Scan barcode
bookalyse's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Moderate: Abandonment and Homophobia
Minor: Car accident, Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This was a really tender romance about estranged childhood besties, Rosemary Hale & Logan Melantis, who have always been different (opposites attract), had a huge misunderstanding and bout of miscommunication in high school, and are reunited for a cross-country road trip in the loudest, most vibrant van (text on the side of the van says "Queer Cuddler") in service of their high school English teacher, Joe Delgado. They experience unplanned excursions, road bumps, and more, as they grapple with Joe's terminal illness (cancer) and their grief in saying goodbye to him.
Logan is a self-appointed "fuckboy," who recognizes that all women see in her are her long legs and huge tits (her words, not mine). She has ADHD, so when she feels, she feels incredibly deeply. So what's the healthy adult thing to do? Not feel anything or care about anything at all, of course! (read: sarcasm). Logan is so fervently committed to her lifestyle, and wears her tough exterior to self-sabotage and protect herself, as she believes people will always leave (reminiscent of: angtsy, angry Peyton from season 1 of One Tree Hill), so she leaves first!
Rosemary also has ADHD, but presents very differently from Logan, and is therefore committed to her schedules, itineraries, and struggles with deviations from agreed-upon plans. Rosemary (or "Hale" as Logan calls her) was not out to Logan yet, so Logan is wildly dismissive and erases Rosemary's sexuality in the beginning of the book. However, Rosemary eventually clarifies she is queer, and so begins the queer longing!
The overarching messages of what Joe tried to teach the women was admirable, and could probably feel universally relatable. I really do want to read more stories about folks at the end of life, because I'm fascinated by our mortality, and it's interesting to me that so many dying folks share similar sentiments of: "Don't let fear get in the way of your joy," "Follow your heart," "Be yourself," etc etc etc. Joe confronted his own past shames in leaving Remy behind, how the AIDs pandemic traumatized him, and how he wanted to spend his final days. Joe was brave in finally doing things he wanted as he made his way home to Bar Harbor, Maine. I'd love a book or movie about Joe's life. Books like these generally help me examine if I'm living a fulfilling life, and I do think we all need reminders of our mortality so we can act accordingly and bravely.
I really do wish Joe was not a Latine man whose terminal illness and death was the plot device that furthered two white women's personal development. It's hard to me to not notice that.
This was a really tender romance about estranged childhood besties, Rosemary Hale & Logan Melantis, who have always been different (opposites attract), had a huge misunderstanding and bout of miscommunication in high school, and are reunited for a cross-country road trip in the loudest, most vibrant van (text on the side of the van says "Queer Cuddler") in service of their high school English teacher, Joe Delgado. They experience unplanned excursions, road bumps, and more, as they grapple with Joe's terminal illness (cancer) and their grief in saying goodbye to him.
Logan is a self-appointed "fuckboy," who recognizes that all women see in her are her long legs and huge tits (her words, not mine). She has ADHD, so when she feels, she feels incredibly deeply. So what's the healthy adult thing to do? Not feel anything or care about anything at all, of course! (read: sarcasm). Logan is so fervently committed to her lifestyle, and wears her tough exterior to self-sabotage and protect herself, as she believes people will always leave (reminiscent of: angtsy, angry Peyton from season 1 of One Tree Hill), so she leaves first!
Rosemary also has ADHD, but presents very differently from Logan, and is therefore committed to her schedules, itineraries, and struggles with deviations from agreed-upon plans. Rosemary (or "Hale" as Logan calls her) was not out to Logan yet, so Logan is wildly dismissive and erases Rosemary's sexuality in the beginning of the book. However, Rosemary eventually clarifies she is queer, and so begins the queer longing!
The overarching messages of what Joe tried to teach the women was admirable, and could probably feel universally relatable. I really do want to read more stories about folks at the end of life, because I'm fascinated by our mortality, and it's interesting to me that so many dying folks share similar sentiments of: "Don't let fear get in the way of your joy," "Follow your heart," "Be yourself," etc etc etc. Joe confronted his own past shames in leaving Remy behind, how the AIDs pandemic traumatized him, and how he wanted to spend his final days. Joe was brave in finally doing things he wanted as he made his way home to Bar Harbor, Maine. I'd love a book or movie about Joe's life. Books like these generally help me examine if I'm living a fulfilling life, and I do think we all need reminders of our mortality so we can act accordingly and bravely.
I really do wish Joe was not a Latine man whose terminal illness and death was the plot device that furthered two white women's personal development. It's hard to me to not notice that.
steam rating: 2.5 out of 5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, Sexual content, and Cancer
Moderate: Death, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
cassielaj's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
This is simply the sweetest, most beautiful, rip your heart to shreds and stitch it back up three sizes bigger book that I’ve ever read. I laughed constantly. I held back tears a few times and then cried so hard I couldn’t see the words anymore. The way this book approaches and opens up grief, death, mental health, love, joy, life, and so much more spoke to me in such a special way. I wanted to wrap every character in the biggest hug and never let go. I don’t even know how best to say how perfect it was, but I can tell you already this is a top book of 2024. And probably of ever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Cancer, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Excrement and Homophobia
kitaface's review against another edition
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Excrement, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Medical content, Grief, and Cancer
Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Abandonment
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
Thanks to Atria Books for the free copy of this book.
- OMG, this book 😭😭❤️ I very NEARLY cried reading this book, which is high praise because books never make me cry.
- You wouldn’t think this book, which you know is going to end in a death, would be so hilarious, but it is. I loved the road trip shenanigans and the bickering and the joy and beauty found in the bleakest of times.
- Then, of course, this book is also filled with thorny questions of how to live your life and what are the most important things in that life. Just a treat, all around.
