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sparetimereader's review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-paced
3.0
Sam and Stella are twins, and only have each other after their parents tragic unexpected death during their teenage years. Sam lives in San Francisco with a law degree (that he’s not really using) and Stella is in LA helping to run their inherited Brewery, and working full time. They are as close as can be, but Stella is always finding flaws and competing with Sam. When Sam’s one night stand begins to blossom into something more Stella is less than happy for him even though her life seems to be running smoothly. When the hurt, secrets, deception and anger begins to surface they are faced with figuring out what is real and what is pretend.
Okay, I’m going to start by saying this book has a lot of steam. More steam then I’m personally comfortable with, to the point where I was kind of skimming. I kept asking myself if the steam was adding to the story or not. Just before “Intermission” when this book turned into a total brain blow up it made sense. The twists were completely unexpected and I sped through the last half just needing to know how it ended.
I don’t want to say too much because I think it’s best to go into this one fairly blind. The story was a little slow going at first (mostly just a relationship from the guys perspective), then once you get halfway it’s totally bingeable. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Out of all the characters in this book Iliked Sam’s friends the best, and their ongoing group text, it had me laughing.
laurenreadsabook's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The twist was insane and the characters were lovable, even when they were doing really terrible things. This story was creative and the structure was unlike anything I’ve read before.
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I don’t want to give a big synopsis because I went in blind and it made it all so much better. The book is about Sam, his sister Stella, who he is constantly at odds with, and his new love interest, Harper. All three have troubled pasts and secrets that reveal themselves as you go.
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I loved that the twist was halfway through so I got to sit with it, process it and see the ramifications. The twists don’t stop coming after that and I finished it feeling very uneasy in all the right ways.
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I’m not a huge romance reader, especially of the extra spicy variety, so before the twist I didn’t really connect with the story. But if this type of story is your cup of tea I absolutely recommend this book.
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I don’t want to give a big synopsis because I went in blind and it made it all so much better. The book is about Sam, his sister Stella, who he is constantly at odds with, and his new love interest, Harper. All three have troubled pasts and secrets that reveal themselves as you go.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I loved that the twist was halfway through so I got to sit with it, process it and see the ramifications. The twists don’t stop coming after that and I finished it feeling very uneasy in all the right ways.
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I’m not a huge romance reader, especially of the extra spicy variety, so before the twist I didn’t really connect with the story. But if this type of story is your cup of tea I absolutely recommend this book.
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alexsprice's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thequirkykate's review against another edition
5.0
HOLY SHIRTBALLS!
That was my genuine reaction after reading The Acts of Life because, well, holy forking shirtballs.
YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK.
Want steam? You got it, this book has no shortage of steam (we get some
That was my genuine reaction after reading The Acts of Life because, well, holy forking shirtballs.
YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK.
Want steam? You got it, this book has no shortage of steam (we get some