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romantasylife's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like I'm doing such a good job at being a Christa Desir fan. I've read all of her books now besides one. Every single thing she writes is so good. She;s definitely an insta-buy author!
Love Blind is her least heavy book. It's not her normal. Which is good. It's always good to be different. I also think it has to do with she wasn't the only author of this book. I've never read anything by Jolene Perry before but if her books are similar to Desir's, you can count me in!
This book has two point of views. Hailey and Kyle. I really enjoyed getting to see both of their perspectives. I feel like it made the book more emotional getting to see things from both sides. I just really want to know if the authors each had their own character? I really couldn't tell which author wrote what in this book. But that could also be because I've never read a book by Perry before.
This book did have a little bit of a heavy topic in it. For this, I will put a trigger warning for rape and bullying. It's not something that is discussed thoroughly through this book but it is discussed.
I really like Hailey's character. She's so out there and the complete opposite of Kyle. I was rooting for them the entire book. Every time Hailey was with someone else, I was angry with her. BE WITH KYLE DANG IT! I've never read a book with the main character going blind before. I felt appreciative of my eyesight because of this book and what Hailey has to go through.
As for Kyle, I really felt for his character. It was beautiful to watch him grow. He became a person with a voice. I love that Hailey helped him in ways even his own mother couldn't help him with. Their relationship was amazing as friends. I just wish I got to read more of them becoming something more.
Pavel. Kyle's best friend. His parts made me laugh. Ugly laugh. He's a trip. I love that he can be so open and seemingly happy after everything he's been through. I wish that Kyle was a better friend to him through the entire book. He needed to see him more. It would have been nice to hear more Cosmo talk from him.
I really enjoyed this book. I wish I would have read it in one sitting like I do all of Desir's books. Life has just been so busy and I couldn't. I would have loved to be able to soak everything in all at once.
4/5 Stars. As always. Desir will most likely always get high ratings from me.
P.S. It would have been a five star rating if I got more love story from Hailey and Kyle.
Love Blind is her least heavy book. It's not her normal. Which is good. It's always good to be different. I also think it has to do with she wasn't the only author of this book. I've never read anything by Jolene Perry before but if her books are similar to Desir's, you can count me in!
This book has two point of views. Hailey and Kyle. I really enjoyed getting to see both of their perspectives. I feel like it made the book more emotional getting to see things from both sides. I just really want to know if the authors each had their own character? I really couldn't tell which author wrote what in this book. But that could also be because I've never read a book by Perry before.
This book did have a little bit of a heavy topic in it. For this, I will put a trigger warning for rape and bullying. It's not something that is discussed thoroughly through this book but it is discussed.
I really like Hailey's character. She's so out there and the complete opposite of Kyle. I was rooting for them the entire book. Every time Hailey was with someone else, I was angry with her. BE WITH KYLE DANG IT! I've never read a book with the main character going blind before. I felt appreciative of my eyesight because of this book and what Hailey has to go through.
As for Kyle, I really felt for his character. It was beautiful to watch him grow. He became a person with a voice. I love that Hailey helped him in ways even his own mother couldn't help him with. Their relationship was amazing as friends. I just wish I got to read more of them becoming something more.
Pavel. Kyle's best friend. His parts made me laugh. Ugly laugh. He's a trip. I love that he can be so open and seemingly happy after everything he's been through. I wish that Kyle was a better friend to him through the entire book. He needed to see him more. It would have been nice to hear more Cosmo talk from him.
I really enjoyed this book. I wish I would have read it in one sitting like I do all of Desir's books. Life has just been so busy and I couldn't. I would have loved to be able to soak everything in all at once.
4/5 Stars. As always. Desir will most likely always get high ratings from me.
P.S. It would have been a five star rating if I got more love story from Hailey and Kyle.
drlisak's review against another edition
4.0
Well written. Interesting. I was very involved with the characters. But, some things frustrated me, like the constant thinking about sex (I know teenagers think about it, but not all the time). I didn't feel like the incident with the Russian friend was truly resolved, and it was hinted at for way too long. (His character seemed unrealistic to me). Overall, though, a great YA read.
elyse_ds's review against another edition
2.0
This book was nice. It showed how characters can be there for one another, but as much as I wanted to like Hailey I just couldn't. Obviously part of this was because of how she wanted to get certain parts of her life over with, but also because I didn't exactly agree with how she and Kyle interacted. Of course, the reader knew Kylie's situation and Hailey did not so it is understandable that she doesn't know that it probably wasn't a good idea to just show up to Kyle's house when his mom wasn't home, but it rubbed with me the wrong way. I know that Hailey has super cool parents, but she is 16, she has to know by now that not everyone's home situation is ideal. On that note, the inappropriate comments she made to her mothers also caught me by surprise and I personally did not appreciate it. Despite my minor opposition , this book has a really nice and empowering story, and I did like it.
hijinx_abound's review against another edition
5.0
This book was such a breath of fresh air. I read a lot of YA and often contemporary frustrates me. There is usually a boy and a girl and they meet and then something dramatic goes down and there is fall out and then they have to fix it somehow and then everybody is happy. Sometimes it's well done and I enjoy it but more often than not, it's okay and I promptly forget what the story was about.
