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emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was ... a lot. It had a fun, meet-cute start, and I think the depiction of Emma's childhood trauma and its effect on her as an adult was handled well. As someone who hasn't read the other books in this series, however, the surprise half-sibling twist felt unnecessary and over-the-top. Emma could've reached her turning point without such a soap operatic plot point, and Amber's parental absenteeism and selfishness as portrayed throughout most of the book didn't need to be elevated to such sociopathic levels to pack a punch, especially when very little was done with this development beyond the shock value and as a way to connect this book with the previous ones in the series.
In general, though, this story had its moments, but once Emma's background and Justin's life circumstances were revealed, there wasn't a whole left to hold my attention, and I kept wondering how there were still so many pages left (or hours, rather, as I listened to the audiobook version). It became pretty clear pretty quickly that the only barrier to their relationship was Emma's trauma, and I wished we would just deal with that and get to the Happily Ever After instead of retreading the same ground over and over again without really getting anywhere. The dialogue was fine but not particularly memorable, Justin was a little too insta-lovey/perfect for me, and I was less invested in them as a couple than I was in their individual growth journeys — Emma's in particular.
This was my first Abby Jimenez novel, and while it wasn't the be-all-and-end-all for me, it probably won't be the last of hers that I pick up. Next time, though, I'll choose a more standalone book.
And finally, one audiobook-specific note: I enjoyed there being two readers, one for Emma's POV chapters and the other for Justin's. But, the way the reader for Justin would do Emma's voice in his chapters just took me out of it.
In general, though, this story had its moments, but once Emma's background and Justin's life circumstances were revealed, there wasn't a whole left to hold my attention, and I kept wondering how there were still so many pages left (or hours, rather, as I listened to the audiobook version). It became pretty clear pretty quickly that the only barrier to their relationship was Emma's trauma, and I wished we would just deal with that and get to the Happily Ever After instead of retreading the same ground over and over again without really getting anywhere. The dialogue was fine but not particularly memorable, Justin was a little too insta-lovey/perfect for me, and I was less invested in them as a couple than I was in their individual growth journeys — Emma's in particular.
This was my first Abby Jimenez novel, and while it wasn't the be-all-and-end-all for me, it probably won't be the last of hers that I pick up. Next time, though, I'll choose a more standalone book.
And finally, one audiobook-specific note: I enjoyed there being two readers, one for Emma's POV chapters and the other for Justin's. But, the way the reader for Justin would do Emma's voice in his chapters just took me out of it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Vomit
challenging
emotional
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:
Complicated
Best book I've read this year! I picked it based on vibes and definitely didn't get the light romance I was expecting. Could not put this down and just overall such a real and touching story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse
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
- took me a long time with this one. Started this back in July (I think) ended up pausing it/DNFing and now finishing it in April
- good read with very cute characters. Though Maddy’s characters was a little much at times and I felt like she was being too harsh
- good read with very cute characters. Though Maddy’s characters was a little much at times and I felt like she was being too harsh
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment
emotional
hopeful
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment
dark
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
At first I really wasn’t convinced by this couple or this book and was mostly reading for the messiness that I knew was inevitable specifically the messiness of Emma realizing she has a brother but the growth of these characters was really beautiful to see especially in the last 30 or 40%. That really turned the book around for me and made this feel like an earned romance that I really believed in and was rooting for
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Death of parent
Minor: Vomit, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit