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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Wow. I thought this was a great book in Hibbert's "Ravenswood" series. I loved the characters of Ruth and Evan. This book had a lot of feels for me since Hibbert touched upon something that I wished she had gotten into a bit more with the character of Ruth being made to feel small and a secret by a boy/man she grew up with. I do wish that the book had been more longer and there had been more depth at times because it just felt like we were getting a lot of information thrown our way, but that was easy enough for me to just sit back and enjoy after I got about 30 percent into the book.
"A Girl Like Her" follows small town outcast Ruth Kabbah. We don't know what happened with Ruth, but it appears most of the town dislikes her which suits her fine. Ruth stays inside except when going out to see her sister and mother. She loves to immerse herself into comics and has her own online web comic. When she finally ventures out due to a "period emergency" she ends up being hit by a car by the local town rich boy, Daniel. Daniel was giving a ride to one of the men who works for his father's business, Evan. Evan doesn't get why Daniel wants to befriend him so badly, but when he sees how dismissive he is of Ruth he can't help dislike the guy more. When Evan ends up realizing his new neighbor is Ruth he decides to do what he does best, make friends. And the book follows Ruth and Evan's unconventional friendship that turns into something more.
I really liked Ruth. I also liked that she is autistic and we get some explanation about how she behaves and responds. You also get why her sister Hannah is so protective of her. I do wish that the book had gotten into more of her teenage and past years though. It just felt like we got huge info dumps via dialogue to find out what had gone on and why the town had turned on her.
Evan was great though after a while he felt just a bit too perfect. He forgives everything and just seemed like a saint.
The sex scenes between the two of them were great.
I thought the writing was very solid, just wished that the flow at times had been smoother. I also already said that I wish that this had been longer and been a bit more in depth in times. There's a lot in this first series setting up different characters and people.
The epilogue was good, but I was also confused by the timelines later on though since I read books #2 and #3 after this and things didn't align with them. I also wish there had been more resolution with the whole Daniel thing.
"A Girl Like Her" follows small town outcast Ruth Kabbah. We don't know what happened with Ruth, but it appears most of the town dislikes her which suits her fine. Ruth stays inside except when going out to see her sister and mother. She loves to immerse herself into comics and has her own online web comic. When she finally ventures out due to a "period emergency" she ends up being hit by a car by the local town rich boy, Daniel. Daniel was giving a ride to one of the men who works for his father's business, Evan. Evan doesn't get why Daniel wants to befriend him so badly, but when he sees how dismissive he is of Ruth he can't help dislike the guy more. When Evan ends up realizing his new neighbor is Ruth he decides to do what he does best, make friends. And the book follows Ruth and Evan's unconventional friendship that turns into something more.
I really liked Ruth. I also liked that she is autistic and we get some explanation about how she behaves and responds. You also get why her sister Hannah is so protective of her. I do wish that the book had gotten into more of her teenage and past years though. It just felt like we got huge info dumps via dialogue to find out what had gone on and why the town had turned on her.
Evan was great though after a while he felt just a bit too perfect. He forgives everything and just seemed like a saint.
The sex scenes between the two of them were great.
I thought the writing was very solid, just wished that the flow at times had been smoother. I also already said that I wish that this had been longer and been a bit more in depth in times. There's a lot in this first series setting up different characters and people.
The epilogue was good, but I was also confused by the timelines later on though since I read books #2 and #3 after this and things didn't align with them. I also wish there had been more resolution with the whole Daniel thing.
Devoured this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down and I absolutely loved Ruth and Evan!
This was very sweet! I took off a star just because I never felt fully in love with it or invested in it, but it was just a really solid and nice romance. Evan was such a sweetheart — I loved him deciding to cook for Ruth, and her hesitancy but ultimate acceptance of it, and them getting to know each other. I really enjoyed how everything with Daniel played out. And Hannah! She and Ruth had such a sweet relationship. I loved how protective Hannah was of Ruth, and I'd definitely be interested to read more by Talia Hibbert in the future.
Spoiler
Her chewing out his dad was so great, and then, of course, standing up to him in the pub of everyone was so incredibly satisfying.Spoiler
a little ways into the story, I started suspecting that she was the one who had ruined Daniel's car and not Ruth, and it made me very happy that that turned out to be the case.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Really 3.5 ⭐️. Love love love the author but would recommend starting the Brown series before Ravenswood. Still great work and just ordered the next two haha
evan was a little too white cause why is he asking what cocoa butter and coconut oil are
I love Talia Hibbert. Her fun and sexy writing with wonderful diverse characters are always a gift…But I couldn’t connect with Ruth, the main character. She was insufferable to me. I couldn’t stand her…I was supposed to sympathize with the poor girl…bless her heart…but I couldn’t. The only wearing pajamas thing drove me nuts. Her secret past wasn’t as bad as it was built up to be (at first appeared to be violent in nature) so I couldn’t figure out she was acting like it was so scandalous. So she dated a F-boy and it ended poorly. That’s all??? I can't tell if her abrasive reclusive pajama wearing behavior is due to the bad relationship with Daniel or her autism. I needed that to be clearer. It wasn't realistic that Evan fell head over heels so quickly with her with the way she interacted with him. The “acerbic woe is me” behavior should push people away. Daniel being a POS was apparent from the start. Evan saw it and she actually had herself convinced he was setting the narrative of what happened and how she should live her entire life which is interesting because he was never charming or charismatic in this story. He gaslighted and negged everybody he interacted with except his dad. I’m still a super fan of Talia's writing though.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Death of parent
lighthearted
relaxing
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
This plot is really sweet; the way how the love interests respect each other as individuals, learn each other boundaries, the centering of communication, slowly build trust between them before they been a official item was a refreshing perspective in the telling of a neighbors to lovers trope story. It's a slow burn book excluding the shocking opening scene.