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bidoofenergy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A classic fun 00s romcom of a book. Hannah is driven, Jack is ridiculous and I love them both so much. It's devastating and delightful in one
"Love is something you generate.
"And loving other people really does turn out, in the end, to be a genuine way of loving yourself."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Death, Car accident, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Vomit and Domestic abuse
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Gun violence
jg34's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Love Katherine center. Her books always have uplifting endings which I appreciate so much. Then the body of the book is always a mix of sad and happy but not to worry, this one is not very sad. Thank u bc my seasonal depression cannot take that at the moment.
The couple was really cute and the plot was interesting. Jack is perfect. My only complaint is some of the side characters. Robbie is so mean and dumb to the point I don’t understand how Hannah could have dated him in the first place (or Taylor!!). Also didn’t love Glen he straight up treats his employees like shit. Lastly Kennedy or whoever was so over the top it was unbelievable. But other than the obnoxious side characters this story was just what I needed.
The couple was really cute and the plot was interesting. Jack is perfect. My only complaint is some of the side characters. Robbie is so mean and dumb to the point I don’t understand how Hannah could have dated him in the first place (or Taylor!!). Also didn’t love Glen he straight up treats his employees like shit. Lastly Kennedy or whoever was so over the top it was unbelievable. But other than the obnoxious side characters this story was just what I needed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Car accident
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, Gun violence, and Blood
Minor: Addiction, Blood, and Vomit
marmellowreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Addiction
maggies's review
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
What could easily have been just a run of the mill contemporary romance actually packed quite a punch, exploring loss, grief, and a bit of PTSD along with the strength it takes to love and be loved in return. While the plot elements that brought Hannah and Jack together were contrived, the growth of their relationship felt natural and I sure did root for them. When a romance makes me cry, it's a goodun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Stalking, Abandonment, and Alcoholism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
sydneylmeyer7's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Grief, Cancer, Toxic friendship, Death, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
ju_harue's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Adorei a leitura, sem expectativas, achei que foi uma história bem construída, com personagens sólidos e um enredo que prende. Nada de grandes emoções ou viradas extraordinária, mas cumpriu muitíssimo bem a função de um romance excelente pra engatar as leituras novamente.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Sexism, Death of parent, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Death, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, and Stalking
ginkgogirl's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Great junk food read. Completely unrealistic but very fun and easy to read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Death, and Body shaming
Minor: Alcoholism and Addiction
thatbethguy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
I had a great time with this and will absolutely be reading more from Katherine Center.
I love how the romantic relationship in this story was built slowly over time and I truly liked both main characters. I really appreciated that they were both masters of their professions (being exceptionally good at something is hot!) and I liked the ways that they supported and cared for each other. They weren’t perfect people, though, which gave them more depth and interest. I also really liked the plot and some of the twists and surprises it gave.
This is a lighter romance book, in general, although it does have a few heavier moments and topics. There was no spice. The romantic tension is slightly subdued, but I did really find myself rooting for Hannah and Jack to get together because they both felt like quality humans. And once they do start to explore their romantic relationship, it’s obvious they had each felt drawn to each other long before either one made a move. In that sense, it was a sweet friends-to-lovers storyline. Really, it felt like a perfect Sandra Bullock movie from back in the day (which I ATE UP because that era of rom coms remains peak to me.)
I love how the romantic relationship in this story was built slowly over time and I truly liked both main characters. I really appreciated that they were both masters of their professions (being exceptionally good at something is hot!) and I liked the ways that they supported and cared for each other. They weren’t perfect people, though, which gave them more depth and interest. I also really liked the plot and some of the twists and surprises it gave.
This is a lighter romance book, in general, although it does have a few heavier moments and topics. There was no spice. The romantic tension is slightly subdued, but I did really find myself rooting for Hannah and Jack to get together because they both felt like quality humans. And once they do start to explore their romantic relationship, it’s obvious they had each felt drawn to each other long before either one made a move. In that sense, it was a sweet friends-to-lovers storyline. Really, it felt like a perfect Sandra Bullock movie from back in the day (which I ATE UP because that era of rom coms remains peak to me.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
redheadbookreviews's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
I don't know what I was expecting with this book, but I LOVED IT! This is 100% going on my best of 2024 list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Cancer, and Drug abuse
bibiran's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
this was 75% funny and cute and 25%... um.. "mark this 3 stars instead of 4" vibes
so the pacing was pretty decent, though I feel like I was waiting for something more momentous to happen on the ranch instead of you know, they get along because they're just generally nice people and his mom just really wants them to get married for some reason. like I feel like the length could've been shaved and the climax (on the roof of his house) should've been sooner.
the banter/jokes were usually pretty funny! a giggle was giggled! that was probably the best part of this. i think though, that the book should've wholly stuck to that instead of attempting to make profound statements about beauty and love and insecurity, because coming from a character who was confident in her abilities etc. and wasn't crippled by insecurity really, just going through a rough patch in life and having a normal reaction to suddenly being close to a handsome famous person, having that be one of the closing messages felt off.
speaking of this emphasis on trying to make statements on beauty, self-worth, and love, it felt like some kind of personal insecurity and opinion slipped through the cracks in the writing, which ultimately made me rate the book lower than i would have.
there is a point in the book where the main character describes Bratz dolls as looking "like Barbie had undergone extreme plastic surgery: overly made-up cat eyes, and giant, swollen lips" and goes several steps further describing them as looking like "mutant porn stars." (what?) it's important to note that these dolls have features closer mirroring the features of women of color and resonate more with people belonging to that community as well, not that I would expect a white woman writing a book about white people in a Texas ranch to be in tune with these kinds of things but as a woman of color it took me out of the book and I wasn't able to fully enjoy it after that, knowing I would have to come back to it as I wrote my thoughts later.
the book also takes to backhandedly belittling other women who were more "conventionally attractive" as opposed to the main character, who is not described as ugly at all? just like, a normal woman, who is most likely pretty as women always are? and it does it in the most un-nuanced, grotesque form as well, making the beautiful celebrity girlfriend with "bouncy plastic boobies" (?) and a perfect "airbrushed plastic" face an almost cartoonishly evil character? what was the reason? it just felt like the author had some kind of vendetta against conventionally attractive women that rubbed me the wrong way.
it wasn't all bad, the book had fluctuating moments of lucidity where it said some things about beauty, societal expectations, and insecurity that i agreed with, but i feel like it was definitely not strong enough a suit to be made as a recurring theme, so she lost me. it was, like i said, 75% decently enjoyable, which is a lot more than i can say about most contemporary romance books, so definitely power to her for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Car accident, Gun violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Stalking, Racism, and Suicide attempt