Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Next Of Kin

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Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Next Of Kin by Hannah Bonam-Young

97 reviews

haley49's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

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gracescanlon's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this!
My favorite things:
1. Deaf representation!
2.

Warren is a very giving lover, and has the sweetest and also the dirtiest mouth on him. Total hottie!

I was PRAYING the third-act conflict wouldn’t be either a breakup or Connie relapsing. Thank you, Ms. Bonam-Young, for taking a different tack!!!

A few things kept this from a higher score for me:
1. I wanted Chloe to be more verbally expressive to Warren about the nice things she thought about him. Not at his level (but SWOON!), but I felt like Warren deserved a little more verbal affection.
2. Chloe didn’t pick up on one of the things Warren said soon after moving in and repeated later in a more romantic context:

“I don’t want to be your friend.”

The second time he said it made his original intent obvious. Chloe didn’t make the connection, which was a little disappointing.
3. Whyyyyyy were we never shown Rachel’s visit to the apartment and evaluation of Chloe’s circumstances???? What a missed opportunity for some higher-stakes tension!
4. It was pretty insta-lovey, which on one hand makes sense (Chloe and Warren share v similar pasts in addition to their present similar situations), but on the other was a bit concerning, given both their traumas. Their repeated statements of wanting “forever” when they’ve known each other five months at most worried me.
5. Warren does a bit of a 180, personality-wise. The book is in first-person POV (Chloe’s POV), so it’s understandable that she might not have picked up on Warren’s more concealed positive attributes, but Chloe doesn’t comment on either her surprise or reflection with her new understandings of who Warren is. This and my second list point made Chloe seem entirely unobservant, which was frustrating.

TL;DR — Fast-paced and mildly steamy, but also heartwarming. I loved the recurrent themes of healing and forgiveness, as well as opening up to and being vulnerable with loved ones for deeper bonds.

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riminipowell's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

3.75

When people-pleasing Chloe learns that her birth mother has unexpectedly had another baby, she doesn’t hesitate to become a kinship carer, but at 24 and freshly graduated, she doesn’t meet CPS’ financial requirements… she has no choice but to join their new initiative where two prospective guardians join households to qualify. Enter Warren, a mechanic’s apprentice who is attempting to gain custody of his deaf fifteen-year-old brother.

I loved how this book started out, how two former foster kids were doing everything in their power to prevent their siblings from living the life that they did. Chloe and Warren’s companionship was nice to read. They both individually had a lot of demons but were a lot similar than they realised. There was some tension and the chemistry was written well UNTIL…. once it got more intimate and Chloe and Warren became an item, I found myself cringing. Perhaps it was just the way things were written, but it felt like I was reading two different books past the half way mark.

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0live_tr33's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.5

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greysun69's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

4.5⭐️ I loved this!! I don’t have children and don’t plan on adopting any but this book was heartwarming as hell.
The character development was beautiful.
Two people learning to adult while taking on the responsibility of becoming insta-parents. I loved the forgiveness aspect, the anxiety of the main character surrounding forming relationships.
The side characters were likable, even the birth mother I had sympathy for.
The conversations surrounding how the CPS system can function was so good.
The ROMANCE!! Slow burn, reluctant partners, Found family. The delayed gratification and the tension building was soo good. It took like 60% of the book for anything sexual to happen and I was okay with it because I was having a good time. The chemistry burned me up then after all that waiting the sex scenes had the nerve to be AMAZING.
The reverse alphabet? Yas!
Last but not least, NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP!
The thing that cost this book the .5 star was because I wish it spent more time discussing Warren’s outburst. I wanted there to be more recovery story for the mother and the adopted mom. Definitely recommending!!

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