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theinstabookworm's review against another edition
- 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
THE BAD: The story is only told from Win's POV and I feel like it would have been even better if we had Bo's POV, too. I also felt that the middle dragged a bit.
Favourite quote: "You are my soul's purpose, Win. To know you, to love you, to build a family with you, to spend every day taking care of you, to watch you shine and get all the good things you deserve out of this life."
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Abortion, and Death of parent
lmm0's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion
samone2's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cancer and Pregnancy
Moderate: Ableism, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Abortion
ambercunningham's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Pregnancy
noladawnreads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Ableism, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Abortion
meeklovestoread's review against another edition
- 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
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️.5/5
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexual content and Grief
Minor: Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
cortanasreadingnook's review against another edition
- 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
This is an absolutely hilarious adult romantic comedy about two strangers accidentally falling in love along the way of having a baby together. I am a sucker for the pregnancy trope and this was exactly what I needed. Bo and Winnie are one of the bestest, most adorable MCs i’ve read in contemporary romance this year. Helena Bonam-Young knows her way through a romcom and she’s managed to accentuate longing and passion between two people who agreed to only be friends. Reading this felt so instrinsically intimate, and at the same time it delves into great physical disability rep, periods of grief, and traversed through emotional trauma, as well as recovery. Not only that, but this book is strongly all for women having full autonomy of their bodies and reproductive health and for that, I truly admire the writing. Furthermore, I’ve noticed this book has an uncanny ability to make a reader feel when everything finally falls into the right place at the right time. I could vouch for a number of books who feel like a Taylor Swift song and this was totally it! I wouldn’t mind a Bo in my life. My heart just felt so full as I read this. Despite the initial attraction between our two leads, there was no rushed romance but all fun and sweet moments.
Oh and the smut was chef’s kiss <3
P.S. I got slightly turned off after a brief mentioning of Velaris, which is a fictional place set in a popular book series written by a zionist.
Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Suicide, and Abortion
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Gosh, I love HBY!!! This was absolutely delightful, endearing, and heart-warming. I have really enjoyed HBY's past 3 books & this one absolutely lived up to my love of those!!!
This is first-person, present tense POV of Win. This is not a spoiler, because the author's note in the very beginning gives you warning, plus the premise kind of gives it away, but I really don't mind the surprise pregnancy trope! I love Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings (highly recommend if you're a neurodivergent honey!), and I think we need to normalize more stories like this, because they feel authentic. Why do we hate when others don't particularly plan to get pregnant, but then decide "yeah, let's do this!" and a sweet lil baby is born? I don't really see the ick as long as both parents are willing/enthusiastic with the best intentions, and HBY wrote it so tenderly here!
Win is witty, goofy, loyal, and messy. She is working at a cafe, plus lifeguards during the summer, bringing her annual income to a whopping $26k (this is relevant later). The last thing she expects is to get pregnant after a Halloween/pirate one-night-stand with a guy who literally got dressed and bounced the moment they came. Win was also a surprise baby for her mom, and has been third-wheeling her best friends Sarah & Caleb, who are a couple (who also hosted the Halloween party where Win & Bo hook up) forever!
Bo is pensive, kind, and gracious! He is truly a book boyfriend to remember. I loved how he handled every single conversation about a hard topic, whether it was family, past relationship trauma (Bo’s past with an ex Cora & Win’s past with toxic ex Jack), disabilities, medical history, and more. I loved Bo's proposal of living costs and how to split it between himself and Win, based on their incomes, rather than simply going Dutch on everything. That was the point in the book where I was completely sold on him hahaha.
I loved both of these characters' journeys & their slow burn together was so satisfying. NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP OR MASSIVE CONFLICT EITHER!!!!! I think a theme in romance is that we all want to feel *chosen* rather than a product of circumstance or convenience, and that is something that comes up again in Bo & Win's journeys with this unplanned pregnancy. There were also some incredibly & beautifully human conversations about ableism, how being part of a marginalized group expands one’s empathy, & some inherent biases & thoughts parents have about having children. I really appreciated the conversations & inner dialogue Win had with Bo about this. HBY did a beautiful job illustrating this!
I listened to the audiobook via Libro FM & I highly recommend it. Victoria Connolly did a fantastic job :D
representation: body diversity (Win is explicitly described as loving to eat, and her midsection showing that, which I realllyyyyy appreciated - more variety in body types in romance please!), FMC has a smaller limb for one of her hands, MMC has a prosthetic leg/is an amputee, character is a cancer survivor, different family makeup (some people don't grow up with both parents! some people navigate loss/grief very early in life!), found family!
steam rating: 2.5/5
see content warnings below <3
side note: There's a throwaway line in here that says "Brittany from Walmart knows what she did!" as they discuss customer service reps, and I am on a mission to find a redeemable Brittany in fiction. We are the goddamn worst wahhhhhhhhh
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Ableism, Death, and Grief
Minor: Suicide and Abortion
spines's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Pregnancy
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
jillkaarlela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Age rating: 16+ (4 steamy chapters, 1.5/5🌶️
If you want to believe in love again, true unconditional love, read this book! I’m so serious!!! I never EVER thought I would love an unexpected pregnancy trope book, but here I am, crying happy tears over this book three times. I think this unexpected pregnancy trope works because both Win and Bo have always wanted a kid, but never knew/had the right time. So it’s not like this child is unwanted by any means, but the way the child gets there is unconventional. They both really really wanted this child, now that they know it’s an option. This child brings them so much joy!! (When he finds out, he cries tears of joy! Like, come on!) It makes my heart happy, even as someone who doesn’t like/want kids. I know they will give the child so much love. If any book couple will stay together forever, and is meant to be together in every lifetime, it’s Win and Bo. Nothing can convince me otherwise. This is a perfect book, no notes.
Bo is genuinely one of my favorite book boyfriends ever because he is one of the most caring and genuinely loving men ever!! I don’t usually love blondes, but I’ll forgive it this time. He’s a 6’5” gentle giant, cinnamon roll man, with glasses!! And he’s a huge nerd, which we loveeeeeee!! He’s just perfect.
Also the discussions of disabilities were SO IMPORTANT!! They were handled with so much care and thought and nuance. I appreciated this representation so much, as someone with a chronic illness/disability.
TW: grief, disability discussions, ableism, postpartum depression (past, off page), suicide (past, off page), cancer (past, off page), emotionally abusive/toxic relationship (past, off page)
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent