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readyforit's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
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
4.25
4.25⭐️2🌶️ (not many scenes but they are pretty descriptive)
Overall, I liked this book a lot. It gives you the nostalgia of Gilmore girls-esque small-town kooky characters, plus a grumpy MMC and sunshiney FMC. You’ll become nostalgic for a place you’ve never been. This book is a combination of small-town romance, soapy drama, and thriller. It does read like a fanfic though, especially in the beginning. You’ll fall in love with nearly every character, no matter how small their part. This book really shines in the “quiet” moments if you will, in between the drama and the big twists. I was about 200 pages into this book when I said out loud to myself, why did I wait so long to read this? I borrowed it from KU months ago! You get so many lines similar to “get in the damn truck Naomi.” Knox would literally break every law (and some bones) to protect his girls. Naomi is a breath of fresh air and optimism. Waylay has dealt with more trauma than any 11yo should and she’s still just a funny, sassy kid. I love them all.
HOWEVER, all of this bliss was pretty much ruined but the dreadedthird act breakup trope. Sue me but I don’t want to spend 20% of the book in misery after falling in love with this place and these people. Knox and isn’t your typical commitment-phobe though. He saved Naomi and waylay, found them a place to live, gave her a job, bought her a phone, took them back to school shopping, started a sexual relationship with her, treated her like a wife. Then when she started to show her feelings (duh who wouldn’t fall in love with that??), he ran scared. Even if you don’t have relationship trauma similar to this, it will still hurt you bc why are men the way that they are?
Another small complaint: why did the author name the kid waylay and the dog Waylon?? That’s so confusing for no reason.
I liked the book but because part of it was ruined I doubt I’d read it again. I’ll continue the series and re-evaluate.
Overall, I liked this book a lot. It gives you the nostalgia of Gilmore girls-esque small-town kooky characters, plus a grumpy MMC and sunshiney FMC. You’ll become nostalgic for a place you’ve never been. This book is a combination of small-town romance, soapy drama, and thriller. It does read like a fanfic though, especially in the beginning. You’ll fall in love with nearly every character, no matter how small their part. This book really shines in the “quiet” moments if you will, in between the drama and the big twists. I was about 200 pages into this book when I said out loud to myself, why did I wait so long to read this? I borrowed it from KU months ago! You get so many lines similar to “get in the damn truck Naomi.” Knox would literally break every law (and some bones) to protect his girls. Naomi is a breath of fresh air and optimism. Waylay has dealt with more trauma than any 11yo should and she’s still just a funny, sassy kid. I love them all.
HOWEVER, all of this bliss was pretty much ruined but the dreaded
Another small complaint: why did the author name the kid waylay and the dog Waylon?? That’s so confusing for no reason.
I liked the book but because part of it was ruined I doubt I’d read it again. I’ll continue the series and re-evaluate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Gun violence
thebookaddict's review
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
4.5
🇳🇱: toen ik aan dit boek begon, had ik er eigenlijk niet zoveel zin in, omdat hij zo dik is. Toen ik eenmaal begonnen was had ik hier totaal geen last van. Het begin verliep in mijn mening wat langdradig en het duurde even voordat ik erin zat, maar toen ik erin zat was het goed. Knox is echt een kan van mijn hart en bevat alles wat ik in een grumpy man zoek. Ook Naomi was geweldig, zij was de typisch sunshine die elke grumpy VS sunshine trope nodig heeft. Hun romance paste ook echt goed bij het verhaal. Het was een slowburn romance, maar dat vond ik juist heel goed bij dit boek passen. Het boek zit buiten spice en romance ook boordevol actie en avontuur, dit zorgde ervoor dat mijn aandacht steeds opnieuw getrokken werd. Al met al een top boek en echt een aanrader (al had hij van mij iets korter gemogen en dan vooral het begin).
🇬🇧: When I started this book, I wasn't really looking forward to it because it's so thick. Once I started, I didn't have any problems with this at all. The beginning was a bit long-winded in my opinion and it took a while to get into it, but once I got into it it was good. Knox is truly my heart and has everything I look for in a grumpy man. Naomi was also great, she was the quintessential sunshine that every grumpy VS sunshine trope needs. Their romance really fit the story well too. It was a slow-burn romance, but I thought that suited this book very well. In addition to spice and romance, the book is also packed with action and adventure, which attracted my attention again and again. All in all, a great book and highly recommended (although I would have liked it to be a little shorter, especially the beginning).
