Reviews with content warning for Incest - Amor, teoricamente

Reviews tagging 'Incest'

Amor, teoricamente by Ali Hazelwood

4 reviews

pastellasilver's review against another edition

4.75

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I did really adore Elsie as a main character and found myself incapable of putting the book down even tho I pulled an allnighter for it. Elsie's feelings and people pleasing tendencies hit a little too close to home, making reading the book an experience that was somewhat healing. The way Ali Hazelwood wrote the ever racing mind of Elsie had me in a tight grip all the way from the beginning to the end and made me be impatient and resentful at the same time to finally read the ending of a book I loved so much I didn't want it to end.

Content Warnings

lunep's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Whoever said that this was Ali Hazelwood's best book yet (which was the statement that made me curious enough to give it a try after the disaster that was Love on the Brain) was, I'm afraid, correct. Whoever they were, iirc they said that this book took what worked in Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain and bettered, and again, they were correct.
There were, of course, things that i didn't enjoy and made me roll my eyes, but overall I was surprised to find myself enjoying the book and the love interest (to the point I basically read it through the night, only going to sleep at 5 am after telling myself "bitch you've been awake for 24 hours, what are you doing?").
Elsie was, at first, SO fucking annoying. I felt deeply for her (bc her family was also SO shitty) and I could understand her, but at the same time I was like "for god's sake gIRL. Grow a fucking spine jesus christ" (mostly when it came to her mother, who I wanted to punch in the face), but through the power of character development I actually started to like her and root for her

(it was soo satisfying when she finally told her mom to fuck off)

.
Jack was swoony and hot, but sometimes I felt he could be somewhat patronizing/condescending towards Elsie

(and I'm glad that she called him out on it)

.
The friends were fun, and I specially loved Cece and George (who tbf were the one's that got more airtime). Cece and Elsie's relationship was adorable, and I loved that Cece was so understanding with Elsie

specially when she admitted to Cece that she actually didn't like her artsy movies and had been lying to her (for 7 years!!! Which is crazy, actually, but it truly goes to show that Cece understood bc she didn't even get mad)

.
On the other hand, I did not enjoy one of Ali's trademarks: the protagonist is ohhh so average (in looks, size and everything. Elsie even says so in chapter 1 or 2) and the love interest is a huge towering mass of muscles that engulfs the MC (

and of course his dick is huge too, and there's even a scene where Elsie has to use her <i>two</i> hands to wrap around him and I was like 🙄🙄🙄 oh my god, but anyway

) and is also head over heels for her from the moment he saw her, even tho she thinks he hates her bc he has resting bitch face and also due to misunderstandings.
And I also realized that, for me, it feels as if the female character's interests where selected from a roulette of "quirky interests" or something. In this case, Elsie LOVES cheese above all else, and thinks the Twilight serie's movies are a masterpiece but is a diehard Bellice shipper; WHICH, are NOT weird things!! No shame to any girl that likes cheese and/or is a twilight fan!!! Like, I'm on tumblr too, I get it!!! But while irl I wouldn't bat an eye, for some reason when in fiction it just seems...like trying too hard to be able to say "my characters aren't 2-dymensional!". And it doesn't happen only with Elsie, Cece (the second most developed female character, I would say, due to the book being in Elsie's POV and her being Elsies BFF and roommate of 7 years) has a hedgehog pet called "Hedgelizabeth Bennet" ("Hedgie" for short), is also obsessed with cheese, and only watches old, artsy movies; and it reminded me of how in LotB, Bee would always be thinking "What would Marie Curie do...?" (Which became annoying really fucking fast lmao).
And, to finish the "cons", the epilogue was kind of underwhelming 😔😔😔

I loved seeing how Elsie's life had bettered in the 8 months between the incidents of the book and the epilogue itself, but when she started talking about her surprise for Jack I was so sure she was going to ask him to marry her that the note she gave him left me underwhelmed (even tho I know she basically was telling him that he loved her, which was huge for her!!)

But overall, as I said, I did like it. I found myself laughing sometimes, and swooning over Jack, and I also cried for Elsie a couple times. It is, definitely, my favorite Ali Hazelwood book.

Content Warnings