Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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:
No
No one: "I bet you can't use the word butthole in a non sexual context 10 times"
Abby Jimenez: "BET"
I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book!
The MC, Samantha, had me audibly cackling with her humor. Revenge auditing is petty brilliance and there were so many quotes I'm stashing away that absolutely require context.
This wasn't my favorite, but I did enjoy it enough that I would recommend it to others. I found there were to many subplots for me that weren't a value add and actually took away from the core themes of the book. I was always rooting for Xavier & Samantha though and I loved the themes of parallel lives and tiny moments with a big impact.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this unfortunately wasn’t my favorite… too insta-lovey, the middle absolutely dragged, and i didn’t really like the characters. also, i am begging romance/literary fiction authors to stop putting pop culture references in their books. it is so corny and really dates the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Infidelity, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol
Minor: Gaslighting
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse
Minor: Death
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Adding this to the list of my favorite books. Could not recommend more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse
emotional
funny
sad
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Dementia
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
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
Abby Jiminez never disappoints. This book was truly lovely. One of the main critiques I’ve heard of this book is that it’s “depressing” or “too sad for a romance” but I think this book perfectly portrayed how that’s just how life can be sometimes ya know? This book was just a snip of a season of Samantha’s life and that season was HARD. When it rains it pours. It’s a beautiful depiction of how real that is. I also think that one of the marks of growth in writing is navigating the world of transitioning from majorly spice heavy books to closed door romance where it was very apparent that the characters had love and lust for each other. Abby did that beautifully in this story.
My one qualm is the mentioning of Rhysand lol that really won’t age well….
My one qualm is the mentioning of Rhysand lol that really won’t age well….
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent
lighthearted
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death, Infidelity
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Excellent book. Abby Jimenez is a great writer. This story wasn’t my favorite by her but I still enjoyed and zipped through it on audio in two days. Lots of emotions in this one.
The reason it wasn’t a 5 star for me is the content was a lot heavier than the cover art and book description implies and it was less about romance and more about family conflict and the challenges of dementia. I will recommend this to anyone who wants to feel seen who is going through a similar struggle with their family, because wow it felt very real and accurate, but it wasn’t as much fun for me to read as her other stories. I think the combo of heaviness to lightheartedness wasn’t as balanced as her other books, as it skewed on the sadder heavier side to me. Nothing wrong with that, but I go to romance books for their fun and lightness, even if including heavy topics (which I typically enjoy depth there), it needs a balance and maybe slightly more of the romcom aspect for me.
The other small thing was there weren’t really any side characters that felt fully fleshed out, and typically her stories have amazing side characters.
I will continue to read anything Abby Jimenez writes and understand why many people will absolutely love this book.
The reason it wasn’t a 5 star for me is the content was a lot heavier than the cover art and book description implies and it was less about romance and more about family conflict and the challenges of dementia. I will recommend this to anyone who wants to feel seen who is going through a similar struggle with their family, because wow it felt very real and accurate, but it wasn’t as much fun for me to read as her other stories. I think the combo of heaviness to lightheartedness wasn’t as balanced as her other books, as it skewed on the sadder heavier side to me. Nothing wrong with that, but I go to romance books for their fun and lightness, even if including heavy topics (which I typically enjoy depth there), it needs a balance and maybe slightly more of the romcom aspect for me.
The other small thing was there weren’t really any side characters that felt fully fleshed out, and typically her stories have amazing side characters.
I will continue to read anything Abby Jimenez writes and understand why many people will absolutely love this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death
emotional
funny
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Death
Minor: Animal death