Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Things We Left Behind

I would give five stars if it weren’t 650 pages long.
Anyway— great end to the Knockemout series. I loved Lucian and Sloane. Lucy Score writes excellent banter and sexual-tension-laced insults.

Content Warnings

allforevermore's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Content Warnings

bergha1998's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad tense 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

4.25

Wow, what a great book. I’m a sucker for friends to enemies to lovers, and both Sloane and Lucien were great characters in the last two books. They absolutely brought it as main characters! And for vanilla sex, that shit was spicy! I’m obsessed.

Dark Romance, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Lots of Trauma, 3 3/4 🔥

“You can’t just keep putting your emotions in a box with a lid and expecting them to stay there. That’s not what feelings do.”

Content Warnings

bekacrook's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Last book in the series and as with the other books, I have to pretend the characters are younger than they are because they have no reason to act the way they are in their like 40s.

Dramatic, mystery subplot which I enjoyed, it tied together some of the details in the last two books. I really liked that we saw inside Lucian's head, he'd been the hardest to read and it was interesting to see how he viewed the world, to learn about his shared history with Sloane and see why he was the way he was. He had a super sad back story, a lot of trauma he was struggling to deal with and I liked the inclusion of him going to therapy but it being shown that it's not an instant fix.

Sloane was feisty and protective and straight talking. I liked how much she cared for those around her and her community but that she wasn't a pushover. She didn't just give in and let Lucian walk all over her.

They traded some great insults between them and their dynamic was interesting, not the healthiest but interesting. It felt like everything got tied up super neatly and quickly and that Lucian had a complete 180 in his views and behaviour due to one experience which I found to be slightly jarring just because of how quick it was.

It had a happy ending which is always a bonus, and that was expanded on in the two epilogues.

Oh, and there's a lot of talk about biological clocks ticking, eggs drying, worrying about potential infertility and running out of time which felt a bit heavy-handed.

Content Warnings

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense 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

5.0

I wanted to read this book because I loved the first book and the second book, and I knew this book was going to be as good. After this book, my thoughts still stand on wanting to move to Knockemout and get me a friend within that friendship group – hell, I'll be the assistant.

This book has two points of view. The first is Lucian Rollins. We met him in the first book, and he was seen as a lean, mean vengeance-seeking mogul. He is on a quest to erase his father’s mark on the family name, he spends every waking minute pulling strings and building an indestructible empire. The more money and power he amasses, the safer he is from threats. Except when it comes to the small-town librarian and neighbour that keeps him up at night. The second point of view is Sloane Walton. She is a spitfire, and she is determined to carry on her father’s quest for justice. She'll do that just as she figures out exactly what the man she hates did for her family. With the father passing, she is wanting to settle down and find a life partner that can give her great sex and be a good father to their future children, unfortunately all she can think about was how her friendship ended with her next-door neighbour. They are both bonded by an old dark secret from the past and the dislike they now share for each other. Sloane trusts Lucian about as far as she can throw his designer-suited body. When bickering turned to foreplay, these two find themselves not quite regretting their hot and sexy one-night stand. But once they flames are lit, it seems impossible to put them out. Lucian knows Sloane wants to settle down, but he isn’t even considering the idea of marriage, so that leaves these enemies-to-lovers at an impasse. Lucian believes that broken men break women because that was what he witnessed, and he isn’t taking that chance with Sloane. He would rather live a life of solitude than put her in danger. But he learns the hard way that leaving her means leaving her unprotected from other threats. It's the second time he’s ruthlessly cut her out of his life. There is no way that Sloane is going to give him a third chance. He's just going to have to make one for himself.

I have been waiting for this book since we first met Lucien and Sloane in the first book. It has got all my favourite things that I love in books – Grumpy x Sunshine Trope, touch her and die trope, everyone but her trope, dual POV and a broken sexy man. I still love this friendship; I want one of these men. I thought I was going to struggle because I love Knox and still do and he still my favourite – but Lucien and Nash are both a close favourite, but I loved how Lucien was so protective and worshipping the ground that Sloane walks on. I love that Lucy manages to discuss difficult conversations such as PTSD and abusive parents. I love Sloane and I wanted to hug her, and I love how much she was ready to kick anyone’s ass who was a dick to Lucien after what he went through. The action in this book kept me on my toes.

I cannot fault anything about this book or series. It has been stuck in my brain since I started reading the first book and patiently waiting for book two and three. I was thinking about it during work, driving home, watching TV. I made the mistake with reading these books is that I wanted more and more and wanted to savour it. I didn’t want to make the same mistake and I keep reading them in three or four days because I love this town and these characters.

I am so sad this series is over, and all of these books could be 10000 pages long and I would still want more. I will forever adore this series and I will reread this series for the rest of my life and still not be bored of it. I am still hoping there will be a book for Stef and Jeremiah and maybe Waylay in five years or the kids of the friendship group when they are all grown up and trying to figure themselves out.

I cannot wait for what Lucy writes next and in the meantime, I'm going to be reading more of her old books and series.

Content Warnings