Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Beneath the Stars by Emily McIntire

4 reviews

cosxshea's review

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emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I don't usually read second chance romances, but I decided to give this a chance and, man, did this book rip my heart out and stitch it up about 10 different times. 
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kyriannaj's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful 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

Great first book of the year to read. At first I was frustrated having to read 100+ pages of the main characters and how their relationship developed over childhood. But after finishing? It's amazing. You really see the development, especially of Chase. Sometimes it can be hard to do a grovelling/apology/second chance and make it feel like the person has genuinely changed, but seeing the past transform into the present makes it clear as day that Chase had put in the work. Seeing the roles change between Chase and Alina from childhood to adulthood was incredibly sweet, watching them both take care of one another through their dark times. The way they support, love, and let each other grow is amazing and I feel it's rare to find books that do it so well. I also adore how the ending isn't 100% happy. Yes, the couple ends up together and gets their happily ever after, but everything in life isn't fixed. Relationships are still damaged, people are still growing and learning, and change takes time. But it ends with hope that these characters will be okay. 
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bookish_oyster's review

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I knew what I was getting into when I started out this book and I didn't have extremely high expectations from it. I like that the book deals a lot with the issue of substance abuse and how it affects family of the abuse. However, the story lacked good descriptions. For example, at one point the male protagonist talks about the female protagonist staring at him with "sad eyes" which is a classic case of tell-not-show. The entire book follows a similar pattern. Also, while the concept was good, it felt bland and under-edited, much like any average roughly-written Wattpad story.
The buildup to the breakup during the first half of the book was well-written but after that, the author discounted a lot on their reconciliation
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julseygirl's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I'm not usually a friends to lovers fan, but this was good! I especially loved the personal growth by the male protagonist. Its made their reconciliation that much sweeter. The story does deal heavily with addiction issues and what it is like to love someone who is going through that. I thought it was done well and the characters themselves handle their issues in mature ways (eventually). Overall, a good read. I have already downloaded the next one.
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