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now_booking's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
I feel like it’s pretty much impossible not adore the characters in this series- even when they’re kind of out-of-touch like Piper in Book 1, or incredibly damaged by toxic masculinity and society’s hypersexualisation of handsome boys and men like with Fox, in this book, this author creates something angsty and beautifully broken out of characters that on the surface could be perceived as flaky and sort of vacuous.
The premise of this rom-com-ish but angsty romance is that from childhood, Fox has been told he will be a heartbreaker and a massive success in sexual exploits much like his ain’t ish father. As a result, feeing the need to live up to society’s expectations and also getting burned the one time he tried to buck that weight, he’s a commitment-phobic womanizer. A commitment-phobic womanizer who is best friends with sweet but lacking in confidence, Hannah. This genesis of this friendship is mentioned several times in this book but makes much more sense and makes this a richer read if you’ve read book 1 in this series (Piper’s book). Everybody loves Hannah and feels protective over her and Fox has been warned to keep his filthy reputation away from everyone’s favourite little sister (Hannah).
I liked that there was a lot of growth realised by both characters. Hannah finds her inner leading lady and begins to believe in herself and her worth, while Fox begins to heal from years of low self-worth and the damage being hypersexualised from a young age made on him. I think sometimes this was angstier and more love triangular than necessary- especially in situations where a single conversation would have solved the angst and would have fit in the narrative as Fox and Hannah have excellent communication and were quite open and honest with each other. I think another weakness of this was that even though we clearly knew and had affection for Piper and Brendan from the first novel, the supporting characters somehow didn’t pop as much as they did in the first book. That said, this was a really solid romance that took me on an emotional journey that felt deep and real and heartfelt and that really tackled a male main character’s emotions and society’s normalization of sexualisation of young boys and men with a lot of nuance and heart, and it’s not something I’ve read thematically before in a romance. Recommend if you’re looking for angst with some laughs.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Avon Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of this rom-com-ish but angsty romance is that from childhood, Fox has been told he will be a heartbreaker and a massive success in sexual exploits much like his ain’t ish father. As a result, feeing the need to live up to society’s expectations and also getting burned the one time he tried to buck that weight, he’s a commitment-phobic womanizer. A commitment-phobic womanizer who is best friends with sweet but lacking in confidence, Hannah. This genesis of this friendship is mentioned several times in this book but makes much more sense and makes this a richer read if you’ve read book 1 in this series (Piper’s book). Everybody loves Hannah and feels protective over her and Fox has been warned to keep his filthy reputation away from everyone’s favourite little sister (Hannah).
I liked that there was a lot of growth realised by both characters. Hannah finds her inner leading lady and begins to believe in herself and her worth, while Fox begins to heal from years of low self-worth and the damage being hypersexualised from a young age made on him. I think sometimes this was angstier and more love triangular than necessary- especially in situations where a single conversation would have solved the angst and would have fit in the narrative as Fox and Hannah have excellent communication and were quite open and honest with each other. I think another weakness of this was that even though we clearly knew and had affection for Piper and Brendan from the first novel, the supporting characters somehow didn’t pop as much as they did in the first book. That said, this was a really solid romance that took me on an emotional journey that felt deep and real and heartfelt and that really tackled a male main character’s emotions and society’s normalization of sexualisation of young boys and men with a lot of nuance and heart, and it’s not something I’ve read thematically before in a romance. Recommend if you’re looking for angst with some laughs.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Avon Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment, Infidelity, and Sexism
Minor: Grief
alexisgarcia's review
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-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
4.75
i loved this!!!! this was cute and explored toxic masculinity and how easy it is for most people to encourage it without thinking twice. it also explored how trauma can impact a relationship, whether that is with family, friends, or a romantic partner. i loved seeing unwavering determination and strength from hannah to help fox, whether that be for the benefit of their relationship or just for him as a person. i liked this a little more than It Happened One Summer but loved expanding on this group of characters that i’ve grown to love. also that epilogue!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
lizgriffinwords's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Another swing-and-a-miss, though for the first 25% or so, I liked it better than It Happened One Summer (hence the 3 stars, but that is GRACIOUS).
Fox’s “tragic backstory”… dude needs some therapy and some better friends, not a relationship. Two decades of reinforcing his toxic masculinity won’t evaporate overnight.
For all Hannah’s internal monologue about being a main character, not a side character… didn’t feel like she achieved that. I should know, as someone who feels like a side character in her own life.
The romantic leads sexually manipulated each other. A lot. Which seemed super out of character for Hannah, given what had been established about her as a person in the first book & up to that point.
This is what I get for reading romances that aren’t written by Ali Hazelwood, I guess.
Fox’s “tragic backstory”… dude needs some therapy and some better friends, not a relationship. Two decades of reinforcing his toxic masculinity won’t evaporate overnight.
For all Hannah’s internal monologue about being a main character, not a side character… didn’t feel like she achieved that. I should know, as someone who feels like a side character in her own life.
The romantic leads sexually manipulated each other. A lot. Which seemed super out of character for Hannah, given what had been established about her as a person in the first book & up to that point.
This is what I get for reading romances that aren’t written by Ali Hazelwood, I guess.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
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