🇬🇧: When I started this book, I wasn't really looking forward to it because it's so thick. Once I started, I didn't have any problems with this at all. The beginning was a bit long-winded in my opinion and it took a while to get into it, but once I got into it it was good. Knox is truly my heart and has everything I look for in a grumpy man. Naomi was also great, she was the quintessential sunshine that every grumpy VS sunshine trope needs. Their romance really fit the story well too. It was a slow-burn romance, but I thought that suited this book very well. In addition to spice and romance, the book is also packed with action and adventure, which attracted my attention again and again. All in all, a great book and highly recommended (although I would have liked it to be a little shorter, especially the beginning).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gun violence, Alcohol, Death of parent, Medical content, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Abandonment, Violence, Death, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Car accident
katelynndzindzio's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Naomi is the good twin. She had her life figured out, 5 year plan, fiance, and wicked twin sister. Tina is the polar opposite of Naomi. Naomi runs away from her wedding to save Tina. Only to have Tina's daughter Waylay thrown at her.
Knox the towns most eligible bachelor swoops in and saves the day but not until after he's made and ass of himself mistaking Naomi for her evil twin who has tormented the town. Knockemout- small town. Everyone knows everything. Gossip travels fast.
Knox and Naomi end up intertwined in each others lives. Maybe it's for the best for the both of them. Neither have had success in opening up truly to those they love. Maybe they can for each other.
Knox the towns most eligible bachelor swoops in and saves the day but not until after he's made and ass of himself mistaking Naomi for her evil twin who has tormented the town. Knockemout- small town. Everyone knows everything. Gossip travels fast.
Knox and Naomi end up intertwined in each others lives. Maybe it's for the best for the both of them. Neither have had success in opening up truly to those they love. Maybe they can for each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
_rubydodge's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Cursing, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, and Gun violence
Minor: Addiction and Blood
innervate's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Gun violence and Blood
pippamillerxoxo_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual content, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
leah08855's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Abandonment, Violence, Sexual content, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Blood
isabelleroyall's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Abandonment, Cursing, Drug abuse, Bullying, Body shaming, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, and Blood
lizzie_b99's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
3.75
There some really good laugh-out-loud moments in this novel. I loved Stef and Sloane and their relationship with Naomi. I really enjoyed the development of Waylay/Naomi/Knox's relationships and how they gradually become a family.
I think there was a lack of character description for Knox. It's pretty clear what Knox loves about Naomi, but I found the reverse rather lacking. A lot of the focus was on what Knox does for Naomi and how he takes care of her, which is great, but I'm a little concerned that their relationship is based too much on what he can offer her. Given her relationship with her ex, it makes sense that having a partner who is giving and doesn't just take is important, but I would've liked more information on what Naomi likes about Knox as a person, not just what he can offer her (if that makes sense). I just would've liked his character to be a bit more developed beyond how he feels about Naomi and relationships in general.
I also wish that there was more information about Naomi's sister, Tina. The book basically labels her "a bad seed" who hasn't experienced any trauma but goes around destroying everything because it's "fun." I don't think I buy that. Maybe I'm just naive, but I don't think people like Tina just appear out of nowhere. I also would've liked more of an explanation of what exactly Tina had done to get such a bad rap in Knockemout. Why does Knox have such an extreme, negative reaction when he first meets Naomi and believes her to be Tina? what did Tina do to be refused service at the coffee shop? Most of her misdemeanours aren't really explained in as much length as I'd like - especially for such a long novel. I would've liked her to get a redemption arc, but she basically gets represented as a rebellious teen who never grew up.
There were a few sections that I think were unclear and required more editing. Given all the hype on Bookstagram, I'd hoped that I'd like this more, but it was still pretty decent. I had some issues with it (there are a lot of my spicy scene ick words), but it's still a cute novel.
I think there was a lack of character description for Knox. It's pretty clear what Knox loves about Naomi, but I found the reverse rather lacking.
There were a few sections that I think were unclear and required more editing. Given all the hype on Bookstagram, I'd hoped that I'd like this more, but it was still pretty decent. I had some issues with it (there are a lot of my spicy scene ick words), but it's still a cute novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Child abuse
Minor: Body shaming, Alcoholism, Infertility, Death of parent, Addiction, and Car accident
neliadiedenise's review
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Abandonment, Cursing, Child abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, and Kidnapping
Minor: Infertility