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lizzv's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
ghostlycreature's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
aliu6's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
Following a horrific crash in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Aspen Archer has never skied competitively again. Not only did the crash steal her confidence, but it also caused her fiancee to leave her. Years later, Aspen spends her days coaching tourists at various ski resorts around the world, trying not to let the pain and anxiety overtake her. When she meets Cate Tierney after giving a lesson to her daughter, the attraction between the two women is instant. But Cate has past hurts of her own and is reluctant to start anything serious with Aspen. Will Aspen and Cate find love, or is the fear from the past too hard to overcome?
cw: abusive past relationship, past drug addiction, self harm (by side character, briefly mentioned), parental deaths (briefly mentioned), homophobic bullying (briefly mentioned), descriptions of severe injuries
Ah, E.J. Noyes did not disappoint. This was a really great read.
The Characters: The story is told from Aspen's point of view, so we get more of her backstory. She's really likable and down-to-earth, but she also has some issues to sort through. It was great to watch Aspen's growth throughout the book. Cate is more mature and sophisticated, and she's kind of like that childhood crush that you have on the girl who's a few grades older because you think she's really cool. Even so, as we get to know Cate more through Aspen, we see that she has her own insecurities. Both MCs are well-rounded and real. The side characters are also great, especially Cate's daughter, Gemma.
The Romance: I really enjoy age gap romances, and Cate and Aspen are about 8 years apart. Despite the gap, they are really well-suited for each other, and their chemistry is obvious. I love all the sides to their romance that we got to see, from the longing, to the sweet, cute moments, to the angst, to the hot sex.
The Plot: Besides the romance, the story mostly centers on Aspen's road to recovery, which, as I said before, is great to watch. I found the book to be really engaging and nothing ever dragged or felt rushed.
The Writing: Great, as usual. I liked how I could get a feel for Aspen's voice through her narration. The dialogue was also great, very realistic and served to move the plot forward.
Other notes: I took off .5 stars because as great as the book was, I didn't experience the 'wow' factor where I just had to keep reading. Also, I'm hard up about giving out a full 5 stars.
All in all, this was an engaging and well-executed story. Definitely check this out if you haven't already.
Following a horrific crash in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Aspen Archer has never skied competitively again. Not only did the crash steal her confidence, but it also caused her fiancee to leave her. Years later, Aspen spends her days coaching tourists at various ski resorts around the world, trying not to let the pain and anxiety overtake her. When she meets Cate Tierney after giving a lesson to her daughter, the attraction between the two women is instant. But Cate has past hurts of her own and is reluctant to start anything serious with Aspen. Will Aspen and Cate find love, or is the fear from the past too hard to overcome?
cw: abusive past relationship, past drug addiction, self harm (by side character, briefly mentioned), parental deaths (briefly mentioned), homophobic bullying (briefly mentioned), descriptions of severe injuries
Ah, E.J. Noyes did not disappoint. This was a really great read.
The Characters: The story is told from Aspen's point of view, so we get more of her backstory. She's really likable and down-to-earth, but she also has some issues to sort through. It was great to watch Aspen's growth throughout the book. Cate is more mature and sophisticated, and she's kind of like that childhood crush that you have on the girl who's a few grades older because you think she's really cool. Even so, as we get to know Cate more through Aspen, we see that she has her own insecurities. Both MCs are well-rounded and real. The side characters are also great, especially Cate's daughter, Gemma.
The Romance: I really enjoy age gap romances, and Cate and Aspen are about 8 years apart. Despite the gap, they are really well-suited for each other, and their chemistry is obvious. I love all the sides to their romance that we got to see, from the longing, to the sweet, cute moments, to the angst, to the hot sex.
The Plot: Besides the romance, the story mostly centers on Aspen's road to recovery, which, as I said before, is great to watch. I found the book to be really engaging and nothing ever dragged or felt rushed.
The Writing: Great, as usual. I liked how I could get a feel for Aspen's voice through her narration. The dialogue was also great, very realistic and served to move the plot forward.
Other notes: I took off .5 stars because as great as the book was, I didn't experience the 'wow' factor where I just had to keep reading. Also, I'm hard up about giving out a full 5 stars.
All in all, this was an engaging and well-executed story. Definitely check this out if you haven't already.
banrions's review against another edition
3.0
This was a 3.5ish stars for me. Which apparently puts me slightly in the minority, considering all the reviews I’ve read absolutely loving this wholeheartedly. This is the second book I’ve read by E.J. Noyes (the first being Turbulence) and like that one, I enjoyed this but I didn’t love it. This comes down to more personal preference things than a poorly written or executed book.
I’m not a huge fan of first person narration anymore, but I can get behind it. However, when it comes to romance, I always would much rather get both POVs (or more, if it’s poly) and actually see both parties falling in love, and be able to get inside their heads, rather than stick with only one character. I really wanted to hear Cate’s pov!! I also thought that the romance was a bit too instalove for my tastes. Aspen was basically ALL IN after a three week vacation, and then with the time split after they get back together, it’s careening pretty quickly into Uhaul and possible marriage in what felt like sooo quickly that I just found myself telling characters to shut up and stop moving so fast and essentially, yelling at my audiobook. (Which, is not new for me, I yell out loud at characters all the damn time when I read books). I also think that I somehow totally missed that i might have been checked out while listening when that came up or something and missed it, but it threw me. I was also surprised that Danielle and her kids just sort of disappear in the second half of the book. Iirc, they said they were like Cate’s neighbors or something, so it surprised me that they never made another appearance or were even mentioned again after the vacation.
I did absolutely LOVE Abby Craden’s narration. The voice she gave Gemma, in particular made me adore her. I enjoyed this and I’ll check out more from this author, became I hear nothing but great things and maybe I’ll connect a bit more with another one.
I’m not a huge fan of first person narration anymore, but I can get behind it. However, when it comes to romance, I always would much rather get both POVs (or more, if it’s poly) and actually see both parties falling in love, and be able to get inside their heads, rather than stick with only one character. I really wanted to hear Cate’s pov!! I also thought that the romance was a bit too instalove for my tastes. Aspen was basically ALL IN after a three week vacation, and then with the time split after they get back together, it’s careening pretty quickly into Uhaul and possible marriage in what felt like sooo quickly that I just found myself telling characters to shut up and stop moving so fast and essentially, yelling at my audiobook. (Which, is not new for me, I yell out loud at characters all the damn time when I read books). I also think that I somehow totally missed that
Spoiler
Cate’s ex was abusive? I got that she didn’t really want Gemma, and was a manipulative, but later on when Aspen was talking about her thinking she’s might hit her or something, I was really confused and thrown off.I did absolutely LOVE Abby Craden’s narration. The voice she gave Gemma, in particular made me adore her. I enjoyed this and I’ll check out more from this author, became I hear nothing but great things and maybe I’ll connect a bit more with another one.
misha_ali's review
4.0
Realistic characters, relatable personal challenges and an interesting setting make this one another winner from Noyes. I enjoy stories about adults bonding with younger people and learning more about themselves through interacting and caring for them so this was a really interesting and enjoyable read for me.
paris22690's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
jennabeebs79's review against another edition
5.0
EJ Noyes is an amazing author. I’ve read all of her books and can’t believe I missed this one. I decided to purchase the audiobook since I’m an Abby Craden fan. EJ Noyes is a master at writing in first person and this is told from Aspen’s POV. Even though readers are in Aspen’s head we still learn so much about Kate through Aspen. This is an amazing journey and I loved all of the characters. Aspen’s changes from both internal and external forces was written with such care. Abby Craden’s narration was fantastic, as always making this one of my true favorites!
jalialynn's review against another edition
5.0
single parent/sports romance with sapphics & chronic pain rep? Yes pls. this book was so cutee it made me laugh cry and smile. 100% recommend
mellowy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
alicesometimesreads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
The audiobook narrator has a nice voice! I enjoyed! Have listened to a bunch of Abby Craden's work and enjoyed each one :)) Happy queer vibes with nice main characters!