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betweentheshelves's review
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
I loved that the titles of the chapters were song titles and that there were just so many playlists throughout this book. Honestly, I kind of want to see if someone has made a playlist of all the songs in this book because there were a lot!
Anyway, this is a sweet, music themed romance with the found family trope that was just lovely. Third Eye is such a lovely group of people, and I loved how they accepted Liana into their fold. You could tell that they all cared deeply for each other, and the characters were just so well done.
However, there was one thing that really took me out of the story: Skye saying that he got a tattoo every couple of weeks after turning 18. I'm sorry, what?? Who has that kind of time and money at 18??? He also has a piercing at some point, and I just don't believe all this happened in 6 months. I don't know why it bothered me so much, but it did lol.
Anway, if you like music and found family, definitely check this one out!
Anyway, this is a sweet, music themed romance with the found family trope that was just lovely. Third Eye is such a lovely group of people, and I loved how they accepted Liana into their fold. You could tell that they all cared deeply for each other, and the characters were just so well done.
However, there was one thing that really took me out of the story: Skye saying that he got a tattoo every couple of weeks after turning 18. I'm sorry, what?? Who has that kind of time and money at 18??? He also has a piercing at some point, and I just don't believe all this happened in 6 months. I don't know why it bothered me so much, but it did lol.
Anway, if you like music and found family, definitely check this one out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Cursing, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Bullying
villainy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Panic attacks/disorders
anyaemilie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
Another super cute YA romance ❤️ Tashie Bhuiyan is a favorite of mine and she deserves more attention from fans of contemporary YA readers. Her love of music always shows through in her books as well, especially this one--I really liked the addition of the playlists throughout this book.
Mental health rep is something that Tashie Bhuiyan does well, and this book is no exception. Lia has depression and anxiety (which she notes are undiagnosed, but which doesn't make them any less real) and she there are many external factors that affect both. Her mother has passed away (before the events of the book), and her relationship with her father has fallen apart since. Both of them are grieving, but neither of them quite know how to deal with their feelings. Her father has decided to dive completely into his work which has basically broken his relationship with his daughter. Lia really just needs her father and he can't understand why him providing materially for her isn't enough.
The only way Lia knows how to connect to her father is through music, since is job as a music executive seems to be the only thing he cares about. She got her love of music from him, and it's really the only thing they have left since Lia's mother died.
Besides the exploration of Lia's mental health and her relationship with her father, I also really liked Lia's relationships with the boys of Third Eye. It definitely had self-insert fanfic vibes (which I do NOT mean in a dismissive or condescending way!). The author mentioned in her note at the beginning how important One Direction was in forming many of her friendships and the fanfic community is strong around that band, so I'm just inferring some things here 😊 Honestly what teenage girl didn't dream of becoming bffs with a band as they rise to fame? It's the stuff every good fanfic is made of.
The romance was very sweet and super slow burn, which I love in YA. Lots of hurdles to get to the HEA, but totally worth it. From the misconceptions of Skyler at the beginning to slowly finding out that Lia and Skyler had a lot more in common than they thought, to the scene at the music competition (shh no spoilers 🤫), I really loved how their relationship progressed throughout the book.
Also I loved the epilogue.Lia and Skyler get their HEA, but Lia's life isn't magically perfect. She still needs to work on her mental health, which her dad basically wants know part in. But Lia has taken the initiative once she's left home for college to see a therapist to try to improve her quality of life, which is extremely powerful. She knows she needs to take this upon herself because her dad isn't there for her. And that relationship is also discussed in therapy, where she realizes that her dad neglecting her is a form of abuse. Lia luckily has a support system with the boys of Third Eye and her cousin so she isn't completely alone, but I can't even imagine how difficult it must be to have essentially lost both her parents. I just really liked that even though Lia got her happy ending with Skyler, the author made a point to show that romance doesn't magically fix everything. You still need to deal with the rest of the problems in your life to keep the romance healthy.
Another awesome book by Tashie Bhuiyan. I'm on a roll with the YA books in 2024 so hopefully my streak continues!!
Mental health rep is something that Tashie Bhuiyan does well, and this book is no exception. Lia has depression and anxiety (which she notes are undiagnosed, but which doesn't make them any less real) and she there are many external factors that affect both. Her mother has passed away (before the events of the book), and her relationship with her father has fallen apart since. Both of them are grieving, but neither of them quite know how to deal with their feelings. Her father has decided to dive completely into his work which has basically broken his relationship with his daughter. Lia really just needs her father and he can't understand why him providing materially for her isn't enough.
The only way Lia knows how to connect to her father is through music, since is job as a music executive seems to be the only thing he cares about. She got her love of music from him, and it's really the only thing they have left since Lia's mother died.
Besides the exploration of Lia's mental health and her relationship with her father, I also really liked Lia's relationships with the boys of Third Eye. It definitely had self-insert fanfic vibes (which I do NOT mean in a dismissive or condescending way!). The author mentioned in her note at the beginning how important One Direction was in forming many of her friendships and the fanfic community is strong around that band, so I'm just inferring some things here 😊 Honestly what teenage girl didn't dream of becoming bffs with a band as they rise to fame? It's the stuff every good fanfic is made of.
The romance was very sweet and super slow burn, which I love in YA. Lots of hurdles to get to the HEA, but totally worth it. From the misconceptions of Skyler at the beginning to slowly finding out that Lia and Skyler had a lot more in common than they thought, to the scene at the music competition (shh no spoilers 🤫), I really loved how their relationship progressed throughout the book.
Also I loved the epilogue.
Another awesome book by Tashie Bhuiyan. I'm on a roll with the YA books in 2024 so hopefully my streak continues!!
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Death of a parent occurs before the events of the book. MC has undiagnosed depression and anxiety. She briefly mentions having had suicidal thoughts and thoughts about self harm in the past, but does not act on either of these. She has a terrible relationship with her father, who neglects her in favor of his job. He treats her as a nuisance in most of their interactions and she feels (justifiably) abandoned by him, especially after the death of her mother.lettuce_read's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent and Toxic friendship
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicidal thoughts
devynreadsnovels's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, and Suicidal thoughts
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