Scan barcode
sonja_ahrb's review
5.0
I had a plan for how I was going to start this review and then the ending just totally left me not a very happy camper and what I planned kind of flew out the window. Garghonzola - but was that a cliffhanger - a really outrageous-I-want-to-throw-my-kindle kind of cliffhanger! I want to cry and yell and sulk, but even feeling all of that plus some frustration and looking back at everything, I'm still glad I read Thick Love. It is an amazing book and although this is my first time reading Eden Butler,I know she's the kind of author you go the distance for because you will get that completely worth it, five star read every time - even if it ends in a cliffhanger that makes you yell, "WTF!" several times and then, "WHY?!" later in a high-pitched voice (that could just be me, though).
I loved Ransom even when he drove me crazy. There's no denying that that the boy is hurting and that he's not always sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to certain things and trust me, you'll definitely be rolling your eyes at him - but in a loving way because even for all his total cluelessness - he's still sweet and melt-worthy. I loved Ransom, my heart broke for him, and it might sound like I was angry with him all the time but I wasn't. Truthfully, I could understand where he was coming from because I do some of the stuff that he does, so that made me soften towards him. He completely stole my heart.
Aly was a wonderful heroine - she's strong, she's not a whiner, and even though she really loves Ransom, she doesn't just let him get away with everything. I didn't like everything she did, but I respected her and admired her for some of it because if it was me, I honestly don't know if I would have held out like she did. Aly will just do you proud and you'll definitely want to meet her and Ransom.
Thick Love is a heart wrenching, beautiful read with heartache, happiness, fun times, and sweet, touching times that will have you have never wanting to stop reading or hoping for that HEA ending. It made me tear up, made me angry, made me laugh, and held me captive. It made my heart did everything: broke, raced, pounded, healed, warmed, swelled, and melted. Thick Love gave me all the feels and I really did love it.
Thick Love probably should be read after Thin Love, it's told from Ransom and Aly's POV, and I will be eagerly waiting for my HEA ending in the next book!
~ Sonja, 5 Stars
I loved Ransom even when he drove me crazy. There's no denying that that the boy is hurting and that he's not always sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to certain things and trust me, you'll definitely be rolling your eyes at him - but in a loving way because even for all his total cluelessness - he's still sweet and melt-worthy. I loved Ransom, my heart broke for him, and it might sound like I was angry with him all the time but I wasn't. Truthfully, I could understand where he was coming from because I do some of the stuff that he does, so that made me soften towards him. He completely stole my heart.
Aly was a wonderful heroine - she's strong, she's not a whiner, and even though she really loves Ransom, she doesn't just let him get away with everything. I didn't like everything she did, but I respected her and admired her for some of it because if it was me, I honestly don't know if I would have held out like she did. Aly will just do you proud and you'll definitely want to meet her and Ransom.
Thick Love is a heart wrenching, beautiful read with heartache, happiness, fun times, and sweet, touching times that will have you have never wanting to stop reading or hoping for that HEA ending. It made me tear up, made me angry, made me laugh, and held me captive. It made my heart did everything: broke, raced, pounded, healed, warmed, swelled, and melted. Thick Love gave me all the feels and I really did love it.
Thick Love probably should be read after Thin Love, it's told from Ransom and Aly's POV, and I will be eagerly waiting for my HEA ending in the next book!
~ Sonja, 5 Stars
adsanvictores's review
4.0
Great story, as always! Might be a tad bit too dark for some but it was a good mix of heartbreaking && very happy moments. Can’t wait to read what’s next for Ransom and Aly!❤️
alleskelle's review
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4.5 STARS⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I discovered Eden Butler last year with Thin Love and discovered myself an angst junkie.
She did this. She made me enjoy the suffering of her characters, and there’s something disturbingly sadistic at enjoying great and lovable characters to hurt.
With this little statement I want to warn potential readers. You will see your opinion on angst change. You’ll revise what you find acceptable in term of torment. Prepare yourself!
Note : Thin Love—book 1— focuses on Ransom’s parents, Kiera and Kona. While it’s not necessary to read book 1 to presently enjoy Thick Love, I highly recommend reading it.
Ransom’ story was one I highly anticipated after reading a teaser about his upcoming story in Thin Love last year. If Ransom had even the slightest chance to be a tiny bit like his father, then I knew I’d be in for a treat.
I can already tell you how much this book surprised me. I did not expect any less from Eden Butler.
Thick Love tells the story of Ransom and Aly. Both young troubled characters, both carrying an excessive amount of baggage. Both fierce and strong willed.
Ransom, 18 years old defensive college football player carries the burden and guilt of his first love’s death. He holds himself responsible for the accident that caused Emily to die a couple years ago and can’t seem to fully live his young man’s life since then.
His self inflicted punishment for taking something that wasn’t his to take. He forbids himself any pleasure or personal enjoyment, servicing women on campus, playing his part on the field, he’s all but dead inside.
Miss Butler truly made me felt Ransom’s internal agony with his POV. Full of self hatred and flagellation. She definitely has a knack for what I can only call “Angst-So-Good” delivered in a enticing and lovely writing.
It was frustrating as hell, reading his tortured thoughts, witnessing his hurt, distress and torment.
More than once I wished I could shake him good and shout at him to get over it all! It was maddening, to feel so invested with his character. And it’s not like Eden Butler gives you the choice not to.
As relentless and obstinate he was to punish himself for a young past mistake, Ransom still is the lovable young man we met in Thin Love. Invested in his family, honest, steady character.
Aly King’s character was equally complex as Ransom’s. In a lot of little different ways, but as interesting and fascinating all the same.
Aly comes from a difficult background, she’s on her own and have been for pretty much all her life. Her biggest force and quality being her stubbornness and self control. She’s a passionate young woman, driven by her love for dance, seeking on her own term the thrills of life and she’s determined to prove herself an independent and successful woman.
Aly lives upstairs the dance studio she works to, her boss being Ransom’s mother cousin, Leann.
She had occasions to meet Ransom in the past, although briefly and never significantly, it did not prevent her from developing a crush on Ransom. She always admired him from afar, witnessing his torment of late. Seeing past his thick layer of heartache, Aly wants to see him heal.
A good part of the book focuses on a beautifully crafted push and pull dance between Aly and Ransom. A slow burn of awakenings, a passionate and vibrating power play between both characters baggage and their will to make it through.
The author, using dance as a tool to unite and reunite the characters, make them feel, hate, love, created a perfected build up and chemistry for them. Both revealing themselves to the music. I almost want to tell you : sit back, watch and enjoy.
I most certainly enjoyed the dynamic of Thick Love, never faltering in her writing, Miss Butler created a worthy sequel to Thin Love.
Gifting us some endearing and hilarious moments with Keira, Kona and children, she reminded me why I fell so hard for this couple. Their chemistry between them and their strong charisma remains, and I was so glad to read more about them.
The dialogues and silent communication between Ransom and his little brother were precious and hilarious, Kona caveman antics, Kiera’s attitude… Sigh. I loved, loooved THAT! A pure delight!
What I loved in Thick Love, other than the angst-so-good part, was definitely the sexy as hell scenes. Very erotic, enticing, passionate sex scenes. Through the pages I could almost feel the electricity between Aly and Ransom, their fiery temperaments playing a huge part in these scenes’ quality.
Seeing them fiercely bickering, arguing and transforming all this energy into something… real, vibrating, pulsing, hot!
Miss Butler gave a new definition to the word sexual tension. The build up was incredible, and boy did she deliver!
If I had to vote between Thin Love and Thick Love, My vote as of now, would stay for Thin Love. I loved Ransom and Aly but not quite as much as I loved Kona and Kiera. I think part of my decision is due to the fact that I’m wondering what Aly and Ransom as adults are going to be, as Thick Love focuses on their issues as young adults only.
In Thin Love we had both, their young story, full of mistakes, and the adult part, where they finally get to make it right.
But I’m expecting the next book to make me change my mind and see what Eden Butler is hiding up her sleeves.
Yes their story is not quite finished yet, I don’t mind an Happy for Now ending at all, most of my favorite books ends that way. Sure I love a good HEA and a sweet epilogue, but will I say no to more goodness from Eden Butler? Hell no! Give me more Ransom soon! Please?
PS Note : Thanks, Lana, for making me revise my cast for Ransom... ;)
Arc offered in exchange for an honest review
More reviews and book talk at :
I discovered Eden Butler last year with Thin Love and discovered myself an angst junkie.
She did this. She made me enjoy the suffering of her characters, and there’s something disturbingly sadistic at enjoying great and lovable characters to hurt.
The shame and guilt replaced that rage and I took it down within myself, feeling every prickle, every inch of hurt I deserved.
With this little statement I want to warn potential readers. You will see your opinion on angst change. You’ll revise what you find acceptable in term of torment. Prepare yourself!
Note : Thin Love—book 1— focuses on Ransom’s parents, Kiera and Kona. While it’s not necessary to read book 1 to presently enjoy Thick Love, I highly recommend reading it.
Ransom’ story was one I highly anticipated after reading a teaser about his upcoming story in Thin Love last year. If Ransom had even the slightest chance to be a tiny bit like his father, then I knew I’d be in for a treat.
I can already tell you how much this book surprised me. I did not expect any less from Eden Butler.
Thick Love tells the story of Ransom and Aly. Both young troubled characters, both carrying an excessive amount of baggage. Both fierce and strong willed.
Ransom, 18 years old defensive college football player carries the burden and guilt of his first love’s death. He holds himself responsible for the accident that caused Emily to die a couple years ago and can’t seem to fully live his young man’s life since then.
His self inflicted punishment for taking something that wasn’t his to take. He forbids himself any pleasure or personal enjoyment, servicing women on campus, playing his part on the field, he’s all but dead inside.
I had to squeeze my eyes tight, force out that first time, all the times after that one. And then the same shame came back, the guilt and the odd voice in my head, the one that sounded so familiar, so bitter, haunting me like it always did.
Miss Butler truly made me felt Ransom’s internal agony with his POV. Full of self hatred and flagellation. She definitely has a knack for what I can only call “Angst-So-Good” delivered in a enticing and lovely writing.
It was frustrating as hell, reading his tortured thoughts, witnessing his hurt, distress and torment.
More than once I wished I could shake him good and shout at him to get over it all! It was maddening, to feel so invested with his character. And it’s not like Eden Butler gives you the choice not to.
As relentless and obstinate he was to punish himself for a young past mistake, Ransom still is the lovable young man we met in Thin Love. Invested in his family, honest, steady character.
Aly King’s character was equally complex as Ransom’s. In a lot of little different ways, but as interesting and fascinating all the same.
Aly comes from a difficult background, she’s on her own and have been for pretty much all her life. Her biggest force and quality being her stubbornness and self control. She’s a passionate young woman, driven by her love for dance, seeking on her own term the thrills of life and she’s determined to prove herself an independent and successful woman.
The rhythm of that melody ripped away my reason. It was an echo of who I was, one that I’d never let anyone see but who nevertheless lurked below my carefully controlled exterior.
Aly lives upstairs the dance studio she works to, her boss being Ransom’s mother cousin, Leann.
She had occasions to meet Ransom in the past, although briefly and never significantly, it did not prevent her from developing a crush on Ransom. She always admired him from afar, witnessing his torment of late. Seeing past his thick layer of heartache, Aly wants to see him heal.
From the moment I had met him that morning, I hadn’t been able to stop marveling at beautiful massive Ransom. No, he wasn’t mine, but I kind of wished he was.
A good part of the book focuses on a beautifully crafted push and pull dance between Aly and Ransom. A slow burn of awakenings, a passionate and vibrating power play between both characters baggage and their will to make it through.
The pain in his eyes drew me in. There was nothing I could say that would make his hurt lessen. There was nothing that would take him from the lingering sorrow he’d created for himself.
The author, using dance as a tool to unite and reunite the characters, make them feel, hate, love, created a perfected build up and chemistry for them. Both revealing themselves to the music. I almost want to tell you : sit back, watch and enjoy.
The phantom voice was finally silent, quieted by the image of this beautiful woman gyrating on me, and my body stopped listening to the protests of that scared, lost kid I’d once been. The one I’d let control me for too damn long.
I most certainly enjoyed the dynamic of Thick Love, never faltering in her writing, Miss Butler created a worthy sequel to Thin Love.
Gifting us some endearing and hilarious moments with Keira, Kona and children, she reminded me why I fell so hard for this couple. Their chemistry between them and their strong charisma remains, and I was so glad to read more about them.
The dialogues and silent communication between Ransom and his little brother were precious and hilarious, Kona caveman antics, Kiera’s attitude… Sigh. I loved, loooved THAT! A pure delight!
What I loved in Thick Love, other than the angst-so-good part, was definitely the sexy as hell scenes. Very erotic, enticing, passionate sex scenes. Through the pages I could almost feel the electricity between Aly and Ransom, their fiery temperaments playing a huge part in these scenes’ quality.
He made music with his body, demanding that I surrender. He kissed me like someone who always reached for something to hold onto and only got something that made him spin further out of control.
Seeing them fiercely bickering, arguing and transforming all this energy into something… real, vibrating, pulsing, hot!
Miss Butler gave a new definition to the word sexual tension. The build up was incredible, and boy did she deliver!
If I had to vote between Thin Love and Thick Love, My vote as of now, would stay for Thin Love. I loved Ransom and Aly but not quite as much as I loved Kona and Kiera. I think part of my decision is due to the fact that I’m wondering what Aly and Ransom as adults are going to be, as Thick Love focuses on their issues as young adults only.
What lived in my heart for Aly was a hurricane that tore away everything in its path.
In Thin Love we had both, their young story, full of mistakes, and the adult part, where they finally get to make it right.
But I’m expecting the next book to make me change my mind and see what Eden Butler is hiding up her sleeves.
Yes their story is not quite finished yet, I don’t mind an Happy for Now ending at all, most of my favorite books ends that way. Sure I love a good HEA and a sweet epilogue, but will I say no to more goodness from Eden Butler? Hell no! Give me more Ransom soon! Please?
Thick Love is… it’s when you know.
PS Note : Thanks, Lana, for making me revise my cast for Ransom... ;)
Arc offered in exchange for an honest review
More reviews and book talk at :
rachelreadsravenously's review
4.0
4 stars!
Thin Love was one of my top ten favorite reads from last year. Full of angst it had a storyline that ripped your heart out and fed it to you, and Eden Butler followed it up in exactly the same way.
Thick Love is the story of Ransom, Keira and Kona's son, and Aly, a dancer at the studio of a family friend. When Aly left her home at the age of seventeen to escape what I consider and abusive situation, her father comes after her and a teenage Ransom was there to save Aly from him. It's something Aly has never forgotten. Flash forward a couple years and the two are practically strangers. Aly leading dance classes and working long hours at a diner to make ends meet, and Ransom in his freshman year of college and playing football.
In the time since their encounter, Ransom has suffered the loss of his high school sweetheart, a girl he loved very much. Ransom is internalizing his pain, keeping everything locked up so tight that it's driving him mad. The guilt consumed him and tore him apart, he was a silent mess for a long time and those around him worried about him.
This book started out slow for me. With the previous book and novella by Eden Butler I was absorbed in the book right away so I was surprised when I was pushing myself to read a little but near the beginning. It picked up a lot more near the middle (once Ransom stopped frustrating me) and took off from there, so overall I really enjoyed reading this.
Aly was the best part of this book for me. I liked Keira in book one, but she was very shouty and emotional whereas Aly was the opposite. Yes she felt the same emotions but was used to maintaining a mask to survive her home situation so she had a more stoic presence. She also didn't take Ransom's shit, which was so amazing to read. I love strong female characters, and Aly had the perfect combination of strength yet vulnerability that made her perfect for Ransom.
One thing that was mentioned out there in the ether is that Ransom was with other girls before he was with Aly and it was presented as a problem. Well, that doesn't really bother me because he's a teenager and teenage boys have a lot of sexual energy and it has to go somewhere. BUT, it's also a double standard to try and call him out on that because Aly said in the book that she was with other men too, and didn't want Ransom to judge her for it. So why would we judge him if we're not going to judge her? I don't find that fair. Plus, neither one of them were together so it shouldn't matter anyway. But that's just my personal opinion.
I'd also like to commend Eden Butler for giving the new adult genre a much needed mixed race couple. While I love the romance genre, it is so incredibly white washed which isn't at all a great depiction of love as a whole. Our culture is a part of what makes us who we are, and I loved the different cultures Eden added into the book. I don't think I've ever read a romance with native Hawaiian's or Creole's and she had both.
Finally, the epilogue. Well, based on the note Eden included at the beginning of the book I was fairly prepared for the ending. So I wasn't too shocked by the ending but more like frustrated. I felt that epilogue didn't follow the same path as the rest of the book and it didn't fit the characters. Epilogue or no epilogue, I'll read anything Eden writes so I personally think it didn't need to be included, it'll just make a lot of people mad. But it didn't make me mad, just kind of disappointed.
So in a strangly logical rating from me, .5 stars taken away for slow beginning and .5 stars for the ending. Overall this was a great story, and Eden told it so beautifully. More people need to start reading her books asap.
ARC kindly provided by author in exchange for review
Thin Love was one of my top ten favorite reads from last year. Full of angst it had a storyline that ripped your heart out and fed it to you, and Eden Butler followed it up in exactly the same way.
Thick Love is the story of Ransom, Keira and Kona's son, and Aly, a dancer at the studio of a family friend. When Aly left her home at the age of seventeen to escape what I consider and abusive situation, her father comes after her and a teenage Ransom was there to save Aly from him. It's something Aly has never forgotten. Flash forward a couple years and the two are practically strangers. Aly leading dance classes and working long hours at a diner to make ends meet, and Ransom in his freshman year of college and playing football.
In the time since their encounter, Ransom has suffered the loss of his high school sweetheart, a girl he loved very much. Ransom is internalizing his pain, keeping everything locked up so tight that it's driving him mad. The guilt consumed him and tore him apart, he was a silent mess for a long time and those around him worried about him.
This book started out slow for me. With the previous book and novella by Eden Butler I was absorbed in the book right away so I was surprised when I was pushing myself to read a little but near the beginning. It picked up a lot more near the middle (once Ransom stopped frustrating me) and took off from there, so overall I really enjoyed reading this.
Aly was the best part of this book for me. I liked Keira in book one, but she was very shouty and emotional whereas Aly was the opposite. Yes she felt the same emotions but was used to maintaining a mask to survive her home situation so she had a more stoic presence. She also didn't take Ransom's shit, which was so amazing to read. I love strong female characters, and Aly had the perfect combination of strength yet vulnerability that made her perfect for Ransom.
One thing that was mentioned out there in the ether is that Ransom was with other girls before he was with Aly and it was presented as a problem. Well, that doesn't really bother me because he's a teenager and teenage boys have a lot of sexual energy and it has to go somewhere. BUT, it's also a double standard to try and call him out on that because Aly said in the book that she was with other men too, and didn't want Ransom to judge her for it. So why would we judge him if we're not going to judge her? I don't find that fair. Plus, neither one of them were together so it shouldn't matter anyway. But that's just my personal opinion.
I'd also like to commend Eden Butler for giving the new adult genre a much needed mixed race couple. While I love the romance genre, it is so incredibly white washed which isn't at all a great depiction of love as a whole. Our culture is a part of what makes us who we are, and I loved the different cultures Eden added into the book. I don't think I've ever read a romance with native Hawaiian's or Creole's and she had both.
Finally, the epilogue. Well, based on the note Eden included at the beginning of the book I was fairly prepared for the ending. So I wasn't too shocked by the ending but more like frustrated. I felt that epilogue didn't follow the same path as the rest of the book and it didn't fit the characters. Epilogue or no epilogue, I'll read anything Eden writes so I personally think it didn't need to be included, it'll just make a lot of people mad. But it didn't make me mad, just kind of disappointed.
So in a strangly logical rating from me, .5 stars taken away for slow beginning and .5 stars for the ending. Overall this was a great story, and Eden told it so beautifully. More people need to start reading her books asap.
ARC kindly provided by author in exchange for review
gerireads's review
4.0
What lived in my heart for Aly was a hurricane that tore away everything in its path. It ripped apart what remained of who I was...
I honestly don't know what to say in this review but I'll try.
First off, kudos to Eden Butler for writing such a difficult and complicated story. I say difficult because from the get go, their love story hampered by Ransom's overwhelming feeling of guilt for his part in the death of his ex-girlfriend. It's difficult Ransom and Aly had to deal with complicated feelings about old loves and new ones, of redemption and forgiveness.
He'd played that guitar like it was a lover he'd forgotten he could touch.
We've met Ransom in his parents, Keira & Kona's book. If you've read Thin Love, you'll know that Ransom was with another girl who is not the heroine here. Between Thin Love and this book, tragedy struck Ransom's young life. It marked him and shaped the young boy into a man he's now become.
Aly is a runaway who found work and shelter with Keira's cousin Lian. She's a bit of a mysterious character. All we know is that she's a dancer and she ran away from an emotionally abusive home at the age of 17.
I watched when you weren't looking. I waited, but I didn't pine for you.
When they first met, Ransom was only 16 but he made an impression on Aly. And since Aly worked with Lian, she saw what happened to Ransom and the effect it had on him. Aly has feelings for Ransom from the get go but she didn't pine for him, and this is one of the things that I really liked about Aly and the dynamics of her relationship with Ransom.
While she readily acknowledged her feelings for him, she was always the one in control. She always had a choice to walk away -- and she uses this throughout the book when Ransom gets to be too much. I just loved her character. I love how she was able to love freely and wholly without losing her self-respect.
"I...I love you, but I'm starting to realize that when you love someone, really love them, sometimes you have to walk away. Especially when they are destroying themselves. Sometimes that means you have to love yourself more.
Ransom is a hard man to love because of his baggage. He has a huge amount of baggage. He's experienced tragedy and it changed him. The Ransom we met in Thin Love isn't the Ransom we read about here. And while he's still a pretty functioning member of society -- a successful defensive college football player -- he's full of guilt and bitterness. He doesn't think he deserves love and blames himself for the tragedy that took the life of his ex-girlfriend.
His POV was extremely difficult to read because it's full of self-loathing and guilt. I had to resist the urge of chucking my Kindle across the room because it can be frustrating. But Eden Butler's exquisite writing and keen characterization kept me going even when it hurts. And oh my gosh, some parts did hurt.
With every note, Ransom poured whatever he kept to himself, all the things he would not say to the world into each strum.
This was, for the first 96%, was a five star read for me, and I don't want to sound petty but the epilogue made this one a 4. Just to clarify, I do understand the need for the second book. While this book ends on a very VERY hopeful note or AKA HFN, I wanted more. I want to see them grow into their love more especially since Ransom and Aly had to deal with a lot of baggage. So I wasn't upset that we're getting another book. Like I said, this ends on an HFN, so even if you don't read the next one, you'll still get a happy resolution. But the reason why I didn't like the epilogue was because I didn't understand it. I don't know what happened between the end and the start of the epilogue.
*cue dramatic wailing*
I'm still not over it. I'll probably not be over it until I get the next book in my hand. For what it's worth though, I really loved the story. It's the kind of second-chance love that don't get told enough these days. So if you love angst and you love non-obvious stories and pairings, then I highly recommend this book to you. It hits you right in the feels plus it has a healthy dose of steam.
"Thick love is best. Thick love is...it's when you know." (...) "It's when you know you've found the one that can pick up the pieces when you let your heart get broken."
ARC provided by Eden Butler in exchange for an honest review.
More...