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lostinabookishworld's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This had a lot more emotional depth that I was expecting and the story sucked me in right from the beginning because I was so intrigued by what was keeping our two main characters apart. As more information is slowly revealed, I couldn't stop reading and was excited to see how everything was going to work out.
I really loved how Harlow and Conor's relationship grew over the course of the book and how they were able to actually get to know each other outside of their shared messy family situation. The dual POV was perfect, I love it when we get to see the guy fall hard and then keep falling, and the individual insight we get from each of them was great. While the third act break up was slightly predictable I liked how the book ended.
I really loved how Harlow and Conor's relationship grew over the course of the book and how they were able to actually get to know each other outside of their shared messy family situation. The dual POV was perfect, I love it when we get to see the guy fall hard and then keep falling, and the individual insight we get from each of them was great. While the third act break up was slightly predictable I liked how the book ended.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
forgottencupoftea's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Infidelity, and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
ringthatbelle's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book had its ups and downs. It started poorly and ended on a high note. I’ve found Farnsworth’s books to be extremely hit or miss and this feels more like a miss than a hit. The beginning read like early fan fiction. It had way too much meaningless details and explanation. It even included the quintessential “swipe of mascara.” There were also some dumb errors in the book that could be fixed with just one more read through. Otherwise, I enjoyed it. The story came together in the end and it was an original conflict dynamic. I really enjoyed Harlow and Conor as characters and appreciated that not everything magically fixed and forgotten in the epilogue. I would have preferred to see them more as an established couple before the epilogue though. Overall, I enjoyed the book by the end and will read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
hjb_128's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Death of parent
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I’ve enjoyed every book by CW Farnsworth that I’ve read, but this was definitely my favorite! I absolutely adored this book! I loved Conor and Harlow. First of all, they’re a Naley retelling, so they just gave me such nostalgia for one of the greatest fictional couples to ever exist. Beyond that, I just loved the premise of their intense feelings of avoidance turning into intense feelings of longing.
I really enjoyed their individual POVs. Both POVs felt like individual experiences in a way I haven’t experienced with many Dual POV romcoms. They felt like two very distinct people telling a story of slowly falling in love with another person.
Disclaimer: I read the updated version, which I highly recommend! I read parts of the original to compare and I loved the changes that were made!
So I’ve read a lot of hockey romances, but I think I’ve never been as invested in a fictional hockey team’s record as I was in this book! Conor made me passionate about keeping a perfect record because he was so passionate about it! He was also so funny! I found myself laughing at almost all of his smirky lines. One of the things that I liked most about his character was how complex he was, having serious dad issues while also growing to be a great friend, teammate, and partner for Harlow. I also like how his feelings towards his dad and brother don’t just get automatically fixed overnight like they would in many similar stories. I also think he was very romantic, especially that speech at the end (iykyk).
It was really nice to see Harlow happy! You could really sense her desire to find peace and a home at the beginning of the story and I loved how she found that in the most unlikely of places. I thought her feelings for being stuck between Conor and the Garrisons was extremely realistic. Part of what I love most about CW Farnsworth’s writing is how I can really feel the emotions of her characters, especially Harlow. While I was pretty firmly on Team Conor’s side during his POVs, I felt seriously conflicted when reading Harlow’s POV. All she really wanted was an ocean, her bestie, and her boyfriend, and I felt her struggle to get what she wanted.
If you’re a fan of One Tree Hill, like I clearly am, you’ll love this book! It has the Lucas-Haley-Nathan vibes plus all of the sports drama that I loved!
I’ve been having a lot of problems with getting distracted while reading and I read through this book so easily! It captured my attention and I had no problem staying focused whenever I had time to read it! I feel like it’s possibly saved me from a book slump because I’m so excited to start Against All Odds!
I really enjoyed their individual POVs. Both POVs felt like individual experiences in a way I haven’t experienced with many Dual POV romcoms. They felt like two very distinct people telling a story of slowly falling in love with another person.
Disclaimer: I read the updated version, which I highly recommend! I read parts of the original to compare and I loved the changes that were made!
So I’ve read a lot of hockey romances, but I think I’ve never been as invested in a fictional hockey team’s record as I was in this book! Conor made me passionate about keeping a perfect record because he was so passionate about it! He was also so funny! I found myself laughing at almost all of his smirky lines. One of the things that I liked most about his character was how complex he was, having serious dad issues while also growing to be a great friend, teammate, and partner for Harlow. I also like how his feelings towards his dad and brother don’t just get automatically fixed overnight like they would in many similar stories. I also think he was very romantic, especially that speech at the end (iykyk).
It was really nice to see Harlow happy! You could really sense her desire to find peace and a home at the beginning of the story and I loved how she found that in the most unlikely of places. I thought her feelings for being stuck between Conor and the Garrisons was extremely realistic. Part of what I love most about CW Farnsworth’s writing is how I can really feel the emotions of her characters, especially Harlow. While I was pretty firmly on Team Conor’s side during his POVs, I felt seriously conflicted when reading Harlow’s POV. All she really wanted was an ocean, her bestie, and her boyfriend, and I felt her struggle to get what she wanted.
If you’re a fan of One Tree Hill, like I clearly am, you’ll love this book! It has the Lucas-Haley-Nathan vibes plus all of the sports drama that I loved!
I’ve been having a lot of problems with getting distracted while reading and I read through this book so easily! It captured my attention and I had no problem staying focused whenever I had time to read it! I feel like it’s possibly saved me from a book slump because I’m so excited to start Against All Odds!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
emilygibbs's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief and Alcohol
britbrit29's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
embelle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is my first C.W. Farnsworth book, and I enjoyed it overall!! As a huge hockey fan for many years, I enjoyed all of the hockey content/references, and honestly would have been happy with more!! I also felt like the book had good pacing, as I was able to get it read all it one day.
There were many choices that different characters made that I didn’t totally love, and the ending felt somewhat rushed, so it wasn’t my favorite contemporary romance ever. But, all in all, I had a good time while reading the book and am looking forward to discussing it at my book club’s next meeting!
There were many choices that different characters made that I didn’t totally love, and the ending felt somewhat rushed, so it wasn’t my favorite contemporary romance ever. But, all in all, I had a good time while reading the book and am looking forward to discussing it at my book club’s next meeting!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Death, Abandonment, Car accident, and Death of parent
c45p1n's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol and Abandonment
maniyannah's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Just such a feel good book! I thought it was really cute, and sweet. The main relationship felt super geniuine and was vey fun to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment