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thefatpaperback's review
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Grief, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Car accident
aliyahreads00000's review
emotional
lighthearted
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
5.0
I love this book so much. The characters are amazing and the quotes are perfection. No part of this book was bad.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Racism, and Abandonment
hellowildflower's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Abandonment, and Sexual content
carolinareadz's review against another edition
- 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
i loved their relationship so much, the way they understood each other, were there for the other
i didn’t like a thing that khai’s mom said to quan about him needing to leave nyc to be there for his brother for not ending up as shitty as his father. like wtf?! that’s not something you say, not to anyone but especially to your son. he has this pressure on him, to be there for his brother and to help and understand and do everything his father couldn’t do. i feel like that’s messing him up, i’m excited to see his journey and thoughts on the next book.
stella and michael’s wedding omg tears, michael nervous and the fact that the wedding was without everybody’s shoes CRYING
andy’s storyline was so sad, when khai revealed that andy died when he was on his way to him and then the fact that khai never invited someone to hang out with him at his house was so heartbreaking.
i would’ve liked to see more of his journey on trying to accept this obvious change and the eventual conversations with esme about it. also the evolution of their relationship.
i didn’t like a thing that khai’s mom said to quan about him needing to leave nyc to be there for his brother for not ending up as shitty as his father. like wtf?! that’s not something you say, not to anyone but especially to your son. he has this pressure on him, to be there for his brother and to help and understand and do everything his father couldn’t do. i feel like that’s messing him up, i’m excited to see his journey and thoughts on the next book.
stella and michael’s wedding omg tears, michael nervous and the fact that the wedding was without everybody’s shoes CRYING
andy’s storyline was so sad, when khai revealed that andy died when he was on his way to him and then the fact that khai never invited someone to hang out with him at his house was so heartbreaking.
i would’ve liked to see more of his journey on trying to accept this obvious change and the eventual conversations with esme about it. also the evolution of their relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment
kdailyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Sexual content, Classism, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Ableism, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
christinemcgoveran's review
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.0
This was an enjoyable read, although not as much as the other books in the series. It is not necessary to read the books in the series order. It was nice to revisit the characters I had met in the other books. I found the ending of the book to be a bit preposterous and I didn't like how Khai was blackmailed/forced to make a decision. As the author herself is neurodivergent, I feel like she is able to put her own life experience into Khai's character. I am now more interested to read books with neurodivergent characters.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Car accident, and Grief
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Abandonment, and Car accident
bedtimesandbooks's review
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Abandonment, Classism, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Grief, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Racism
katsbooks's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
"Her history didn't define her. Her origins didn't define her."
“Everyone deserved to love and be loved back. Everyone.”
Khai and Esme are so stinking sweet. I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually teared up a couple of times while reading this book. That rarely happens to me. If a book can make me emotional, it's definitely a keeper. I really loved how we got to see Khai work through his emotions and how his autism was portrayed, in general. On one hand, I would have liked more discussion on it but, on the other, I really kind of dug how his autism was just part of who he was and wasn't a sign that something was wrong with him. The steam in this novel was definitely less than in the Kiss Quotient but I think the emotions were heightened in this one. It could also be that I just loved the characters that much. I really loved Esme. It's so rare to see the immigrant experience in romance novels. I loved that she took classes at an adult school and was so fierce and confident, while also being incredibly emotional and vulnerable. She was so multi-faceted and I'm totally here for it! I definitely wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book given that the premise is that Khai's mom convinces Esme to fly half way around the world to try and seduce him but I think the author handled the subject well and I ended up really loving how the leads fell for each other. My only real gripe is the ending. It felt like it wrapped up entirely too quickly and neatly. It's already just a little north of 300 pages so it feels like some things may have been cut/not addressed for the purpose of page count but Khai meeting Jade and Esme meeting Gleaves should have been much bigger moments than they were. I definitely would have liked to see more interaction in both of those relationships. Other than that, this was a fabulous follow-up to the Kiss Quotient. I can't wait to read Quan's story in the Heart Principle!
“Everyone deserved to love and be loved back. Everyone.”
Khai and Esme are so stinking sweet. I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually teared up a couple of times while reading this book. That rarely happens to me. If a book can make me emotional, it's definitely a keeper. I really loved how we got to see Khai work through his emotions and how his autism was portrayed, in general. On one hand, I would have liked more discussion on it but, on the other, I really kind of dug how his autism was just part of who he was and wasn't a sign that something was wrong with him. The steam in this novel was definitely less than in the Kiss Quotient but I think the emotions were heightened in this one. It could also be that I just loved the characters that much. I really loved Esme. It's so rare to see the immigrant experience in romance novels. I loved that she took classes at an adult school and was so fierce and confident, while also being incredibly emotional and vulnerable. She was so multi-faceted and I'm totally here for it! I definitely wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book given that the premise is that Khai's mom convinces Esme to fly half way around the world to try and seduce him but I think the author handled the subject well and I ended up really loving how the leads fell for each other. My only real gripe is the ending. It felt like it wrapped up entirely too quickly and neatly. It's already just a little north of 300 pages so it feels like some things may have been cut/not addressed for the purpose of page count but Khai meeting Jade and Esme meeting Gleaves should have been much bigger moments than they were. I definitely would have liked to see more interaction in both of those relationships. Other than that, this was a fabulous follow-up to the Kiss Quotient. I can't wait to read Quan's story in the Heart Principle!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment and Addiction
Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, Car accident, and Child death
arthisthoe's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Abandonment