Scan barcode
tuckysinclaire's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Death, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Religious bigotry and Lesbophobia
hmatt's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were parts of this that were very cute, and I think the characterization of the MCs were pretty well done, but I was disappointed by the flimsy fake-dating. It felt sloppily inserted into their otherwise much darker, more challenging (and WAY more interesting) lives. I also wasn't a fan of how the author repeatedly side-steps describing important events by inserting a plot twist - this is hard to describe without spoilers, but it's something that I noticed after it happened more than twice. It felt lazy, and I guess laziness is the main issue I had with the book. The gay-is-okay is a little on the nose at times, and there is a very bad trope-y stalker ex plot that doesn't get resolved!!! that I would describe as lazy too. It makes for a weird balance when these bits intersect with the nuanced, well-done exploration of tough topics like mental health and terminal family illness. I felt these serious bits were well done most of the time, but even some of these don't get resolved at the end .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Stalking, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Biphobia and Religious bigotry
alyssamayreads's review
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Homophobia
cgoedel's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I was looking for a lighthearted queer romance, but was surprised to find really emotional situations and nothing too cliche even though it was full of typical tropes. I wish there would've been a little more closure with a couple conflicts, but this is my new favorite romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexism and Religious bigotry
Minor: Transphobia and Sexual harassment
rickireadss's review against another edition
2.5
thank you to netgalley for the earc!
i wanted to like this more than i did, and i'm sad that it just didn't live up. while there were some aspects i liked, the bad heavily outweighed the good for me.
****potential spoilers below****
what i liked:
- our mc olive -> i related to a lot of her inner monologue and overall really liked her.
- olive's brother jake -> even though he wasn't even an active character, i could feel their love for each other.
what i didn't like:
- the love interest, stella -> she seemed like SUCH a flat character, and this may be due to the single pov. i honestly could not deal with her back and forth with olive, of wanting to be just friends or wanting to blur the lines. also, the fact that it wasn't made known that she was Latina until 25% in felt like that was just added in last minute. besides her mentioning it one or twice and her dad calling her mija or mijita, the rep felt really underdeveloped.
- ALL of olive's family (besides jake obvi). -> her sister needed to grow a backbone. her parents were THE WORST. i literally could not deal with them everytime they were on page. their treatment of olive was so uncalled for and i wish she had gone no-contact with them ages ago, but like i also know why she didn't. her mother rubbed me wrong the most and quickly made my list of "characters i hate".
- the side character lindsay -> not only was she a manipulative, selfish, ableist piece of shit, but i don't feel like olive truly dealt with what she did throughout the book but especially at the end. there wasn't really OW drama, but her constant addition to the plot was uncalled for and wasn't resolved.
there is probably more i didn't like, but i am tired of thinking of this book. i loved olive, i really like this cover, but this one just didn't do it for me.
⚠️: death, grief, toxic relationship (past ex), religious bigotry, gaslighting, emotional abuse, ableism, chronic illness (celiac), panic attacks/disorders, terminal illness (Parkinson's), lesbophobia, homophobia, misogyny, transphobia, medical content, car accident
i wanted to like this more than i did, and i'm sad that it just didn't live up. while there were some aspects i liked, the bad heavily outweighed the good for me.
****potential spoilers below****
what i liked:
- our mc olive -> i related to a lot of her inner monologue and overall really liked her.
- olive's brother jake -> even though he wasn't even an active character, i could feel their love for each other.
what i didn't like:
- the love interest, stella -> she seemed like SUCH a flat character, and this may be due to the single pov. i honestly could not deal with her back and forth with olive, of wanting to be just friends or wanting to blur the lines. also, the fact that it wasn't made known that she was Latina until 25% in felt like that was just added in last minute. besides her mentioning it one or twice and her dad calling her mija or mijita, the rep felt really underdeveloped.
- ALL of olive's family (besides jake obvi). -> her sister needed to grow a backbone. her parents were THE WORST. i literally could not deal with them everytime they were on page. their treatment of olive was so uncalled for and i wish she had gone no-contact with them ages ago, but like i also know why she didn't. her mother rubbed me wrong the most and quickly made my list of "characters i hate".
- the side character lindsay -> not only was she a manipulative, selfish, ableist piece of shit, but i don't feel like olive truly dealt with what she did throughout the book but especially at the end. there wasn't really OW drama, but her constant addition to the plot was uncalled for and wasn't resolved.
there is probably more i didn't like, but i am tired of thinking of this book. i loved olive, i really like this cover, but this one just didn't do it for me.
⚠️: death, grief, toxic relationship (past ex), religious bigotry, gaslighting, emotional abuse, ableism, chronic illness (celiac), panic attacks/disorders, terminal illness (Parkinson's), lesbophobia, homophobia, misogyny, transphobia, medical content, car accident
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Ableism, Death, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Chronic illness, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, and Misogyny
Minor: Car accident and Transphobia
coligmueller's review against another edition
5.0
What an amazing debut! Very rarely have I read a book and been so impressed by how well written and fleshed out!
Additionally, though Fly With Me has been on my TBR for a while, I was slighlty hesitant because I’m not the biggest fan of fake dating, but the trope worked so well in this book! I loved that the majority of the relationship development happened outside of the fake dating, and that both characters had fully developed lives apart from each other.
Typically when so much happens in a book this length, there are parts that feel rushed, or moments that feel unnecessary, but every scene seemed to build so well onto the story!
*Possible Spoiler
Typically by the end of a book, especially one which deals with loss and grief, I want the end to have complete closure. However, I so appreciated that Olive did not rush to make peace with the members of her family who hurt her . Often there are moments towards the end of a book like this one, which focus entirely on, what seems to me to be, very forced and often manipulated forgiveness. It was so refreshing to see a character not cave to the pressure to forgive for the sake of not being difficult!
Additionally, though Fly With Me has been on my TBR for a while, I was slighlty hesitant because I’m not the biggest fan of fake dating, but the trope worked so well in this book! I loved that the majority of the relationship development happened outside of the fake dating, and that both characters had fully developed lives apart from each other.
Typically when so much happens in a book this length, there are parts that feel rushed, or moments that feel unnecessary, but every scene seemed to build so well onto the story!
*Possible Spoiler
Typically by the end of a book, especially one which deals with loss and grief, I want the end to have complete closure. However, I so appreciated that Olive did not rush to make peace with the members of her family who hurt her . Often there are moments towards the end of a book like this one, which focus entirely on, what seems to me to be, very forced and often manipulated forgiveness. It was so refreshing to see a character not cave to the pressure to forgive for the sake of not being difficult!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Religious bigotry, Death, and Grief
kayladaila's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is a very sweet sapphic romance! Olive is on her way to run a Disney marathon when, on her very first flight, she has to save someone’s life. Through that experience, she meets Stella, one of the pilots. Stella thinks that if her and Olive fake a relationship, it will help her get a promotion. Drama obviously ensues. I loved this book because the characters and experiences felt so realistic. There were moments where I was laughing and other moments where I was having a panic attack right next to Olive. The side characters and personal growth stories for both characters were also very meaningful. I highly recommend this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Biphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Chronic illness, and Stalking
Minor: Lesbophobia and Death of parent
More...