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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
No
emotional
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
***4.0 rating***
“He might’ve had a piece of my heart, Deacon, but you own it. It’s yours till the day you say you don’t want it.”
Second reread: April 2022
Still an emotional but beautiful read.
It hurts for me to lower the rating for this book from a 5.0 rating to 4.0 rating, but when I first read this book I had not yet read that many MM romance books.
And after reading so many books now, well my standards have changed. Don't get me wrong I still love this book but Elaine (Deacon's mom) made this book difficult to read. It hindered my rereading experience. I still hate that bitch with passion and I forgot how fast paced the romance in this book was. Hence why I had to lower the rating second time around.
Still a lovely read but that bitch Elaine
“He might’ve had a piece of my heart, Deacon, but you own it. It’s yours till the day you say you don’t want it.”
Second reread: April 2022
Still an emotional but beautiful read.
It hurts for me to lower the rating for this book from a 5.0 rating to 4.0 rating, but when I first read this book I had not yet read that many MM romance books.
And after reading so many books now, well my standards have changed. Don't get me wrong I still love this book but Elaine (Deacon's mom) made this book difficult to read. It hindered my rereading experience. I still hate that bitch with passion and I forgot how fast paced the romance in this book was. Hence why I had to lower the rating second time around.
Still a lovely read but that bitch Elaine
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Audiobook review
I'll start off by saying Teddy Hamilton and Tim Paige did a wonderful job of Narrating "Without you". Teddy Hamilton is a go to narrator for me, and Tim's just joined him on the list!
With respect to the story, overall I enjoyed it. I found the characters to be likable, and thought the premise to be an interesting one.
The story follows two men, Deacon and Julian, who are grieving the death of a loved one, Rhett.
Deacon, who is Rhett's older brother and Julian, is Rhett's childhood best friend and later, his boyfriend.
Following Rhett's death, Julian and Deacon become close, first as unlikely friends, and then that relationship grows into a more.
I'm not going to Rehash the blurb, because if you're here, I know you can read.
I went into this book expecting it to be highly emotional, considering the sensitivity and taboo nature of the relationship between D&J, I was expecting more inner turmoil, more mental barriers, however if found it fell flat. I wasn't emotionally invested, I didn't feel like the relationship bloomed naturally, it was really quick actually and it just felt a little forced.
Don't get me wrong, if you forget the whole 'dead brothers boyfriend' thing, this book is a cute MM, bi awakening, with some spice sprinkled in but considering the main conflict in this book should be, it left me wanting and I was a tad disappointed.
Still enjoyed it enough to keep going, and it won't stop me from reading other books from this author.
SPOILER COMING ....
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I am very conflicted about how I feel about the whole "Letters" issue.
On one side, I found the whole way they were dealt with, to be disrespectful to Rhett.
That man loved Julian, and on his death bed wrote letters to him, for key moments in his life. And I just felt a little cheated.
On the other side of the coin.
I understand that we all handle grief differently, and maybe Julian didn't need the letters to heal.
But it still frustrated me! Rant over.
I'll start off by saying Teddy Hamilton and Tim Paige did a wonderful job of Narrating "Without you". Teddy Hamilton is a go to narrator for me, and Tim's just joined him on the list!
With respect to the story, overall I enjoyed it. I found the characters to be likable, and thought the premise to be an interesting one.
The story follows two men, Deacon and Julian, who are grieving the death of a loved one, Rhett.
Deacon, who is Rhett's older brother and Julian, is Rhett's childhood best friend and later, his boyfriend.
Following Rhett's death, Julian and Deacon become close, first as unlikely friends, and then that relationship grows into a more.
I'm not going to Rehash the blurb, because if you're here, I know you can read.
I went into this book expecting it to be highly emotional, considering the sensitivity and taboo nature of the relationship between D&J, I was expecting more inner turmoil, more mental barriers, however if found it fell flat. I wasn't emotionally invested, I didn't feel like the relationship bloomed naturally, it was really quick actually and it just felt a little forced.
Don't get me wrong, if you forget the whole 'dead brothers boyfriend' thing, this book is a cute MM, bi awakening, with some spice sprinkled in but considering the main conflict in this book should be, it left me wanting and I was a tad disappointed.
Still enjoyed it enough to keep going, and it won't stop me from reading other books from this author.
SPOILER COMING ....
⚪
⚪
⚪
⚪
⚪
⚪
⚪
⚪
⚪
⚪
⚪
⚪
⚪
⚪
I am very conflicted about how I feel about the whole "Letters" issue.
On one side, I found the whole way they were dealt with, to be disrespectful to Rhett.
That man loved Julian, and on his death bed wrote letters to him, for key moments in his life. And I just felt a little cheated.
On the other side of the coin.
I understand that we all handle grief differently, and maybe Julian didn't need the letters to heal.
But it still frustrated me! Rant over.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Man, this book had me all over the place in my feels. It was so well written and I related hard to the parental disappointment. Here are some of my favorite quotes--
"My eyes fill with tears, because it’s one thing to know your parents love you, but it’s another to know you’re still never enough."
"It blackened my insides, darkened my soul, and killed every single living feeling inside me. Slowly, painfully."
“That’s the problem, babe. You didn’t hurt me, I hurt you. Somewhere along the way we got lost, and I just don’t think I can find my way back.”
“You’re the beat of my heart, the blood in my veins, the strength in my bones. None of me works without you. And if you need me to tell you every fucking day for the rest of our lives, then I will, because you are more than enough. You’re everything.”
“I love you more than my past,” he says. “I love you more than the obstacles the present has thrown in our way. Because you’re my future. And I’m going to love you forever because you’re my always.”
"My eyes fill with tears, because it’s one thing to know your parents love you, but it’s another to know you’re still never enough."
"It blackened my insides, darkened my soul, and killed every single living feeling inside me. Slowly, painfully."
“That’s the problem, babe. You didn’t hurt me, I hurt you. Somewhere along the way we got lost, and I just don’t think I can find my way back.”
“You’re the beat of my heart, the blood in my veins, the strength in my bones. None of me works without you. And if you need me to tell you every fucking day for the rest of our lives, then I will, because you are more than enough. You’re everything.”
“I love you more than my past,” he says. “I love you more than the obstacles the present has thrown in our way. Because you’re my future. And I’m going to love you forever because you’re my always.”
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad