚠️ but to elaborate, i wanted dean to be the one that did it. it would be sooo well done if he did it but liam made him and maybe drugged him..? or drank him into a stupor..? it’d be difficult to read but that’s how i would write it. by having liam do it (an obvious villain from the start) it felt a little expected and underdeveloped. but i can’t argue too much bc it was still fantastic, i just would’ve written it differently. [ spoilers over ]
tbh if they finished w that plot it would’ve been 6 stars but ig they’ll have to suffer w 5 lmaoo. i NEED to read others by this author bc she wrote the romance so well and full of good lines and angst but not too much sex or pda ugh it was so good. anyways i’ll stop ranting. read the triggers !! but if you can handle it, this book is the most underrated AGHHHJDIRJDK.
⚠️ triggers ⚠️
sexual assault and rape, sexual content, violence, drugs and alcohol abuse, abusive parents and relationships, abandonment, foul language and slurs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Violence