This book takes a couple of kids who have some things going on before they meet. One is intrigued and determined to befriend the other. Yes one is a boy and one is a girl but there was substance to them before their story began. It captured all of the awkwardness of being a teenager and all the things that can make you feel different and scared. It looked at family dynamics and how they impact who you are at school. There were some really tragic things that occurred but the story was more about missed opportunities. You know all those moments that you look back on and realize "if only I'd", it could have changed everything.
I loved the main characters in the story. A couple of the side characters seemed a bit irrelevant but don't all of us have those people from our teen years that seem so important until they're not.
No instalove, no way to fix everything, just teens trying to deal with difficult circumstances and growing up.
This book takes a couple of kids who have some things going on before they meet. One is intrigued and determined to befriend the other. Yes one is a boy and one is a girl but there was substance to them before their story began. It captured all of the awkwardness of being a teenager and all the things that can make you feel different and scared. It looked at family dynamics and how they impact who you are at school. There were some really tragic things that occurred but the story was more about missed opportunities. You know all those moments that you look back on and realize "if only I'd", it could have changed everything.
I loved the main characters in the story. A couple of the side characters seemed a bit irrelevant but don't all of us have those people from our teen years that seem so important until they're not.
No instalove, no way to fix everything, just teens trying to deal with difficult circumstances and growing up.
raeanne's review
5.0
Read for free during Riveted Lit’s fundraiser campaign for It Gets Better.
Content Warning: Rape, Malfunctioning Parenting, Bullying
It’s hard reading the top reviews for this book since my reactions are so wildly different. #OddOneOut
Love Blind is a meaningful, funny, realistic, sarcastic, tale of two teens struggling with mental and physical issues while navigating the trials of high school. And this isn’t some Mean Girl drama. This is rape, a degenerative disease, bi-polar mood swings, anxiety, and fear. Fear. It’s causes and consequences are the underlying theme and conquering it is the message. You can seize the day, but recklessness creates problems as does doing nothing. The reasonable middle is a slippery, wavy mirage like heat off the pavement, but even landing on the other side, you’ll be okay. You can make it.
+LOVE Hailey
+Love Kyle
+LOVE Hailey & Kyle
+Love Hailey’s moms
+Slow Burn Romance: They’re friends for YEARS first.
+I thought the time jumping was handled well and there were clear reasons for it. It’s not an immediate best-friends situation, which was refreshing to read.
+Kyle is the typical dude who’s attracted to Hailey and his narration reflects that, but he berates himself about it. It’s not a bragger jock type situation. I honestly didn’t think it was overabundant or pervy. Especially since Hailey often did things on purpose to fluster him and flush him out. I’m a sucker for this kind of guy and thought their interactions were so cute.
+Loved the ending. Bitter-sweet, meaningful, and perfect for these two.
+Kyle’s mom is bipolar and still experimenting to find the right medication treatment. The effects are devastating. They have other issues that plays a huge role as well. I feel so bad for Kyle and her and their situation. It really hits home how things can go wrong, out of your control, and spiral. The depiction is subtle and nuanced. She’s not a villain, but a person trying to do her best but being held back and fucking up.
+Appreciate the disability, anxiety, rape, and mentally ill parent representation. Nothing seemed out of place or wrong to me, though I only have experience with the latter 3, not the former. Parents, if you have any doubts of the effects of certain actions on your teens, Love Blind is a great way to illustrate and make it hit home.
+There is a lot of “I’m not good enough for him/her” and trying to “earn” them, causing much grief and misunderstandings. I don’t like waving it off as just teenage bemoaning over nothing. Given how our society treats relationships and class it’s no surprise they have this kind of thinking. Is is pleasant to read? No. But it’s real. The idea must be combatted and that’s what Love Blind does.
==Pavel the Russian best friend. I like how it shows that inside jokes with the person about themselves is fine, but the way the described and talked about him rubbed me wrong. They weren’t being mean to him and Pavel jokes about it himself. I dunno maybe this is one of those things that makes you uncomfortable as an outsider but the person is fine with it. Pavel reminds me of Paul Finch from American Pie but Finch was mercilessly bullied, while Pavel isn’t.
