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piperclover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
3.25
I really really wish this had at least one prolonged scene of Everett and Silas having a lengthy discussion about Adrian and about how they were going to move forward as a couple knowing that Everett will forever hold this grief. I don't think the author's intention was to make the reader feel like Adrian was being replaced but that's what I feel like happened. The ending doesn't really mention Adrian at all and since we never did get a discussion scene about Adrian that was heartfelt and genuine, I feel like Everett just got over his grief and his guilt and Adrian wasn't even really important in the end. We learned more about Silas's brother than we did about Adrian even though the entire book is supposed to be about how Everett has this grief from losing Adrian and he doesn't know how to get through it in order to love somebody else.
Actually, Everett just seems to get over everything. Adrian, the kidnapping at gunpoint, how he thought for his whole life that his grandfather was disappointed in him and homophobic too, that Silas says really mean things about him and their hook up to a friend. He shows no lasting effects of literally anything that happened to him beyond his guilt for forgetting Adrian. Once he and Silas get together nothing matters anymore and suddenly he's invincible and trauma and grief don't exist to him.
Silas complains numerous times throughout this book that the rumor mill in this tiny town is outrageous and that everything is a game of telephone so nobody knows the true facts of a situation and everyone knows your business so privacy isn't a thing. And then he goes and discusses an highly private matter of Everett's- that his husband died just over a year ago- in the middle of a public crowded bar to his best friend who Everett isn't friends with. It was so annoying and then it was followed up with Everett pretty much getting over it. He acknowledges, I think twice, that he is hurt and sad but then also says that he can't blame Silas so he's not actually mad about it even though I think that is a highly correct thing to be mad about. The climax of the book is ever it being kidnapped incognito by a the character that is supposed to be crazy because grief has addled his mind or something and Everett just doesn't care. He cries and at 1 point he says that he is terrified dying but he just gets over it and it's never brought up again and he has no PTSD or nightmares for anything. That is so unbelievably ridiculous.
On top of all of this I desperately wish that we had got in more of their relationship. It's pretty insta love And I wish that if it was going to be this immediate that we could have at least gotten an epilogue that was set more than a week in the future so that I could actually see how their relationship was working and how permanent they were.
I appreciate that this was not your standard small town romance book because I'm not a huge fan of small time romance to begin with so the major plot twist was entertaining. The mystery plot really helped me stay invested.
Actually, Everett just seems to get over everything. Adrian,
Silas complains numerous times throughout this book that the rumor mill in this tiny town is outrageous and that everything is a game of telephone so nobody knows the true facts of a situation and everyone knows your business so privacy isn't a thing. And then he goes and discusses an highly private matter of Everett's- that his husband died just over a year ago- in the middle of a public crowded bar to his best friend who Everett isn't friends with. It was so annoying and then it was followed up with Everett pretty much getting over it. He acknowledges, I think twice, that he is hurt and sad but then also says that he can't blame Silas so he's not actually mad about it even though I think that is a highly correct thing to be mad about. The climax of the book is ever it being kidnapped incognito by a the character that is supposed to be crazy because grief has addled his mind or something and Everett just doesn't care. He cries and at 1 point he says that he is terrified dying but he just gets over it and it's never brought up again and he has no PTSD or nightmares for anything. That is so unbelievably ridiculous.
On top of all of this I desperately wish that we had got in more of their relationship. It's pretty insta love And I wish that if it was going to be this immediate that we could have at least gotten an epilogue that was set more than a week in the future so that I could actually see how their relationship was working and how permanent they were.
I appreciate that this was not your standard small town romance book because I'm not a huge fan of small time romance to begin with so the major plot twist was entertaining. The mystery plot really helped me stay invested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Stalking, and Blood
fuzzywilson's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Car accident, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood and Deadnaming
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