Scan barcode
fleur____'s review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Biphobia, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Gaslighting and Violence
anavidreader_18's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
This book has single handedly raised my expectations for all future romances. The characters felt so real and beautifully constructed. They had a good amount of flaws which not only made sense for them but also made them redeemable and loveable. The romance felt honest and realistic with healthy communication and understanding throughout. At no point did I get angry at them for not communicating well or at all because when they did miscommunicate it made sense on their characters, and they did find a way to resolve it well.
My only complains would be the sort of 'argument/breakup' they had at the end. It felt very out of nowhere and didn't make a whole lot of sense. There where parts that I understood, but all in all it just felt unnecessary and only there for drama.
I also went into this book as not realising it had spice content, which in all honesty is completely fine and handled well, it is just not something I am comfortable reading. So if the author ever decides to write a YA or closed door/clean romance best bet I'll be picking it up.
All in all, not something I'll be reading more of but I don't regret reading this book one bit.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol and Homophobia
kathrynok's review
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Biphobia
nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Bullying, Classism, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Body shaming
theespressoedition's review against another edition
3.0
I really appreciated the mental health rep in this, probably more than anything else (since it's what I connect with). It also did a really good job explaining what emotional abuse looks like (also something I've experienced). I can't say I loved the actual romance aspect, and the third-act breakup was super frustrating. But it was a good read overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia
rachaelm13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
We LOVE autistic women being loved on!!!
If you loved The Kiss Quotient you will probably love this book!
Love the neurodivergent/autism and social anxiety/anxiety representation in this book and so excited for the next books!
Rarely do I love both main characters but this book I was rooting for both, individually and as a pair. We got to see and experience their individual lives, work, and families which I loved, it wasn’t just about the love story.
But speaking of the love story, holy crap, the chemistry and emotional and physical connection of these characters is 10/10. Communication? Yes. Listening to boundaries? Yes. Liking the other person for who they are unconditionally? Yes. WE LOVE HEALTHY LOVE!
Also that first closet scene? Lives in my mind rent free "what do you need me to do, would this help?" in a puddle on the floor goodbye
I feel like the mentions of struggles that Bea has related to being autistic and that Jaime had related to his anxiety were short and sweet, explaining to the reader why they are the way they are, maybe a little abrupt in certain spots but also I feel like it was done in a really good, easy to digest way for people with no experience with neurodivergence and what that's like.
Really like how Bea wasn’t a character who ignored or "its fine" to her boundaries being crossed by her meddling family. I feel like a lot of books shit happens to the main character (usually the female main character) and she brushes it off whether it was a boundary being crossed or straight up harassment. I do feel like the revenge to get back at them didn’t make total sense, but I guess it would have disappointed them but the whole "that'll show them!" should have been "I’m going to tell them what they did wasn’t okay." But I understand the revenge concept was a plot device.
Maybe it's because I’ve never been in that type of situation but I didn’t understand the reasoning for the 3rd act, I feel like Bea should have talked to Jules and asked her instead of assuming that Jaime would be triggering to be around. I also can’t say how victims should react but I feel like if I were Jules I would want Bea to be happy, like your happiness shouldn’t be affected for my comfort. Or I would at least like to be asked, I don’t enjoy people making assumptions about me, if I was uncomfortable I would voice it. But maybe Jules wouldn’t voice it and Bea knew that.
I actually really enjoyed the simple, not overly descriptive writing in this book, particularly regarding the scene, I feel like most know what a generic town or bakery or big house etc looks like and can just imagine their own version of that, this left more writing to actual dialogue and feelings and plot.
Overall I’m so excited for more of this series and characters!
If you loved The Kiss Quotient you will probably love this book!
Love the neurodivergent/autism and social anxiety/anxiety representation in this book and so excited for the next books!
Rarely do I love both main characters but this book I was rooting for both, individually and as a pair. We got to see and experience their individual lives, work, and families which I loved, it wasn’t just about the love story.
But speaking of the love story, holy crap, the chemistry and emotional and physical connection of these characters is 10/10. Communication? Yes. Listening to boundaries? Yes. Liking the other person for who they are unconditionally? Yes. WE LOVE HEALTHY LOVE!
Also that first closet scene? Lives in my mind rent free "what do you need me to do, would this help?" in a puddle on the floor goodbye
I feel like the mentions of struggles that Bea has related to being autistic and that Jaime had related to his anxiety were short and sweet, explaining to the reader why they are the way they are, maybe a little abrupt in certain spots but also I feel like it was done in a really good, easy to digest way for people with no experience with neurodivergence and what that's like.
Really like how Bea wasn’t a character who ignored or "its fine" to her boundaries being crossed by her meddling family. I feel like a lot of books shit happens to the main character (usually the female main character) and she brushes it off whether it was a boundary being crossed or straight up harassment. I do feel like the revenge to get back at them didn’t make total sense, but I guess it would have disappointed them but the whole "that'll show them!" should have been "I’m going to tell them what they did wasn’t okay." But I understand the revenge concept was a plot device.
Maybe it's because I’ve never been in that type of situation but I didn’t understand the reasoning for the 3rd act,
I actually really enjoyed the simple, not overly descriptive writing in this book, particularly regarding the scene, I feel like most know what a generic town or bakery or big house etc looks like and can just imagine their own version of that, this left more writing to actual dialogue and feelings and plot.
Overall I’m so excited for more of this series and characters!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
sarahsbookstacks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol
krisalexcole's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Medical content, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing and Biphobia
bookishnatalia's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
_inge's review against another edition
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This book took me out of a reading slump. I really loved both these characters, and their romance too. Seeing them empathise with each other through shared experiences, for instance when the other is struggling with conversations, was great to see. I also loved seeing an autistic woman thrive. Initially I wished I’d have seen her struggles more, but I actually loved that we got a main character who was unapologetically herself. She knew when to seek a quiet space to avoid sensory overload, she knew what foods she liked and what textures she could tolerate. She’d already found her way of coping, and I loved that.
The only major issue I had was with the ending. Throughout this book Jamie and Bea communicated openly, which I really appreciated - I can’t stand miscommunication in romance novels. It was necessary for Juliet to break up, but the way Jamie and Bea handled this felt very out of place. They’d just established they’d be together, and Bea then out of the blue says they can’t be, before Juliet is sent abroad for a while so they can stay together anyway?!
A couple minor details also bugged me. There was quite a lot of PDA. I appreciate the friends being so supportive and sex positive, but it definitely got uncomfortable at times. There’s also quite a few events which seem significant (their first dinner together, karaoke) that aren’t elaborated on at all. We see the Bea going into Jamie’s home and getting ready for dinner, only to then skip forward and reference things discussed during dinner. I wish this was either more significant, or just left out of the story entirely. Although I liked seeing two neurodivergent people living their lives, I would’ve liked to see them discuss this more too. Bea doesn’t like Jamie being rigid and sticking to rules, and I kept waiting for her to reference autism in any way to him. Jamie also doesn’t take into account that she might not like surprises or further big social events after already having been to one (like the karaoke bar). We don’t know whether they discussed what’s manageable to Bea and what isn’t, but I would at least make sure I knew beforehand that the other person could handle things like this. This book also often uses alcohol as a coping mechanism for sensory issues, which made me highly uncomfortable - so many people with sensory processing disorders become alcoholics for this exact reason. Lastly there’s also them disapproving of the speed Juliet and Jean-Claude are going at, but within a few months Jamie has a tattoo representing Bea on his chest.
Aside from these minor points, I really had a good time reading this. It’s reminded me romance novels are perfect for getting out of a reading slump, and novels featuring neurodiversity are especially a joy to read.
The only major issue I had was with the ending.
Aside from these minor points, I really had a good time reading this. It’s reminded me romance novels are perfect for getting out of a reading slump, and novels featuring neurodiversity are especially a joy to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Alcohol