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cmaree88's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Mental illness
Moderate: Medical trauma and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer
amissabellator's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Ableism, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, and Medical content
The text follows Anna Sun - a woman who is diagnosed with autism with low-support needs - (and, to a lesser extent, Quan Diep - a man who has recently overcome personal illness (hseemore's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
I LOVED this! The Bride Test is still my favorite, but this one was really, really good. Admittedly, I wasn't the biggest fan of The Kiss Quotient - it was cute it just didn't stand out too much to me. But, I really connected with the next two books and they had me so invested I was CRYING.
This series obviously stands out for it's Autism representation in each book. Which I love how Stella, Khai and Anna all feel like completely different people and you see the different spots on the spectrum between them. I feel like a lot of the time Autistic characters in media seem to be very one-size-fits-all and they all feel like carbon copies - but there's so much variation amongst the characters in this series and I love it!!
In addition to good representation, each book deals with different kinds of real issues such as loss, grief, intimacy issues, people pleasing, ect.
This series obviously stands out for it's Autism representation in each book. Which I love how Stella, Khai and Anna all feel like completely different people and you see the different spots on the spectrum between them. I feel like a lot of the time Autistic characters in media seem to be very one-size-fits-all and they all feel like carbon copies - but there's so much variation amongst the characters in this series and I love it!!
In addition to good representation, each book deals with different kinds of real issues such as loss, grief, intimacy issues, people pleasing, ect.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Cancer
karebearisreading's review against another edition
There were just aspects to this book that were too personal to me, and it was triggering things that I’m still in the process of healing from.. but I love the author, the writing & characters and hope someday I’ll pick this book up again!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
jbabbm's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
To be honest this book, and the amount of spiciness in it, was not for me. I LOVED having an inclusive main character but I just feel that there was way too much happening in the story for me to be able to enjoy it (Anna's autistic diagnosis, Quan's backstory, Anna's father's stroke, Quan's business deal, her family dynamics drama, etc.) . I do think that this is a great book regarding inclusiveness and portrayal of POC characters, but I'm not sure I would recommend it to friends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Ableism, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Cancer
bookreadingelf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, and Ableism
Moderate: Cancer
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
(listened to audio book from library)
REVIEW TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS BOOK!
i devoured this book. i was up until 3am reading this and good LORD was it worth it.
i would definitely classify this as contemporary fiction and not a romance because the main focal point was Anna’s struggle to accept and honor herself, not the love story. though i liked the love story—which added fantastic levity to the serious topics presented here despite also being pretty rocky—i was completely sold by Anna’s arc: her diagnosis, accepting a caretaker role, the epiphany about her needs, her growth.
once again, Helen Hoang perfectly captures the neurodivergent experience. Anna’s relationship with her family, her friends, herself, and her art were so relatable and heart-wrenching. i can only describe my feelings/reactions towards the ongoing conflicts related to her autism as VISCERAL. chapter 41 literally caused me to sob into a pillow. i am not kidding. i had to try very hard to stifle my weeping.
the ending, though extremely fast-paced was satisfying and realistic. i appreciated that, unlike The Bride Test, not every plot point received a sparkly, happy conclusion. grief and healing are not linear, and it makes sense that Anna‘s experiences with them were not either.
i will admit, criticisms of Quan’s story are valid. though i liked that his chapters were brief, i would happily read an entire novel about his journey surviving cancer. i did not feel like his POV was needed at times, which led me to want his storyline to be fleshed out more, to be more on par with the tone and severity of Anna’s. i think each arc could have better paralleled the other and his story could have had a stronger impact. maybe Anna’s story was heavy enough and Helen Hoang felt the need to write something lighter to help the reader escape that darkness, but i think it still could have worked.
wrt the sex scenes: this book was much steamier and more satisfying (wink wonk) than The Bride Test. it also showed realistic sexual dysfunction and healthy communication of boundaries/needs. i liked the pining as much as i liked the sex scenes themselves, and i never turned the page and felt let down or disappointed by how the scenes ended. they all tended to make sense and feel complete.
overall this was a fantastic, quick read that i recommend to nd romance readers looking to see and authentic story in a new genre.
CW (not included below): autism meltdown, autism burnout, career burnout/career issues
REVIEW TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS BOOK!
i devoured this book. i was up until 3am reading this and good LORD was it worth it.
i would definitely classify this as contemporary fiction and not a romance because the main focal point was Anna’s struggle to accept and honor herself, not the love story. though i liked the love story—which added fantastic levity to the serious topics presented here despite also being pretty rocky—i was completely sold by Anna’s arc: her diagnosis, accepting a caretaker role, the epiphany about her needs, her growth.
once again, Helen Hoang perfectly captures the neurodivergent experience. Anna’s relationship with her family, her friends, herself, and her art were so relatable and heart-wrenching. i can only describe my feelings/reactions towards the ongoing conflicts related to her autism as VISCERAL. chapter 41 literally caused me to sob into a pillow. i am not kidding. i had to try very hard to stifle my weeping.
the ending, though extremely fast-paced was satisfying and realistic. i appreciated that, unlike The Bride Test, not every plot point received a sparkly, happy conclusion. grief and healing are not linear, and it makes sense that Anna‘s experiences with them were not either.
i will admit, criticisms of Quan’s story are valid. though i liked that his chapters were brief, i would happily read an entire novel about his journey surviving cancer. i did not feel like his POV was needed at times, which led me to want his storyline to be fleshed out more, to be more on par with the tone and severity of Anna’s. i think each arc could have better paralleled the other and his story could have had a stronger impact. maybe Anna’s story was heavy enough and Helen Hoang felt the need to write something lighter to help the reader escape that darkness, but i think it still could have worked.
wrt the sex scenes: this book was much steamier and more satisfying (wink wonk) than The Bride Test. it also showed realistic sexual dysfunction and healthy communication of boundaries/needs. i liked the pining as much as i liked the sex scenes themselves, and i never turned the page and felt let down or disappointed by how the scenes ended. they all tended to make sense and feel complete.
overall this was a fantastic, quick read that i recommend to nd romance readers looking to see and authentic story in a new genre.
CW (not included below): autism meltdown, autism burnout, career burnout/career issues
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Ableism, Grief, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Cancer
Minor: Cursing, Car accident, Excrement, Xenophobia, and Vomit
amplawrence's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Gaslighting, Ableism, Medical content, Death of parent, Bullying, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Cancer and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Infertility
sajazeaiter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Cancer
pointlessmoss's review against another edition
lighthearted
sad
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
3.0
For days now, I've been feeling so conflicted about how I should rate this book - but beyond that, my thoughts and feelings on the story itself. This was a very worthwhile read for me, especially because I could relate to the characters' experiences in some ways. I was really invested in the characters, but some parts of the story felt underdeveloped or rushed, and by the end that took me out of the story somewhat. The tone shift from the first to the second part was so quick and so extreme that it's hard to think of them a one cohesive narrative, even though I was right there with the ups and downs pretty much the whole time. Part of the book was quite difficult to read ( warning: dark themes. Ex. caring for a sick person, caregiver burnout, depression, referenced suicidal ideation ) and while I enjoyed the story as a whole, I still would have liked to get a closer look at the characters and I wish things had ended differently - still happily, but in a different way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, and Cursing
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Cancer, and Infertility
Minor: Suicidal thoughts