He’s more than just comic relief though. His relationship and history with Kyle is an important part of the story. But did they make him Russian just for the ‘funny’ accent and cultural misunderstandings when communicating? See, I like Pavel and his role, but the execution and portrayal? I just don’t know. It doesn’t feel quite right. It could be nothing and I could be overanalyzing so you’ll have to decide for yourself on this one.
--Bi-erasure. Hailey does experiment and admits to not knowing for sure since she’s never been in a f/f relationship before. I really liked how this was handled except for one thing. It’s laid out as gay or straight. It’s never acknowledged or mention that hey, maybe she’s bi? Experimenting and finding out you’re straight is FINE. But if that’s the case, don’t list it as QUILTBAG and DON’T include it for a It Gets Better Campaign. Love Blind is a straight book. Experimenting and truly finding out you’re heterosexual instead of just assuming is a heterosexual experience, not a gay one.
Like I said, I liked her relationship with Girl. I think it will be useful to teens to have realistic exploration of sexuality with mature responses. However, the bi-erasure problem could’ve been solved with a sentence. Just one. Some acknowledgement it’s not an either-or simplicity. Sexuality is a wide spectrum. If she’s majorly attracted to dudes but enjoys some aspects of being with girls, why not use the Kinsey scale? Bi-sexuality isn’t a phase, but experimenting is. The fact this wasn’t clear makes it a problematic book unfortunately and shouldn’t be included or made to believe it’s anything but straight.
Love Blind should be included on lists about physical and mental issues though. It’s a great story with an usual romance that I completely fell for and would be remiss it this representation is ignore or overlooked because of fail marketing ploys.
Previous Update::: Read for free on Riveted Lit as part of their campaign:
Support the #WeAreHuman campaign and the It Gets Better Project by reading Love Blind and eight other great reads from now through November 11 as part of our Riveted Readathon!
Review to come shortly, I'm moving to the other novels while I can!
Content Warning: Rape, Malfunctioning Parenting, Bullying
It’s hard reading the top reviews for this book since my reactions are so wildly different. #OddOneOut
Love Blind is a meaningful, funny, realistic, sarcastic, tale of two teens struggling with mental and physical issues while navigating the trials of high school. And this isn’t some Mean Girl drama. This is rape, a degenerative disease, bi-polar mood swings, anxiety, and fear. Fear. It’s causes and consequences are the underlying theme and conquering it is the message. You can seize the day, but recklessness creates problems as does doing nothing. The reasonable middle is a slippery, wavy mirage like heat off the pavement, but even landing on the other side, you’ll be okay. You can make it.
+LOVE Hailey
+Love Kyle
+LOVE Hailey & Kyle
+Love Hailey’s moms
+Slow Burn Romance: They’re friends for YEARS first.
+I thought the time jumping was handled well and there were clear reasons for it. It’s not an immediate best-friends situation, which was refreshing to read.
+Kyle is the typical dude who’s attracted to Hailey and his narration reflects that, but he berates himself about it. It’s not a bragger jock type situation. I honestly didn’t think it was overabundant or pervy. Especially since Hailey often did things on purpose to fluster him and flush him out. I’m a sucker for this kind of guy and thought their interactions were so cute.
+Loved the ending. Bitter-sweet, meaningful, and perfect for these two.
+Kyle’s mom is bipolar and still experimenting to find the right medication treatment. The effects are devastating. They have other issues that plays a huge role as well. I feel so bad for Kyle and her and their situation. It really hits home how things can go wrong, out of your control, and spiral. The depiction is subtle and nuanced. She’s not a villain, but a person trying to do her best but being held back and fucking up.
+Appreciate the disability, anxiety, rape, and mentally ill parent representation. Nothing seemed out of place or wrong to me, though I only have experience with the latter 3, not the former. Parents, if you have any doubts of the effects of certain actions on your teens, Love Blind is a great way to illustrate and make it hit home.
+There is a lot of “I’m not good enough for him/her” and trying to “earn” them, causing much grief and misunderstandings. I don’t like waving it off as just teenage bemoaning over nothing. Given how our society treats relationships and class it’s no surprise they have this kind of thinking. Is is pleasant to read? No. But it’s real. The idea must be combatted and that’s what Love Blind does.
==Pavel the Russian best friend. I like how it shows that inside jokes with the person about themselves is fine, but the way the described and talked about him rubbed me wrong. They weren’t being mean to him and Pavel jokes about it himself. I dunno maybe this is one of those things that makes you uncomfortable as an outsider but the person is fine with it. Pavel reminds me of Paul Finch from American Pie but Finch was mercilessly bullied, while Pavel isn’t.
He’s more than just comic relief though. His relationship and history with Kyle is an important part of the story. But did they make him Russian just for the ‘funny’ accent and cultural misunderstandings when communicating? See, I like Pavel and his role, but the execution and portrayal? I just don’t know. It doesn’t feel quite right. It could be nothing and I could be overanalyzing so you’ll have to decide for yourself on this one.
--Bi-erasure. Hailey does experiment and admits to not knowing for sure since she’s never been in a f/f relationship before. I really liked how this was handled except for one thing. It’s laid out as gay or straight. It’s never acknowledged or mention that hey, maybe she’s bi? Experimenting and finding out you’re straight is FINE. But if that’s the case, don’t list it as QUILTBAG and DON’T include it for a It Gets Better Campaign. Love Blind is a straight book. Experimenting and truly finding out you’re heterosexual instead of just assuming is a heterosexual experience, not a gay one.
Like I said, I liked her relationship with Girl. I think it will be useful to teens to have realistic exploration of sexuality with mature responses. However, the bi-erasure problem could’ve been solved with a sentence. Just one. Some acknowledgement it’s not an either-or simplicity. Sexuality is a wide spectrum. If she’s majorly attracted to dudes but enjoys some aspects of being with girls, why not use the Kinsey scale? Bi-sexuality isn’t a phase, but experimenting is. The fact this wasn’t clear makes it a problematic book unfortunately and shouldn’t be included or made to believe it’s anything but straight.
Love Blind should be included on lists about physical and mental issues though. It’s a great story with an usual romance that I completely fell for and would be remiss it this representation is ignore or overlooked because of fail marketing ploys.
Previous Update::: Read for free on Riveted Lit as part of their campaign:
Support the #WeAreHuman campaign and the It Gets Better Project by reading Love Blind and eight other great reads from now through November 11 as part of our Riveted Readathon!
Review to come shortly, I'm moving to the other novels while I can!
brittmohler's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
5.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 5
Character: 5 (Pavel is my favorite)
Believability: 4
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 4.5
Story Line: 5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Overall: 4.83
Character: 5 (Pavel is my favorite)
Believability: 4
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 4.5
Story Line: 5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Overall: 4.83
hijinx_abound's review
5.0
This book was such a breath of fresh air. I read a lot of YA and often contemporary frustrates me. There is usually a boy and a girl and they meet and then something dramatic goes down and there is fall out and then they have to fix it somehow and then everybody is happy. Sometimes it's well done and I enjoy it but more often than not, it's okay and I promptly forget what the story was about.
This book takes a couple of kids who have some things going on before they meet. One is intrigued and determined to befriend the other. Yes one is a boy and one is a girl but there was substance to them before their story began. It captured all of the awkwardness of being a teenager and all the things that can make you feel different and scared. It looked at family dynamics and how they impact who you are at school. There were some really tragic things that occurred but the story was more about missed opportunities. You know all those moments that you look back on and realize "if only I'd", it could have changed everything.
I loved the main characters in the story. A couple of the side characters seemed a bit irrelevant but don't all of us have those people from our teen years that seem so important until they're not.
No instalove, no way to fix everything, just teens trying to deal with difficult circumstances and growing up.
This book takes a couple of kids who have some things going on before they meet. One is intrigued and determined to befriend the other. Yes one is a boy and one is a girl but there was substance to them before their story began. It captured all of the awkwardness of being a teenager and all the things that can make you feel different and scared. It looked at family dynamics and how they impact who you are at school. There were some really tragic things that occurred but the story was more about missed opportunities. You know all those moments that you look back on and realize "if only I'd", it could have changed everything.
I loved the main characters in the story. A couple of the side characters seemed a bit irrelevant but don't all of us have those people from our teen years that seem so important until they're not.
No instalove, no way to fix everything, just teens trying to deal with difficult circumstances and growing up.
xread_write_repeatx's review
4.0
Wow, talk about wrong place at the wrong time (x10). Man, this book really took me on a rollar coaster of emotions.
herlifewithbooks's review
Another YA romance where the two interested parties spend the entire book narrowly avoiding the one conversation that would solve all of the story's tension/conflict. YA Lovers, willyoupleasejustspeaktooneanotheralready??
Also, if I could wave my magic wand and erase all bucket list type plots from future YA books, I would.
That being said... otherwise light and reasonably entertaining?
Also, if I could wave my magic wand and erase all bucket list type plots from future YA books, I would.
That being said... otherwise light and reasonably entertaining?