- I also loved how Logan’s ADHD and Rosemary’s anxiety are not problems to be fixed, but integral parts of who they are. (Not that I expected anything less from Cochrun!)
- OMG, this book 😭😭❤️ I very NEARLY cried reading this book, which is high praise because books never make me cry.
- You wouldn’t think this book, which you know is going to end in a death, would be so hilarious, but it is. I loved the road trip shenanigans and the bickering and the joy and beauty found in the bleakest of times.
- Then, of course, this book is also filled with thorny questions of how to live your life and what are the most important things in that life. Just a treat, all around.
- I also loved how Logan’s ADHD and Rosemary’s anxiety are not problems to be fixed, but integral parts of who they are. (Not that I expected anything less from Cochrun!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Grief, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Abandonment, Sexual content, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Addiction, and Alcohol
ohthebooksshewillread's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcoholism
readingbetweenthevines's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Cancer, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment, Terminal illness, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcoholism
sarahsbookstacks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Medical content
Moderate: Abandonment
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
This is my favourite book I’ve read so far this year.
I loved Alison Cochrun’s debut The Charm Offensive, and I read it all pretty much in one sitting, but this book…. This book was different. It was special. I think it had so many more elements of things that I love in a way that it was written more for me than TCO could ever be: cross country road trips, sapphic love, friends to enemies to tentative allies to lovers, English teachers, girls with ADHD, a big dog, and of course, ABBA. An ode to grief and a treatise on love.
Sure, it’s “a romcom about death” as Alison pitched it, but it’s hard to capture how much it is both a) a romcom, that has swoony romantic moments and laugh-out-loud funny jokes, and b) still very much entirely centred around death and loss.
I cried, I laughed, and I laugh-cried. This book was so beautiful and real and heartbreaking and joyous. A eulogy that truly was a celebration of life and all of the beauty and the pain that comes with it. Delightfully and fully queer through generations.
Although you always know what’s coming at the end, that’s not the point of the story— it’s the way that you get there that’s really important, with all the detours and roadblocks that come with. It’s about the ways in which we crack ourselves open and who we allow to see our brokenness on the way.
I can’t wait for this book to come out so that the rest of the world can read it. 🩷💜🧡
I loved Alison Cochrun’s debut The Charm Offensive, and I read it all pretty much in one sitting, but this book…. This book was different. It was special. I think it had so many more elements of things that I love in a way that it was written more for me than TCO could ever be: cross country road trips, sapphic love, friends to enemies to tentative allies to lovers, English teachers, girls with ADHD, a big dog, and of course, ABBA. An ode to grief and a treatise on love.
Sure, it’s “a romcom about death” as Alison pitched it, but it’s hard to capture how much it is both a) a romcom, that has swoony romantic moments and laugh-out-loud funny jokes, and b) still very much entirely centred around death and loss.
I cried, I laughed, and I laugh-cried. This book was so beautiful and real and heartbreaking and joyous. A eulogy that truly was a celebration of life and all of the beauty and the pain that comes with it. Delightfully and fully queer through generations.
Although you always know what’s coming at the end, that’s not the point of the story— it’s the way that you get there that’s really important, with all the detours and roadblocks that come with. It’s about the ways in which we crack ourselves open and who we allow to see our brokenness on the way.
I can’t wait for this book to come out so that the rest of the world can read it. 🩷💜🧡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Cursing, Excrement, Medical content, Cancer, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Addiction
Minor: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Outing
tylerlee_readsnow's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
- 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
5.0
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t quite have words for how much I love this book.
Logan and Rosemary were best friends in middle school. An incident the summer before high school turned them into rivals. For ten years after high school, they didn’t speak. Now, in their 30s, they agree to go on a death trip with their mentor as his dying wish. They are forced together for what is supposed to be a simple 5-day trip, and they soon realize maybe they have more to work through than the grief of losing their lifelong mentor.
This book was, in a word, incredible. I very much enjoyed ‘The Charm Offensive’ so when this book came up I knew I wanted to read it. I was absolutely blown away by the weaving of this story. I laughed and cried the whole way through. Cochrun made me feel so connected to these characters so that every part of them felt embedded in my heart.
The mental health and grief representation in this book was done so well. The way it was weaved together was perfect. How different people process their grief and how their mental illness can affect that process is something that is so important to talk about and Cochrun did a phenomenal job.
Tropes:
Childhood friends to lovers
Second chance
Opposites attract
Found family
Forced proximity
Content/Trigger warnings:
Death of a parent (off-page)
Death of an important figure
Cancer
Addiction
Abandonment.
I don’t quite have words for how much I love this book.
Logan and Rosemary were best friends in middle school. An incident the summer before high school turned them into rivals. For ten years after high school, they didn’t speak. Now, in their 30s, they agree to go on a death trip with their mentor as his dying wish. They are forced together for what is supposed to be a simple 5-day trip, and they soon realize maybe they have more to work through than the grief of losing their lifelong mentor.
This book was, in a word, incredible. I very much enjoyed ‘The Charm Offensive’ so when this book came up I knew I wanted to read it. I was absolutely blown away by the weaving of this story. I laughed and cried the whole way through. Cochrun made me feel so connected to these characters so that every part of them felt embedded in my heart.
The mental health and grief representation in this book was done so well. The way it was weaved together was perfect. How different people process their grief and how their mental illness can affect that process is something that is so important to talk about and Cochrun did a phenomenal job.
Tropes:
Childhood friends to lovers
Second chance
Opposites attract
Found family
Forced proximity
Content/Trigger warnings:
Death of a parent (off-page)
Death of an important figure
Cancer
Addiction
Abandonment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Cancer, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Addiction and Abandonment