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filipacarvalho's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.75
The first important information about this book, is that it reads like a fanfic through and through. And I do love fanfic, so that's completely a-okay with me.
The tags are: soulmate au; popstar x hockey player/artist romance; texting; social media; no beta we die like men. And the rating, I would say, Teen and Up Audiences (I realize me saying it's a fanfic might make some people think it's filthy, but it's actually a closed-door romance).
The things I didn’t love: for me, the book is too long. I think it would've worked better if it had been edited down quite a bit. Because, and this is the second thing that wasn't my favourite, the book is all tell not show. To the point where in one chapter we're discussing something, and then in the next or a few chapters latter it's told to you that it’s been worked through and now is no longer a thing / issue.The one that hurt me the most was not seeing on page AB's reaction to Mathew's art work, that was just mean. So, at some points the inner monologue of the characters became very repetitive. On the first half with AB's mental health issues, in the second half with Mathews coming out to the NHL dilemma (fair warning: there's a lot of homophobia / biphobia in this book).
One thing I noticed as well, is that the relationship is about 50% of the book, the other 50%, the main characters leading with their own stuff.
The social media bits were kinda fun and definitely rang true to what fandoms are like. Even if at times they were a little bit confusing (but I don't have twitter so that might be on me).
What I loved: I'M A SUCKER FOR SOULAMTE AU's. And that was what carried most of the book for me. AB and Mathew are very cute together, and the cast of characters around them was pretty fun as well (I would love a book about Maddie and Zoe!)
I love when characters get to know each other through texting, and even if it was so little here I still appreciate it.
I also loved Mathew's magic. Again, I'm a sucker for when characters have some sort of insight into their partners thoughts / feelings, so Mathew's ability to see sound was a really fun version of that.
About the magic system: at the beginning I just accepted that it was very cool and unique and I was never going to fully understand it. I just rolled with it. Because after all, this is a romance, and the only magic that mattered was the one directly linked to AB or Mathew.
I also want to point out, that this is a 'I thought I was straight until I met you' book. Not because of the soulmate bond which I appreciate the author not going for a 'oh shit, we're soulmates so now I HAVE to be gay' thing. But they do fall in love. Obviously. Again: romance.
The TL:DR is: I had a lot of fun with this book, because of specific things I love to read about. But I feel like this might not work for most of people.
The tags are: soulmate au; popstar x hockey player/artist romance; texting; social media; no beta we die like men. And the rating, I would say, Teen and Up Audiences (I realize me saying it's a fanfic might make some people think it's filthy, but it's actually a closed-door romance).
The things I didn’t love: for me, the book is too long. I think it would've worked better if it had been edited down quite a bit. Because, and this is the second thing that wasn't my favourite, the book is all tell not show. To the point where in one chapter we're discussing something, and then in the next or a few chapters latter it's told to you that it’s been worked through and now is no longer a thing / issue.
One thing I noticed as well, is that the relationship is about 50% of the book, the other 50%, the main characters leading with their own stuff.
The social media bits were kinda fun and definitely rang true to what fandoms are like. Even if at times they were a little bit confusing (but I don't have twitter so that might be on me).
What I loved: I'M A SUCKER FOR SOULAMTE AU's. And that was what carried most of the book for me. AB and Mathew are very cute together, and the cast of characters around them was pretty fun as well (I would love a book about Maddie and Zoe!)
I love when characters get to know each other through texting, and even if it was so little here I still appreciate it.
I also loved Mathew's magic. Again, I'm a sucker for when characters have some sort of insight into their partners thoughts / feelings, so Mathew's ability to see sound was a really fun version of that.
About the magic system: at the beginning I just accepted that it was very cool and unique and I was never going to fully understand it. I just rolled with it. Because after all, this is a romance, and the only magic that mattered was the one directly linked to AB or Mathew.
I also want to point out, that this is a 'I thought I was straight until I met you' book. Not because of the soulmate bond which I appreciate the author not going for a 'oh shit, we're soulmates so now I HAVE to be gay' thing. But they do fall in love. Obviously. Again: romance.
The TL:DR is: I had a lot of fun with this book, because of specific things I love to read about. But I feel like this might not work for most of people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia and Homophobia
analenegrace's review
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book would have been a hit in 2012
It just played too much into stereotypes and other things. also there were typos in the book and the magic system was wildly confusing and the world wasn't well built up.
It just played too much into stereotypes and other things. also there were typos in the book and the magic system was wildly confusing and the world wasn't well built up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Biphobia
leolizard's review
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Plot is the relationship. The whole thing feels rushed and there’s a lack of world building. The world has a lot of potential but there is no depth to the magic and how it’s used in the world. Magic is only there as a means to build the relationship.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content
anna_wa's review
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Four years after her debut novel Love Blooms, Stephanie Hoyt returns with another genre-b(l)ending fantasy new adult romance. Unlike Love Blooms, this one *is* a coming out narrative - or at least halfway. AB Cerise, the famous pop star, has been out as bisexual for years already (not that everybody respects his attraction to women and men).
Matthew Hellman-Levoie is convinced he could not possibly be queer because he has seen enough men in his life as a hockey player that he feels he should've figured it out already - but then he meets AB Cerise. In the bathroom, of all the most romantic places to meet in. But you know, can't choose where or when you meet your soulmate.
Even though my review of "Love Blooms" didn't even exist yet in February, I feel like Hoyt still heard my gripes and fixed a LOT of them in this book. The world-building was superb; this time I actually felt like I knew what was going on all the way around her magical world. It felt very well thought out and created.
And another thing improving over her previous novel was that there were actual difficulties, there were actual misunderstandings and complications. The characters' anxieties actually made tangible sense to me and a lot of times I felt worried for them (and honestly, sometimes it's extremely hard to make anxiety make sense in writing because anxiety doesn't make sense a lot of times).
Holding this book to its own merit, separate from the author's previous work: I learned more about OCD thanks to this one book (even though I know a queer fantasy romance can't teach me everything about OCD, I still understand more now than I did before it started). I don't know that I learned very much more about hockey than what I knew before (which already wasn't much) but it was still endearing. I loved that Matthew also had an equal passion for art and used his superpower to make art (kind of like one of my artist friends with synesthesia, hehe).
I still feel like I can't give this a full five stars because, as much as I enjoyed the main characters, the magical world, and the concept, I feel Hoyt has a long way to go in way of learning how to show some things rather than just tell them. She is really really great at dialogue, but I couldn't help but feel some of the discussions the characters had about their fears could've been turned into scenes where they are confronted with those fears in real time.
And, just on a technical note, there were a lot of times where there were no dialogue tags for a few quotes in a row and I got confused on who was talking. It's not *always* necessary to add a dialogue tag if the same two people are talking to each other for long periods of time, but there were several moments where a lack of dialogue tags confused me a lot and I couldn't tell who was talking - or, also important, what tone they were saying it in. A lot of times the side characters felt a little mean?? to their best friends. And I know a certain amount of sarcasm and playful teasing is part of most friendships, but it just seemed like there were so many moments where the side characters were being unnecessarily aggressive - however, I could have also just read the tone incorrectly (which a dialogue tag would've helped with).
I thought the inclusion of the tweets by AB fans and Hockey fans was a nice touch and I enjoyed Victoria Newberry's illustrations a lot. I thought those tweets worked in some ways as showing rather than just telling (because rather than just talking about what the fans are saying, we SEE what the fans are saying).
(spoiler for ending right here)And I know it sounds weird but I'm glad that the book ended with Matthew losing his promised spot on the Miners after several rounds of articles about how he would be a poor fit for the Miners. One thing I hate is when authors connect their books to real life homophobia&biphobia but then don't actually show us any of that homophobia&biphobia in action. The worst case of this was Red, White & Royal Blue for me. I felt insulted by how this one relationship supposedly ended all homophobia in two countries after spending the whole book talking about how homophobic the two countries are. So yes, as strange as it may seem, I'm grateful Matthew's fears weren't misplaced and he *did* face homophobic/biphobic backlash. But he still gets a happy ending. I want characters to get happy endings - I just also don't want to be lied to. You know what I mean?
All around, I enjoyed reading this book a lot and, as I said in my review of Love Blooms, Stephanie Hoyt is only going to continue getting better and better and I can't wait to see what magical genre-b(l)ending adventure she takes us on next! :) Highly recommend this for any fan of Check Please! or Heartstopper (but it's not a teen book. No, this is definitely not a teen book. Hahaha.)
Matthew Hellman-Levoie is convinced he could not possibly be queer because he has seen enough men in his life as a hockey player that he feels he should've figured it out already - but then he meets AB Cerise. In the bathroom, of all the most romantic places to meet in. But you know, can't choose where or when you meet your soulmate.
Even though my review of "Love Blooms" didn't even exist yet in February, I feel like Hoyt still heard my gripes and fixed a LOT of them in this book. The world-building was superb; this time I actually felt like I knew what was going on all the way around her magical world. It felt very well thought out and created.
And another thing improving over her previous novel was that there were actual difficulties, there were actual misunderstandings and complications. The characters' anxieties actually made tangible sense to me and a lot of times I felt worried for them (and honestly, sometimes it's extremely hard to make anxiety make sense in writing because anxiety doesn't make sense a lot of times).
Holding this book to its own merit, separate from the author's previous work: I learned more about OCD thanks to this one book (even though I know a queer fantasy romance can't teach me everything about OCD, I still understand more now than I did before it started). I don't know that I learned very much more about hockey than what I knew before (which already wasn't much) but it was still endearing. I loved that Matthew also had an equal passion for art and used his superpower to make art (kind of like one of my artist friends with synesthesia, hehe).
I still feel like I can't give this a full five stars because, as much as I enjoyed the main characters, the magical world, and the concept, I feel Hoyt has a long way to go in way of learning how to show some things rather than just tell them. She is really really great at dialogue, but I couldn't help but feel some of the discussions the characters had about their fears could've been turned into scenes where they are confronted with those fears in real time.
And, just on a technical note, there were a lot of times where there were no dialogue tags for a few quotes in a row and I got confused on who was talking. It's not *always* necessary to add a dialogue tag if the same two people are talking to each other for long periods of time, but there were several moments where a lack of dialogue tags confused me a lot and I couldn't tell who was talking - or, also important, what tone they were saying it in. A lot of times the side characters felt a little mean?? to their best friends. And I know a certain amount of sarcasm and playful teasing is part of most friendships, but it just seemed like there were so many moments where the side characters were being unnecessarily aggressive - however, I could have also just read the tone incorrectly (which a dialogue tag would've helped with).
I thought the inclusion of the tweets by AB fans and Hockey fans was a nice touch and I enjoyed Victoria Newberry's illustrations a lot. I thought those tweets worked in some ways as showing rather than just telling (because rather than just talking about what the fans are saying, we SEE what the fans are saying).
(spoiler for ending right here)
All around, I enjoyed reading this book a lot and, as I said in my review of Love Blooms, Stephanie Hoyt is only going to continue getting better and better and I can't wait to see what magical genre-b(l)ending adventure she takes us on next! :) Highly recommend this for any fan of Check Please! or Heartstopper (but it's not a teen book. No, this is definitely not a teen book. Hahaha.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Biphobia
Minor: Homophobia
sglance9's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Biphobia
littlesmaug's review
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
4.25
Oh. My. Gosh.
For me, this was a wonderful read. I actually got all kinds of nervous when I clicked over to mark that I was reading this one and saw its relatively low ratings on Goodreads. But, I stuck to my guns, and didn't look at the reviews until going to post my own, because I really did enjoy this one.
What I found curious was the amount of people who DNFed so close to the beginning. Because I'll be the first to admit - that beginning <i>was</i> rough. It was incredibly info-heavy, with no real indication what the story would be. And then some people complained that the flashbacks provided a boring backstory, which I can see being the opinion <i>if</i> you only make it that far. Also, Gabby and AB aren't twins? They're just best friends whose moms are best friends and were raised <i>like</i> siblings. So also that was a weird criticism.
Reviews shouldn't be just trying to complain about other reviews, though. I know this. If you've made it this far into my review, you may be rolling your eyes. I apologize. So let me get into the actual review of the story itself.
The ebook was 428 pages and I agree that it could have been far shorter. I often complain that books don't give the various storylines enough time to breathe... in this case, I felt like there was perhaps <b>too</b> much breathing room. But I actually really liked the way the storylines were intertwined. I thought, at first, it was too much. There was hockey and pop-stardom and college. There was the hidden relationship trope, the soulmate plot, the coming out plot. But they actually <i>do</i> work incredibly well together.
The story itself was really unique, in part because of these intertwined plots but namely because of the magic system. It was a bit like playing a caster in Guild Wars 2, which is a niche reference. But in it, you have to pick a school of magic. Like in GW2, if you're an Elementalist, you can control the elements but can specialize in one. But it was definitely a more-intricate version of that. Yeah. I'm not doing my best to explain it. In summation, I love a unique magic system very deeply in books.
