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vanessagrausam's review
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Medical content
Moderate: Miscarriage
noellegrace8's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75
A great romance read! The two main characters have serious chemistry and make one another better people. The writing is fantastic; their relationship comes to life on the page. And Jimenez really gets you to laugh with some of the depictions of scenes and characters' actions. She writes chronic anxiety well, what with the characters' constant mentioning of it and efforts to overcome issues in that area of their relationship. Plus, there are many quotable lessons learned within the course of the book, which I appreciated. I also felt interested by the big family that the main male love interest has, because larger families are kind of rare and I am 1 of 9.
I knocked off .25 for just a couple reasons. The first is that there is some contemporary language & concepts usage that is already not aging well. They're not offensive phrases or anything, but they're going to be considered cringey or dated after they stop being popular in a couple years. (Ex., using "epic" in drama talk)
I also thinkBriana's pregnancy toward the end is random and used a little too obviously as a plot device to create just another conflict for the new lovers, especially since Alexis and Kelly both are also pregnant. It seems as if the author is sort of saying that a relationship is actually at its most complete status, and most thrilling, when the couple gets pregnant, and I simply disagree with that blanket statement. Seeing the ex could have been a big enough issue on its own without that extra piece of backstory thrown in, especially one that is incredibly traumatic and therefore needed a building up throughout the novel if included at all.
And then, I'm also a bit mad that his ex-girlfriend and the younger brother didn't get more of what they deserved for their backstabbing behavior, even though Jacob got over it easily enough in the end and said he hadn't necessarily ever actually loved her. There are just some boundaries you don't cross, and they each could have chosen other people. And the family seemingly wanting to be okay with it was odd.
I don't factor audiobook performance into my star reviews, but I give both Kyla Garcia and Zachary Webber 5/5 easily. They are unique, not annoying, and did plenty of inflection without overdoing it.
I knocked off .25 for just a couple reasons. The first is that there is some contemporary language & concepts usage that is already not aging well. They're not offensive phrases or anything, but they're going to be considered cringey or dated after they stop being popular in a couple years. (Ex., using "epic" in drama talk)
I also think
And then, I'm also a bit mad that his ex-girlfriend and the younger brother
I don't factor audiobook performance into my star reviews, but I give both Kyla Garcia and Zachary Webber 5/5 easily. They are unique, not annoying, and did plenty of inflection without overdoing it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Death, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Addiction, Classism, Sexism, Eating disorder, and Blood
The content warnings are given at the beginning of the book, actually. General things to know are: a main character has anxiety, both main characters work at a medical facility and have come out of toxic relationships.kmdowling90's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, and Mental illness
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
runbeck's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Abandonment
readandfindout's review
emotional
medium-paced
4.25
Style/writing: 4.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 3.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 3.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Abandonment
Minor: Vomit
marioosa517's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Cursing, Infidelity, and Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, Alcohol, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Grief
stefanireedmeyer's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
abbeyroad1410's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
This book is heartfelt, funny, and has a beautiful message. I have very few complaints and debated giving it five stars.
To start, the main characters feel like real people. Jacob has a full, chaotic family. Additionally, he deals with heavy social anxiety which feels very real in his chapters. (My boyfriend would also like me to add that he really likes Jacob). Briana is clearly traumatized from her past relationship but has not fully processed it throughout the novel. Even the side characters of Benny and Amy get personalities and deal with their problems in a way that helps you understand their core personality better.
In addition, the humor throughout the novel carries through with jokes from the beginning making it into the very last chapter. This element both adds to the humor of the book and makes you feel like you are part of the couple's relationship because you know their inside jokes.
The ending was incredibly wholesome and raw. I was particularly taken with the fact that Jacob gave Briana his journals to read through because he knew his words alone were not enough to convince her that he was being truthful. My boyfriend wanted to shout out Jacob's conversation with his mom because it captured the feeling of being able to love someone without being able to help them in a realistic way (I read the last 9 chapters to him). This ending was extremely powerful and emotional and makes the book entirely worth reading.
The single reason I am rating this book four stars rather than five is because the miscommunication trope/ simply not communicating trope lasts for way too long. It was resolved in a two second conversation proving my point that it was almost entirely unneeded. I understand that it increased the pining between the two characters, but when their chemistry was already there, I didn't find the 200 pages of their nonsense necessary. The secondary conflict was significantly better than this one.
Overall, I really like this book. I would suggest it for someone who wants to laugh as much as they want to cry and looks forward to happy endings.
To start, the main characters feel like real people. Jacob has a full, chaotic family. Additionally, he deals with heavy social anxiety which feels very real in his chapters. (My boyfriend would also like me to add that he really likes Jacob). Briana is clearly traumatized from her past relationship but has not fully processed it throughout the novel. Even the side characters of Benny and Amy get personalities and deal with their problems in a way that helps you understand their core personality better.
In addition, the humor throughout the novel carries through with jokes from the beginning making it into the very last chapter. This element both adds to the humor of the book and makes you feel like you are part of the couple's relationship because you know their inside jokes.
The ending was incredibly wholesome and raw.
The single reason I am rating this book four stars rather than five is because the miscommunication trope/ simply not communicating trope lasts for way too long. It was resolved in a two second conversation proving my point that it was almost entirely unneeded. I understand that it increased the pining between the two characters, but when their chemistry was already there, I didn't find the 200 pages of their nonsense necessary. The secondary conflict was significantly better than this one.
Overall, I really like this book. I would suggest it for someone who wants to laugh as much as they want to cry and looks forward to happy endings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Infidelity
steens0728's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Love love loved this book!! I flew through it. Briana and Jacob are both such likable characters. Briana’s spiciness and self confidence and Jacob’s calm, introverted, and sensitive demeanor are great compliments to each other, and you just can’t help but root for their relationship. The book hit on sensitive topics, such as infidelity, anxiety, medical issues, miscarriage, but also was funny, easy to read, and approachable. I didn’t realize this was part of a series but I cannot wait to read the 1st and 3rd installments.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Infertility
tigerkind's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Predictable. Boring and rambling. Almost too cute.
Also, this is just my personal pet-peeve but how about we don’t end every single love story in a pregnancy and a wedding? Not wanting kids is not automatically a trauma response.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abandonment
Moderate: Vomit, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
Minor: Medical content and Violence