Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Lose You to Find Me

So this is my first read by Erik J. Brown! A lot of friends of mine had read All That's Left in the World and really loved it, so I was interested in this since it's by the same author. I'll definitely be reading All That's Left in the World after reading this, because this was such a nice book with good surprises in it.

First, as many reviews have stated, there are some instances of cheating in this book. However, I think the circumstances around it are important. Especially with how the book ends, it's clear the author didn't put these instances in frivolously. So I disagree with some reviews calling the MC a "homewrecker" especially since they are 17 yr olds and also

the person being cheated on was an adult college student (at least 21 yrs old) who had no business being with a child anyway (there is an important subplot to this and it, thankfully they aren't together by the end, but these details should be noted. That, along with some other behaviors from the bf, as well as some background info on the MC and the LI, there's just a lot going on.

While I don't think these things make the cheating okay by any means, I think context matters a lot.

So, with that being said, the characters ! I loved the MC, Tommy. He was a messy character, but what I felt in all this was that these characters felt so real and authentic, it was kind of wild how well Erik J. Brown was able to capture the woes of being a teenager. That was probably my favorite aspect of this entire book. The teenagers felt like teenagers. Tommy was stupid at times and made really bad decisions, same for Gabe. Sometimes, I wanted to shake Tommy and plead for him to stop this nonsense and attempts on getting someone to like him. But I feel like that's kinda what having an unrequited crush as a teenager feels like? I remember feeling the exact same way as him and I can't applaud the author enough for capturing such complex feelings so authentically. Not only that, but all the characters felt very authentic to me in their motivations and reactions. And I liked that this book will show teenagers there's not one, correct path to take after high school.

This brings me to my next point: the message of this book is beautiful. I truly want to cry just thinking about it. Life doesn't always go how we plan, no matter how hard we plan. And it's so amazing how the author weaved this into the storyline so many different ways. I think it's an extremely important message that any teenager reading this book needs to know. I wish I had this book when I was in high school because I think it would've done wonders for me (it's still done wonders for me as someone in her early twenties).

My main critique for this is that I felt like some scenes/plotlines went on longer than they needed and some should've been longer. Also, I would've liked to have seen more scenes with Brad (for reasons more obvious once you finish the book). He stole every scene he was in and I liked his growth a lot, but I needed like 2 scenes more with him haha. But, those are small gripes. The ending was exactly how I wanted it to be and it made me smile so big. This book is really great and I will be recommending it to many. I'm so happy Erik J. Brown wrote it.

Thank you so much to Balzer + Bray and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Content Warnings

jpleitez1's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective tense slow-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

5.0

Content Warnings

annatina's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Content Warnings

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful 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

Tommy has been working at Sunset Estates, a retirement community, in order to gain experience to get into culinary school. Which means he also needs a letter of recommendation from his manager. In order to get it, he has to complete three tasks--including training the new hire.

But it just so happens that the new hire is someone Tommy knew. An old crush from childhood named Gabe. However, it appears that Gabe doesn't remember Tommy. And training him proves difficult when old feelings start to resurface for Tommy. Will he be able to push those aside and finish his tasks to get into culinary school? Or will his feelings overcome him?

Thanks to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for an advanced copy of Lose You to Find Me by Erik J. Brown to review! My second food themed rom-com in a row--maybe it's a trend for May? Either way, this is a different direction for Erik J. Brown, and I loved it. Once again, he has created great characters with witty banter that you're going to love from the beginning.

Of course, Tommy and Gabe are the highlight of the book. That childhood friends to possible lovers thing is a great trope, even if it appears only one of them remembers. Brown does a good job of creating that romantic tension right from the beginning, punctuating it with a great cast of side characters who are also rooting for them. Plus, using the setting of the restaurants adds to the tension, having to always work together. It really is a fantastic premise for a book.

Not necessarily a fan of the fake that Tommy makes moves when Gabe has a boyfriend, but you know. They're teenagers. It happens. The story overall is pretty character-driven, with some twists that might make you gasp. I also appreciated that not necessarily everything works out the way Tommy wants, and that's okay. It's a great message to have a book for teens, because no matter how much you plan, not everything works out the way you want it to.

All in all, this is another great book to put on your summer TBR if you're looking for another fun rom-com!

Content Warnings

literarycavy's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5

Content Warnings

More...