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therealjessicaaustin_2002's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Violence, Homophobia, Child death, and Mental illness
jdasilva's review
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
medium-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
Sweet, funny, heavy, emotional roller coaster from start to finish. Could have been a tiny bit shorter as it started to get repetitive, but I didn’t mind some extra banter and character building. I miss them already!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Drug use, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Grief, Vomit, Homophobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
taylorwolff4p's review
emotional
tense
medium-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
5.0
If you feel like having your heart ripped out of your chest-read this book. If you feel like having your heart healed-read this book. If you need a good laugh-this book. (Some parts!) if you need a cry-this is the book.
All I have to say is, THANK YOU for writing this, and giving the world Jake and Felix. <3
All I have to say is, THANK YOU for writing this, and giving the world Jake and Felix. <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
tiffreads82's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved this book. An emotional book dealing with dark themes and has spicy scenes addiction. I think it wrote about addiction and a very gritty and realistic way and yet had great humor even if some was dark I found myself laughing out loud a lot in this book despite it being emotional and heavy. As someone who deals with tragedy and difficult situations with humor and dark humor I truly appreciate it this book and it will be my top books of the year
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Moderate: Child death, Cancer, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Blood and Grief
melist6's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Drug use, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Medical content, Violence, Death of parent, Vomit, and Homophobia
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Cancer
xeleanorx's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, and Addiction
maria_cholakova's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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
3.75
My feelings for this book are quite complicated.
Things i liked:
- Jake and Felix’s relationship
- their love
- the cute text messages
- cj and jake’s relationship (flawed, but good)
Things I didnt like:
- at first it felt VERY insta lovely
- Jake definitely had anger issues which threw me off a lot
- a lot of unnecessary cursing (im not against cursing, but when it happens every 2 seconds, it felt like too much)
- sometimes the guys felt like 17 year olds
- the whole military plotline was so unnecessary
- the cheating trope was soo unnecessary, considering we didnt get any backstory or development there
- that one super racist and homophobic character was so unnecessary
- some side characters were just so useless in the story, they added nothing and we learned nothing about there
I love that this book discusses drug addiction and trauma, but I wish it was a bit more in depth
Things i liked:
- Jake and Felix’s relationship
- their love
- the cute text messages
- cj and jake’s relationship (flawed, but good)
Things I didnt like:
- at first it felt VERY insta lovely
- Jake definitely had anger issues which threw me off a lot
- a lot of unnecessary cursing (im not against cursing, but when it happens every 2 seconds, it felt like too much)
- sometimes the guys felt like 17 year olds
- the whole military plotline was so unnecessary
- the cheating trope was soo unnecessary, considering we didnt get any backstory or development there
- that one super racist and homophobic character was so unnecessary
- some side characters were just so useless in the story, they added nothing and we learned nothing about there
I love that this book discusses drug addiction and trauma, but I wish it was a bit more in depth
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Racism, Vomit, Homophobia, and Racial slurs
tris24's review
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Drug abuse
ellenkennedy's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book gave me a lot of feelings. Unfortunately, those feelings were mostly anger and annoyance.
Honestly, I hated this entire experience. It's not often that I read books about such important topics depicted in such a shallow, immature way. It was supposed to be about struggle, but I don't think anyone struggled with anything really, they just followed their impulses and hoped for the best. Jake is 28, Felix is 23, and somehow neither of them acts over 17. CJ and Riley are the only likable people in this book, and only CJ wasn't made out of cardboard (Riley was just a background "nice person" which is something I really like for her, but don't care for in general). I didn't like how it talked about addiction, about the military, about recovery... If you want a silly romcom with darker themes, go for it. Otherwise, I'd look for a book that doesn't offensively simplify difficult topics.
A more specific beef that I have with this book is under spoiler.
- Why doesn't Jake have a single thought about his time in the military throughout this entire book? He was a marine, three times deployed! (And to Afghanistan, no less!) Other than his annoyance about the dishonourable discharge and the fact that he cannot call himself a veteran, there is absolutely no mention of his experiences or how they affected his addiction. He had more opinions about the flavoured lube than his past in the military!
- Both Felix and Jake have no impulse control, they just act on their whims. Why was Felix flirting with Jake from the beginning? Even though Jake made sure to conceal his sexuality, so it kind of bordered on unwanted advances. They go from "we can't do this" to being officially boyfriends in the span of THREE days! There's not even a lot of pining involved because everything happens so fast. They say that their recovery is the most important thing to them, but neither of them acts this way at any point in this book (maybe Jake did the first few days when he said that he was straight, but that's it).
