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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
what a lovely read. i immediately fell in love with will, a neurotic weirdo, and was rooting for him from page one. casey was such a lovely surprise — capable but not without his own baggage. i loved how realistic it felt that both men had Issues stemming from how they grew up that resulted in different approaches to life, and that they were able to work with and through it together. and above all, this book is funny. morrison has such a specific cadence with his sentences and a great sense of humor and it made for a very enjoyable read. i just felt such joy with this!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you Storm Publishing for their generosity.
This was the perfect read for Pride Month. It is charming and gives a Hallmark vibe in the best possible way.
Congratulations to Dylan Morrison for this wonderful book.
I’m not the biggest fan of long chapters but it is not a deal breaker.
This was the perfect read for Pride Month. It is charming and gives a Hallmark vibe in the best possible way.
Congratulations to Dylan Morrison for this wonderful book.
I’m not the biggest fan of long chapters but it is not a deal breaker.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After his controlling father dies, botanist Will returns to the family apple farm he ran away from years before and has to face his traumas and how he's handled them, if he wants to finally be happy.
Will was a well-developed and interesting character and the author did well incorporating Will's past traumas into the storyline especially by utilizing Will's childhood home and apple orchard to evoke his feelings of pain and regret in a tangible sense.
Will's relationship with Casey, who besides a few anecdotes about his childhood was a touch underdeveloped, tended to be on the back burner, which for a "Romance Book" seemed rather unfocused.
I read some descriptions describing this as a feel-good enemies to lovers rom-com, I would instead describe it as a melancholy drama with only some romance.
For an enemies to lovers story, none of the fights felt real, or the issues meaningful enough for Will and Casey to be arguing about. Most of the supporting characters were rather underdeveloped, which sadly meant that they just read as annoying. The pace was slow due to the almost constant inclusion of mansplaining sentences from the omniscient narrator telling us some unimportant random detail that broke any tension and slowed down the pacing of the book while the many over-detailed jokes tended to fall flat for me as they were often too long and lacked punch.
An earnest personal story with some good points that ultimately did not work for me.
Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing, for the e-arc.
Will was a well-developed and interesting character and the author did well incorporating Will's past traumas into the storyline especially by utilizing Will's childhood home and apple orchard to evoke his feelings of pain and regret in a tangible sense.
Will's relationship with Casey, who besides a few anecdotes about his childhood was a touch underdeveloped, tended to be on the back burner, which for a "Romance Book" seemed rather unfocused.
I read some descriptions describing this as a feel-good enemies to lovers rom-com, I would instead describe it as a melancholy drama with only some romance.
For an enemies to lovers story, none of the fights felt real, or the issues meaningful enough for Will and Casey to be arguing about. Most of the supporting characters were rather underdeveloped, which sadly meant that they just read as annoying. The pace was slow due to the almost constant inclusion of mansplaining sentences from the omniscient narrator telling us some unimportant random detail that broke any tension and slowed down the pacing of the book while the many over-detailed jokes tended to fall flat for me as they were often too long and lacked punch.
An earnest personal story with some good points that ultimately did not work for me.
Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing, for the e-arc.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Homophobia
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was really lovely.
I've been reading the author's works now for a couple of years. In fact, there's one work I reread yearly if not more than that, so when I saw that he was putting out a book, I preordered it. And it feels like what he excels at are these heavier topics and handling them with gentle hands and showing the nuance and those gray spaces. This was no different.
I was ready to throw hands for Will, very early on. And the town felt very real. I know this is a fictional town, but there are aspects of it, from growing up in a small town myself, that I could relate to.
I wish we got more Selma!
I've been reading the author's works now for a couple of years. In fact, there's one work I reread yearly if not more than that, so when I saw that he was putting out a book, I preordered it. And it feels like what he excels at are these heavier topics and handling them with gentle hands and showing the nuance and those gray spaces. This was no different.
I was ready to throw hands for Will, very early on. And the town felt very real. I know this is a fictional town, but there are aspects of it, from growing up in a small town myself, that I could relate to.
I wish we got more Selma!
Loved this!! perfect balance of romcom silliness and real depth, loved the whole cast of characters. Really satsfying romance with moments that made me laugh out loud
slow-paced
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I want to start with what I enjoyed. The premise of this story is really interesting and grabbed me. I also really like the depth of our MCs, Casey and Will, but especially Will. I could definitely easily empathize with many of his struggles. All that said, there was still a lot left to be desired here, and I think it boils down to the writing and editing. The storytelling often felt like it was dragging, some descriptions of scenes went on more than necessary (a scene about Will trying to figure out how to fix his car in the rain went on for five pages, and it added nothing to the story.) Many of Will's internal monologues were slightly repetitive and also dragged. I would catch my attention drifting during many of these moments. This also makes the story drift far away from the plot. Ultimately, if the writing was more concise, this would have been a hit. Although, I definitely see potential since the premise is solid, so I can see myself giving this author another shot.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.