Scan barcode
beate251's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Abby Jimenez' books seem to have many similarities to each other. They all deal with difficult topics that are made worse by overuse of the miscommunication/ misunderstanding tropes, there is always a cute dog with a ridiculous name, a bearded man, the desire to have children, big feelings that border on obsession, and a couple of mentions of Nadia Cakes.
The characters are full of hangups about their families. Adrian hates his Mum's new husband who turns out to be his Dad, Vanessa's Dad is a hoarder, her brother a layabout and her sister a substance abuser. Her mother is dead and her other sister died from ALS. Vanessa thinks she has it too and thus she doesn't want Adrian to be more than a friend, which stands in direct contravention to her motto of not stressing about things until they are happening.
So in the first book we had "I can't be with him because I can't have kids", in the second it was "I can't be with him because he's famous" and now it's "I can't be with him because I'm dying". I mean, at least it's original.
I didn't like how the book essentially hammered home how Vanessa would die within a year and Adrian still didn't get it until very late because he didn't watch her videos, then he flipped out and demanded to have a say in how she dealt with it. It was all "I need, I need, I need." Totally selfish and tone deaf.
Also, everyone's problems seemed to get solved a little too neatly and quickly at the end. Hoarding is a mental illness. You can't overcome it in a few weeks with the help of a life coach.
I loved the click-bait chapter headlines, they were very authentic and funny.
The book is eminently readable and the big feelings will have many readers swoon. I think it's the best in the trilogy, but for me it's not up there yet with Just For The Summer.
Graphic: Terminal illness and Chronic illness
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Ableism
carmenvillaman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Addiction, Ableism, and Chronic illness
biojesspj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Chronic illness, Addiction, Grief, Ableism, and Death
Minor: Abandonment and Death of parent
katharina90's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
1.5
A baby is used as a prop and the way in which topics like addiction, mental illness and disability are handled feels off to me.
Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism and Cultural appropriation
cady_sass's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Also, marry me? Just kidding. Unless?
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Ableism, Car accident, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Addiction, and Panic attacks/disorders
karolinaz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death of parent, Addiction, Abandonment, Mental illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Ableism, Car accident, Sexual content, Medical content, Addiction, Drug abuse, Stalking, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
liz_not_bennet's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
It was worth it, though.
Moderate: Addiction, Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness
Minor: Ableism
yeojinqueen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Medical content, Abandonment, Addiction, Grief, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Ableism
zabeishumanish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, and Medical content
ASL is discussed at length in the book and several of the main character’s loved one died from it. The main character fears she also has ASL, ultimately though her medical issues aren’t chronic.