Also? I love sports gays. So much. So it was kind of a given that Matthew would be my favorite of the two MCs. I also love found family, which AB's band most definitely was.
Gosh, I'm rambling. This is clearly my bad attempt at explaining why such a trope-heavy and long book was something I loved a lot more than other people clearly did. It definitely wasn't one of my 5 star reads but it was a really fun one! I would love some novellas so we could see the story through Maddie or Gabby's eyes.
So yeah! If you're willing to wade through a <i>slightly</i> too-long story and really like sports gays like I do, you'll like this book. If you're looking for a unique magic system, you'll probably like this book. Maybe it takes a certain level of patience and love for this one to hit just right. But I do recommend it!
Sidebar for spoiler screaming:
OH MY GOD AB AND GABBY'S MOMS GETTING ENGAGED??? I kind of called it from the beginning, I was like... there's no dad's in this picture and those moms are so absorbed I CALL LESBIANS and I was RIGHT and it was delightful. Also Matthew's family being so accepting of him and supportive??? chef's fucking KISS
For me, this was a wonderful read. I actually got all kinds of nervous when I clicked over to mark that I was reading this one and saw its relatively low ratings on Goodreads. But, I stuck to my guns, and didn't look at the reviews until going to post my own, because I really did enjoy this one.
What I found curious was the amount of people who DNFed so close to the beginning. Because I'll be the first to admit - that beginning <i>was</i> rough. It was incredibly info-heavy, with no real indication what the story would be. And then some people complained that the flashbacks provided a boring backstory, which I can see being the opinion <i>if</i> you only make it that far. Also, Gabby and AB aren't twins? They're just best friends whose moms are best friends and were raised <i>like</i> siblings. So also that was a weird criticism.
Reviews shouldn't be just trying to complain about other reviews, though. I know this. If you've made it this far into my review, you may be rolling your eyes. I apologize. So let me get into the actual review of the story itself.
The ebook was 428 pages and I agree that it could have been far shorter. I often complain that books don't give the various storylines enough time to breathe... in this case, I felt like there was perhaps <b>too</b> much breathing room. But I actually really liked the way the storylines were intertwined. I thought, at first, it was too much. There was hockey and pop-stardom and college. There was the hidden relationship trope, the soulmate plot, the coming out plot. But they actually <i>do</i> work incredibly well together.
The story itself was really unique, in part because of these intertwined plots but namely because of the magic system. It was a bit like playing a caster in Guild Wars 2, which is a niche reference. But in it, you have to pick a school of magic. Like in GW2, if you're an Elementalist, you can control the elements but can specialize in one. But it was definitely a more-intricate version of that. Yeah. I'm not doing my best to explain it. In summation, I love a unique magic system very deeply in books.
Also? I love sports gays. So much. So it was kind of a given that Matthew would be my favorite of the two MCs. I also love found family, which AB's band most definitely was.
Gosh, I'm rambling. This is clearly my bad attempt at explaining why such a trope-heavy and long book was something I loved a lot more than other people clearly did. It definitely wasn't one of my 5 star reads but it was a really fun one! I would love some novellas so we could see the story through Maddie or Gabby's eyes.
So yeah! If you're willing to wade through a <i>slightly</i> too-long story and really like sports gays like I do, you'll like this book. If you're looking for a unique magic system, you'll probably like this book. Maybe it takes a certain level of patience and love for this one to hit just right. But I do recommend it!
Sidebar for spoiler screaming:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia
Moderate: Homophobia
little_mo's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
aexileigh's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia and Homophobia
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Bullying
everence's review
inspiring
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
kennyscoffee's review
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.5
Overall, fun read about two famous boys very slowly falling in love. They have LOTS of long conversations about social media, coming out, and mental health. As someone who adores the soulmate trope, this book was fine. I didn’t fully understand why or how they were soulmates since the book said they were in one chapter but then later made it seem like they weren’t??
The magical realism aspect of the book was hard for me to grasp. I got the basics after a while but the later half was very confusing as nothing is explained since the characters already know about the magic.
Coming out and mental health issues are a major topic in this book!
The magical realism aspect of the book was hard for me to grasp. I got the basics after a while but the later half was very confusing as nothing is explained since the characters already know about the magic.
Coming out and mental health issues are a major topic in this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, and Mental illness
OCD, Coming Out, Sports/Media Homophobia, Famous individuals, Social Media