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amy_in_the_city's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Ableism, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Classism, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Alcohol, and Car accident
reminiscences's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
beccam22's review against another edition
4.0
The mental health and chronic pain rep in this book was amazing. The feeling of being a burden to others while also learning to accept help when needed was beautiful.
The rediscovering yourself after previous relationships was handled okay. I think it handled it better than most books but still felt like they relied on each other as the reason why to change and grow rather than for themselves.
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, Sexual content, Abandonment, Ableism, Chronic illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Eating disorder, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
errie's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Chronic illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Ableism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Physical abuse
bucklace27's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Chronic illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Toxic relationship and Physical abuse
kendal_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Chronic illness and Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship
elliefardell's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
Minor: Grief
missmarshey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship
lags2much's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Toxic relationship and Panic attacks/disorders
wardenred's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Because that’s how people should behave; they should fill in each other’s gaps.
This was really fun! I loved seeing the MCs go from clashing to gradually discovering how much they compliment each other, with this super low-key enemies to lovers vibe. Chloe is a wonderfully grumpy character with a biting sense of humor. I loved her relationship with her sisters (looking forward to reading their books already!) and the excellent representation of living with chronic pain. So, so relatable. And Red is such a sweet guy, I instantly loved him. His kindness always shined through even when he hit some lower mental places, and I loved how it was always clear from his chapters that he was an artist even when his art wasn’t mentioned—just that specific way he sees the world. His inner journey to recovering after an abusive relationship was well-handled, and I kind of liked that he was the one with that storyline: in m/f romance it’s far more common to see the female lead in this position, and it was refreshing to see another angle.
The book is absolutely packed with delightful banter. Whether these characters communicate face to face or via e-mails, there are always lines to laugh at. Hell, they pack witty one-liners even into their inner monologues, and it always happens so naturally. I kept laughing and smiling as I read. At the same time, the prevalence of humor never cheapened or downplayed the more serious, heavier topics the book touches on.
It would’ve been an absolute five-star read for me if not for how the third-act break-up played out. I know those are a staple of the romance genre—the characters need to have that moment of doubt before they fully commit to their happy ending and all that. But the way it happened, idk, it came a bit out of the left field. On one hand, Red’s backstory does explain why he reacted the way he did, but by that point I would’ve expected it to be a shorter knee-jerk reaction followed by talking it out quickly. The fact that instead it turned into a semi-prolonged drama clashed for me with the character progression both Chloe and Red had earlier over the course of the plot. It’s the kind of dramatic misunderstanding I can accept in YA, but in adult romance like this it feels sort of contrived.
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Domestic abuse
Minor: Medical content