Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Lease on Love

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Lease on Love by Falon Ballard

69 reviews

xlivinglikejen's review

emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.5

I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did. I cried, I laughed and I felt like I was part their friend group.

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100_pages_hr's review against another edition

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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

This debut novel was amazing. I'm a huge fan of forced proximity and did she deliver with this roommate situation. I actually went back and reread some right after finishing. Jack and Sadie will be living rent free in my head for awhile.

I'm trying to keep this spoiler free but be forewarned some of what is below might be...

Jack was so doting and kind. I loved all the little things he did throughout the book.

Sadie was incredible. What she endured to get to where she is was nothing short of impressive. I do wish that the emphasis on therapy would have come up a little more and she would have gotten more help on the pages of the book but that was literally my only tiny wish.

I loved watching Sadie pursue her dream. I loved the text messages.
I loved the friendships.
I loved the progression of the relationship.

If you haven't read this yet I highly recommend!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
🔥🔥🔥🔥

TW: Negative self talk from years of emotional abuse. Sexual content.

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keepcalmblogon's review

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I was so stoked when this romance became an escapist fantasy: a brownstone in Brooklyn for a pittance (yea, that word was in the book. Twice.), a girl beginning her dream career, with supportive friends and a hot roommate. I was left wanting at the end though. The conflict in the story wasn’t conflicting enough, a supposed lie blown way out of proportion, and a self-conscious MC who overcame emotional and verbal abuse from her father.

I never want to discount anyone’s trauma, but I wish Sadie’s self-esteem issues had been more thoroughly fleshed out. As a character who thought in absolutes, instead of questions, her self-doubt was confusing. I could not figure out WHY she felt worthless, WHY she felt like an asshole, WHY she felt selfish. It was so unclear until she admits her childhood home life to Jack more than halfway into the story. Even then, her abuse is only alluded to, which felt like a cheap way to add conflict into the story. As an escapist romance, I suppose the story didn’t NEED conflict, but as a piece of literature, it could have been so much more, even if it was still escapist, they are not mutually exclusive. The conclusion of the story is nice enough, but the build up had me expecting so much more, and that climax was not what Sadie and Jack deserved.

Despite the lackluster ending, I was a huge fan of Jack’s nerdy shirts (NOT hipster, I resented Sadie calling him a hipster, he was clearly a gamer and Sadie was the hipster), Gemma’s pottymouth, and the subtheme of the problems with the American education system, from underpaid teachers to student loan debt. In the end, I’ll give this 3 stars.

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lostswallows's review

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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cinderellasbookshelf's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

I ended up finishing this quickly and found it to be relatable because of the main character’s journey, while also bringing something different to the genre.

Sadie Green was ready for the promotion she so rightly deserved. When she is passed over for the job and subsequently fired, she is left wondering where she will go from here let alone where she will live knowing that she won’t be able to afford paying her rent. After accidentally mixing up a dating and find-a-roommate app, Sadie meets nerdy but reclusive Jack Thomas. Jack is in need of a roommate and offers Sadie a chance to live with him in his Brooklyn brownstone that comes with great amenities, a garden that Sadie sees potential in, and all under an incredibly low rent cost. How could she refuse? As Sadie begins to rebuild her life through her own flower business, and Jack gradually opens up to her and her friends, it’s possible that their budding relationship as roommates could develop into something more.

This book was fun and I really liked the banter between all the characters, especially through their group text messages. I also liked how compared to a few other romances, Sadie’s friends are as part of the story along with her growth and her relationship with Jack, that they do not feel sidelined to being supporting characters completely in the background. Another thing I liked was how the story followed Sadie’s career change from a stable corporate job to doing something she genuinely loved and wanted to pursue despite some doubts. It was pretty inspiring, I have to admit.

Now, although I liked this book, I didn’t love it as much as I hoped. Sadie was frustrating sometimes and a little too snarky for me, but I also had empathy for her because of what she’s been through. I also wanted to know more about Jack. I liked how he and Sadie slowly opened up to each other, but I would have liked what was revealed about him to have happened maybe a little sooner than later.

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katiebennettwrites's review

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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

5.0

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kayladaila's review

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lighthearted relaxing 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

3.0

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bookcasey's review against another edition

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hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

A significant portion of this book is just drinking alcohol/getting drunk or the main character berating herself. The romance here isn’t between the characters - it’s between a burnt out millennial woman and the hope of financial stability.

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cayleyreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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izzyf16's review

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3.0

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