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Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual assault
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Blood, Medical trauma, Pregnancy
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Medical trauma
The clear lack of understanding or knowledge on Deaf culture really bothered me. It was evident that the author had extremely limited understanding of *sign language* although it was a central component of the story. This could have been a great opportunity to bring deeper understanding to the Deaf community with the unique premise. Honestly choosing a compelling topic & not researching enough to accurately portray it is so lazy & one of my absolute biggest pet peeves with any plot (book or movie). Seriously, even just the fact that it’s never referred to as ASL — as if sign language is universal was such an ick for me!
I would have liked this book more if the narration was more balanced between Bree & Archer. I found myself disappointed every time I started another chapter that was still Bree’s POV. To be honest the writing was lackluster overall with so many unnecessary details that made it slower instead of more captivating.
Additionally, I got bored with the book when the repetitive & extended sex scenes took over the plot. With the length of the book I was expecting the characters to develop more than they did but there wasn’t space for that with all the intense infatuation / codependency.
The climax felt rushed & the twist was a little manipulative in my opinion. I was looking forward to a little more action but it was over so quickly. Felt like I got whiplash…
The Epilogue & extended Epilogue were cute but not necessary. I also don’t think I ever had a chance to care enough about Travis to interest me in an entire spinoff book about him.
least favorite phrases:
“long minutes”
“I brought my hands up…”
“he brought his hands up…”
“I brought my hands up…”
“he brought his hands up…”
jeez, we get it, you need hands to sign!
I can’t help feeling baffled at how many 5 star ratings this book has gotten.
Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, Grief
Moderate: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
I got swindled again by a booktok reader. They posted the whole 'they asked for the sign for love and I spelled your name' quote so I thought, wow that's sweet. And I looked at reviews and decided this has to be a good read, more than 200,000 5 star reviews! Boy was I wrong.
The best part about this book, and added another star for me, was the absolute crazy drama and backstories of the characters. I actually loved that and was laughing out loud at the craziness throughout the book. It reminded me of those bad but good old ABC tv shows that feel nostalgic in all of the worst ways.
The actual "love story" of this book ended up feeling icky honestly. Girl goes and slightly stalks a vulnerable unwell man in order to train him how to sex her up right, because she is also mentally unwell. Yuck. The ratings in this make me lose more faith in humanity.
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment
Graphic: Bullying, Gun violence, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Abandonment
Minor: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Gaslighting
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence, Murder
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Pregnancy
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Alcohol
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Grief, Car accident
Minor: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail