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haileyhardcover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
As a death-positive, sober lesbian with ADHD who loves label makers, a good 3-ring binder, & road trips, and would love to write a book one day, I think this book was written specifically for me... I mean, it even contains the specific nickname I use for my favorite 7-year-old! š
Personal connections aside, this book is incredible. Alison Cochrun knows how to create well fleshed out, multi-dimensional characters who feel REAL and donāt just live in the little bubble of the story youāre reading, and I love that. I also really appreciated the ADHD representation, and showing how the same disorder can affect people so differently. I definitely identify more with Rosemaryās ADHD brain (a kind that people often donāt read as ADHD), but I have my Logan moments š
Can we talk about the skill it takes to weave a story about dying and grief into a romantic comedy and make it work? There is so much heart and care woven into this story. Joeās life and death is as central as the relationship between Rosemary and Logan, and each plot point makes the other better. All this to say, Alison Cochrun is for sure going on my auto-buy author list and you should definitely read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Cancer, Medical content, Cursing, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Alcohol, Mental illness, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Abandonment
Minor: Toxic friendship, Drug use, and Outing
booksbytheglass's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think something is broken in me, because after reading all of the amazing 5 star reads, I just ā¦ didnāt feel the same š which completely broke my heart since I adore alison cochrun and her style of writing!
I will say, this is 100% a sad contemporary romance with a lot of grief and death scattered around the plot so please take the time and read the trigger warnings to take care of your mental health first ā¤ļø
logan and rosemary used to be best friends in school and are now mortal enemies teaching at the same school - itās a tale as old as time! and throw in the best character of all time, joe, their former english teacher and you have a recipe for a perfect second chance romance!! except, I could NOT get over logan and rosemaryās charactersā¦ they were unlikable and selfish towards their own hearts (from putting on a brave face and joking around to hide a broken heart to expressing little to no care about the few that actually love them) š„“ I really didnāt like how logan projected her trauma and closed herself off from everyone by her selfish nature
while I understand that everyone goes through trauma differently, for a romance book, I want to be able to root for the characters, and I just did not feel that way about logan at all. the way she used others, including my sweet sweet joe, was not it for me.
speaking of joe, though, I absolutely adored him and cried so much because he SAVED the story for me š„¹š„² I wish everyone had a joe in their lives because I promise, the world would be in a better place
thank you to atria and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: finger lakes chardonnay
I will say, this is 100% a sad contemporary romance with a lot of grief and death scattered around the plot so please take the time and read the trigger warnings to take care of your mental health first ā¤ļø
logan and rosemary used to be best friends in school and are now mortal enemies teaching at the same school - itās a tale as old as time! and throw in the best character of all time, joe, their former english teacher and you have a recipe for a perfect second chance romance!! except, I could NOT get over logan and rosemaryās charactersā¦ they were unlikable and selfish towards their own hearts (from putting on a brave face and joking around to hide a broken heart to expressing little to no care about the few that actually love them) š„“ I really didnāt like how logan projected her trauma and closed herself off from everyone by her selfish nature
while I understand that everyone goes through trauma differently, for a romance book, I want to be able to root for the characters, and I just did not feel that way about logan at all. the way she used others, including my sweet sweet joe, was not it for me.
speaking of joe, though, I absolutely adored him and cried so much because he SAVED the story for me š„¹š„² I wish everyone had a joe in their lives because I promise, the world would be in a better place
thank you to atria and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: finger lakes chardonnay
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Cancer
Moderate: Outing and Homophobia
bookcasey's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Outing, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, Lesbophobia, Bullying, Classism, Drug abuse, Excrement, and Homophobia
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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
5.0
This is my favourite book Iāve read so far this year.
I loved Alison Cochrunās debut The Charm Offensive, and I read it all pretty much in one sitting, but this bookā¦. This book was different. It was special. I think it had so many more elements of things that I love in a way that it was written more for me than TCO could ever be: cross country road trips, sapphic love, friends to enemies to tentative allies to lovers, English teachers, girls with ADHD, a big dog, and of course, ABBA. An ode to grief and a treatise on love.
Sure, itās āa romcom about deathā as Alison pitched it, but itās hard to capture how much it is both a) a romcom, that has swoony romantic moments and laugh-out-loud funny jokes, and b) still very much entirely centred around death and loss.
I cried, I laughed, and I laugh-cried. This book was so beautiful and real and heartbreaking and joyous. A eulogy that truly was a celebration of life and all of the beauty and the pain that comes with it. Delightfully and fully queer through generations.
Although you always know whatās coming at the end, thatās not the point of the storyā itās the way that you get there thatās really important, with all the detours and roadblocks that come with. Itās about the ways in which we crack ourselves open and who we allow to see our brokenness on the way.
I canāt wait for this book to come out so that the rest of the world can read it. š©·šš§”
I loved Alison Cochrunās debut The Charm Offensive, and I read it all pretty much in one sitting, but this bookā¦. This book was different. It was special. I think it had so many more elements of things that I love in a way that it was written more for me than TCO could ever be: cross country road trips, sapphic love, friends to enemies to tentative allies to lovers, English teachers, girls with ADHD, a big dog, and of course, ABBA. An ode to grief and a treatise on love.
Sure, itās āa romcom about deathā as Alison pitched it, but itās hard to capture how much it is both a) a romcom, that has swoony romantic moments and laugh-out-loud funny jokes, and b) still very much entirely centred around death and loss.
I cried, I laughed, and I laugh-cried. This book was so beautiful and real and heartbreaking and joyous. A eulogy that truly was a celebration of life and all of the beauty and the pain that comes with it. Delightfully and fully queer through generations.
Although you always know whatās coming at the end, thatās not the point of the storyā itās the way that you get there thatās really important, with all the detours and roadblocks that come with. Itās about the ways in which we crack ourselves open and who we allow to see our brokenness on the way.
I canāt wait for this book to come out so that the rest of the world can read it. š©·šš§”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Cursing, Excrement, Medical content, Cancer, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Addiction
Minor: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Outing
uranaishi's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Sexual content
Moderate: Outing, Car accident, Bullying, Abandonment, Cursing, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Racism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Alcoholism
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