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maybreads's review
4.5
The supporting cast was slightly gimmicky, which was funny but at times a bit too much. There were many references that felt very tumblry as well as outright mentions of tumblr which felt a little bit dated even to someone who is well versed in the tumblr sphere.
But overall, this is amazing. Such a fun romance to read. Wish we got a little bit more at the end after they patch things up.
A fantastic romance, that will be a standalone for my enjoyment for spoiler reasons which I‘ve heard about the sequel :)
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Eating disorder and Abandonment
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
This is the first book in a series, which slightly hints at the direction of the ending. The ending fits their relationship very well, and I like their overall dynamic. The ongoing status of their relationship is established for future books, and several major plot points are resolved. There are secondary plots related to each of their relationships with their parents. Luc's father walked out of his life twenty-five years ago, and has walked back into it with no warning and a declaration that he has cancer and would like to get to know Luc better. Luc's mother, who was also abandoned by Luc's father (her husband and musical collaborator), is supportive of any decision Luc might make, all the way from reconciliation to telling his father to go fuck himself. I adore Luc's mother, she's written very well and I love the audiobook performance for her. Oliver's parents only appear briefly, during the event for which he needed Luc as a fake boyfriend, but they cast a long shadow which has implications for later books.
The dung beetle charity and Luc's co-workers there are an endless source of exasperation and delight for me. Between his co-workers, his friends, and Oliver's friends, there are so many vibrant and specific people that it wasn't difficult for me to keep track of anyone. Normally I have trouble keeping track of characters (let alone their names) when the cast gets past five or so, but I had no issues here.
Things I love, in no particular order: Luc telling jokes to Alex, everything dung-beetle-related, Oliver being pedantic about law, Luc's friends, Bridget's publishing fiascos.
Moderate: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Body horror, Death of parent, Cancer, Racism, Child death, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, and Death
batchy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Homophobia and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Eating disorder and Terminal illness
its_vendetta's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment and Cancer
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Alcohol, and Drug abuse
caitlinemccann'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
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Classism, Eating disorder, and Bullying
brenna1127's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Cancer and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia
lanie2024's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Cursing, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol and Homophobia
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Drug use
jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
I won’t critique the writing because honestly it was overdone and compensating for something and I could go on for ages about it.
-the charities name was stupid
- Oliver’s parents were assholes
-homophobia never adds anything to the plot
- token straight or gay friends being a highlight/plot point is stupid.
Overall I’m glad luc and Oliver ended happy and I’m interested to see how the next book goes.
Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Homophobia
kirstencholewa's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Homophobia, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content
adrienanthony's review against another edition
- 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: Abandonment, Fatphobia, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Cancer and Eating disorder
One character seems to briefly not understand consent, implications that the character may have been taken advantage of