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graceoliviareads95's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
happy_snailsreading's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I really really liked this book. It was kind of my introduction into queer wlw writing, and I truly loved it.
I loved the writing and the character development! These are my biggest concerns when reading/reviewing. I didn't seem to have many questions or plot holes that I would usually find in romance novels.
I felt it was pretty predictable, which to me personally is not a bad thing or ruins books.
Some critiques I had were that the author described a lot of the women whom the FMC thought were beautiful as white specifically. I'm not sure if this was done for purpose or not, and if it was, it was not obvious to me as to why. The FMC mentions POCs as inspirations or who she admires, but with that said.. there are not many characters of color, which was kind of a bummer.
I was slightly confused at times with how the relationship between FMC( Delilah) and her step sister (Astrid) was written. I clearly remember making notes that in the beginning, the way they spoke to each other with sarcasm came off as a close sisterly relationship. Maybe that was the point, to show they were closer than they thought? I also noted that Astrid came across as protective of Delilah when it came to their "mother."
Some things I loved about the book were that you truly felt the love between Delilah and Claire. It was beautiful (to me) to watch them grow, and also, it felt heartwarming to see two women together. As a person who is bisexual, it was lovely to see that representation in this book and to see a wlw relationship versus the bisexuality as a quirk.
I really really liked this book. It was kind of my introduction into queer wlw writing, and I truly loved it.
I loved the writing and the character development! These are my biggest concerns when reading/reviewing. I didn't seem to have many questions or plot holes that I would usually find in romance novels.
I felt it was pretty predictable, which to me personally is not a bad thing or ruins books.
Some critiques I had were that the author described a lot of the women whom the FMC thought were beautiful as white specifically. I'm not sure if this was done for purpose or not, and if it was, it was not obvious to me as to why. The FMC mentions POCs as inspirations or who she admires, but with that said.. there are not many characters of color, which was kind of a bummer.
I was slightly confused at times with how the relationship between FMC( Delilah) and her step sister (Astrid) was written. I clearly remember making notes that in the beginning, the way they spoke to each other with sarcasm came off as a close sisterly relationship. Maybe that was the point, to show they were closer than they thought? I also noted that Astrid came across as protective of Delilah when it came to their "mother."
Some things I loved about the book were that you truly felt the love between Delilah and Claire. It was beautiful (to me) to watch them grow, and also, it felt heartwarming to see two women together. As a person who is bisexual, it was lovely to see that representation in this book and to see a wlw relationship versus the bisexuality as a quirk.
kyholio15's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
kayblecar's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
One star for the stepsisters' dynamic and growth. As a romance it was fine. As a queer romance something was missing.
The book puts a lot of work into telling us these characters are super-duper queer, especially Delilah, but there's more to queerness than watching every Netflix show with queer characters. It felt to me like Delilah (and by extension, the author) was trying to prove something about her identity, rather than just being.
I appreciate the book identifying characters as white, clearly pushing back against the way whiteness is often treated as the default in character descriptions, but when you awkwardly drop it in for only three women at the beginning and maybe four characters total, it makes it more conspicuous that you didn't do it for all of the other white people.
The book puts a lot of work into telling us these characters are super-duper queer, especially Delilah, but there's more to queerness than watching every Netflix show with queer characters. It felt to me like Delilah (and by extension, the author) was trying to prove something about her identity, rather than just being.
I appreciate the book identifying characters as white, clearly pushing back against the way whiteness is often treated as the default in character descriptions, but when you awkwardly drop it in for only three women at the beginning and maybe four characters total, it makes it more conspicuous that you didn't do it for all of the other white people.
almckay's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
chhowat's review against another edition
2.0
I liked Delilah and Ruby (Claire's daughter). That's it. Everyone else can go to hell.
I'm maybe not the target audience because
- I don't like books where people return to their small town where they had a traumatic childhood
- I don't like books where characters end up dating their bully's friend
I'm maybe not the target audience because
- I don't like books where people return to their small town where they had a traumatic childhood
- I don't like books where characters end up dating their bully's friend
harmony822's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-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
3.0
baileyes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25