- Both of them are rather selfish and self-centered. I was on the fence about disliking this about them given their previous experiences and the lives they had, but you cannot excuse every action with a "hard life". Every thought Jake had about CJ's worries annoyed the heck out of me, and even though what CJ said after Riley's miscarriage was harsh and unfair, it was also realistic. I'd snap too, Jake was insufferable. And Felix's POV was a hellscape for me too, because there was very little of a "support system" and a helluva "but does he really really REALLY like me?!" ALL. THE. TIME. I get that he's insecure, I really do, but that's all he thinks about.
- Miguel and Hector were literal cardboard characters. If I had to describe them using two words, it would be "YAAAS KWEEN".
- Why on earth was Jake's layoff even a plot point? Why would Reed lay him off at that exact moment? Other than to lead to the finale. Reed was Riley's brother, not some random character, so he had the insight into what was happening with Jake and CJ. Did he just wake up that morning and think: "I honestly just want to ruin someone's life today"? Because there is no other explanation as to why he chose that exact day to fire Jake.
All the conversations and thoughts were rather infantile and there was quite a bunch of unsafe sex happening (though it was addressed later). I don't feel like either Jake or Felix evolved as characters or made any significant choices. In the end they seemed to be perfect for each other but I get the impression that it was rather the author forcing them than them actively making choices to earn their happy ending.
What I did like?
- I loved CJ as a character, he was flawed, but he cared so much and did so much for Jake! His breakdown was sad and realistic, that was the only moment when my heart broke and I wept for the characters. CJ was always there for Jake and hadn't ever expected anything in return other than Jake's wellbeing, so the only time he felt like Jake chose Felix over his family, he snapped. He said a lot of hurtful things that led to Jake overdosing, but I truly understand his state of mind and feel for both of them. Was it fair? No. But that's what makes his character as humane as possible. He was terrified and exhausted and I get that. Jake's relationship with CJ was honestly superior.
Anyway, if I could get back in time and DNF, I'd do it.
Honestly, I hated this entire experience. It's not often that I read books about such important topics depicted in such a shallow, immature way. It was supposed to be about struggle, but I don't think anyone struggled with anything really, they just followed their impulses and hoped for the best. Jake is 28, Felix is 23, and somehow neither of them acts over 17. CJ and Riley are the only likable people in this book, and only CJ wasn't made out of cardboard (Riley was just a background "nice person" which is something I really like for her, but don't care for in general). I didn't like how it talked about addiction, about the military, about recovery... If you want a silly romcom with darker themes, go for it. Otherwise, I'd look for a book that doesn't offensively simplify difficult topics.
A more specific beef that I have with this book is under spoiler.
- Both Felix and Jake have no impulse control, they just act on their whims. Why was Felix flirting with Jake from the beginning? Even though Jake made sure to conceal his sexuality, so it kind of bordered on unwanted advances. They go from "we can't do this" to being officially boyfriends in the span of THREE days! There's not even a lot of pining involved because everything happens so fast. They say that their recovery is the most important thing to them, but neither of them acts this way at any point in this book (maybe Jake did the first few days when he said that he was straight, but that's it).
- Both of them are rather selfish and self-centered. I was on the fence about disliking this about them given their previous experiences and the lives they had, but you cannot excuse every action with a "hard life". Every thought Jake had about CJ's worries annoyed the heck out of me, and even though what CJ said after Riley's miscarriage was harsh and unfair, it was also realistic. I'd snap too, Jake was insufferable. And Felix's POV was a hellscape for me too, because there was very little of a "support system" and a helluva "but does he really really REALLY like me?!" ALL. THE. TIME. I get that he's insecure, I really do, but that's all he thinks about.
- Miguel and Hector were literal cardboard characters. If I had to describe them using two words, it would be "YAAAS KWEEN".
- Why on earth was Jake's layoff even a plot point? Why would Reed lay him off at that exact moment? Other than to lead to the finale. Reed was Riley's brother, not some random character, so he had the insight into what was happening with Jake and CJ. Did he just wake up that morning and think: "I honestly just want to ruin someone's life today"? Because there is no other explanation as to why he chose that exact day to fire Jake.
All the conversations and thoughts were rather infantile and there was quite a bunch of unsafe sex happening (though it was addressed later). I don't feel like either Jake or Felix evolved as characters or made any significant choices. In the end they seemed to be perfect for each other but I get the impression that it was rather the author forcing them than them actively making choices to earn their happy ending.
What I did like?
Anyway, if I could get back in time and DNF, I'd do it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Addiction, and Drug use
Moderate: Violence, Infidelity, Excrement, and Abandonment
jxzmine's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
5⭐️| Oh my god!!!!! This is one of those books that will stay with me long after it’s finished. It was hilarious & heartbreaking. Felix & Jake 4ever <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, and Drug abuse