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idk_indigo's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
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
5.0
What a wonderful debut! The writing was a bit clunky ("the other woman" made a few too many cameos) but I loved the character development! I also loved the sister storyline, it made me want to go talk to my family!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity
crystalisreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
- 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? Yes
4.0
Really enjoyable story. loved the Sapphic energy in this book. The normalcy. WLW get to have their small town fantasy too. And it's nice to see friendship be such an integral part of the storyline....but...
Iris acted like a bully when they were kids and is still making people uncomfortable and being rude even as an adult. It was difficult for me to see her portrayed as a good friend, with no criticism of or consequences for her behalf. even physical assault seems to be okay if she's the one who does it.
Also these characters are freaking alcoholics! There is not a task aside from their jobs that they can do without something alcoholic to drink in their hands. it's nice to see women be able to drink without criticism, but this level of constant, automatic alcohol consumption is seriously unhealthy. Therapy would work better and be easier on their livers.
And as far as representation goes, the Sapphic rep is great, but that's it. This is a glaringly white small town (perhaps accurate in a former sundown state but still annoying), full of conventionally attractive, vigorously healthy ablebodied cis white folks. Unrealistic and grosss.
Part of me wants to read the next 2 books, but I don't know if I can get past the drinking and representation issues, not to mention Iris. So probably not. Back to more diverse romances
Iris acted like a bully when they were kids and is still making people uncomfortable and being rude even as an adult. It was difficult for me to see her portrayed as a good friend, with no criticism of or consequences for her behalf. even physical assault seems to be okay if she's the one who does it.
Also these characters are freaking alcoholics! There is not a task aside from their jobs that they can do without something alcoholic to drink in their hands. it's nice to see women be able to drink without criticism, but this level of constant, automatic alcohol consumption is seriously unhealthy. Therapy would work better and be easier on their livers.
And as far as representation goes, the Sapphic rep is great, but that's it. This is a glaringly white small town (perhaps accurate in a former sundown state but still annoying), full of conventionally attractive, vigorously healthy ablebodied cis white folks. Unrealistic and grosss.
Part of me wants to read the next 2 books, but I don't know if I can get past the drinking and representation issues, not to mention Iris. So probably not. Back to more diverse romances
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Infidelity, Bullying, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy and Cancer
Death by aneurysmgabthebookworm'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship
kylosten'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I ended up loving this book way more than I thought I would.
I don't often read contemporary romance because it's predictable, usually full of tropes I'm not crazy about, and often has me sitting there wishing I could shake the characters into being less stupid or selfish.
All of those things were true with this one, too, but it was written in a way I still found enjoyable. The characters had me simultaneously wishing I could shake them, while still being endearing and sometimes relatable. Each character was fleshed out with their own voices, which I loved. Even characters with similar personalities didn't feel like copy and paste versions of each other.
The relationships between everyone were messy, sometimes dramatic, and complicated but it gave the characters depth and felt believable instead of just feeling like it was there to add meaningless tension.
This book had me laughing, occasionally choked up, shaking my head, while still rooting for everyone to get their happily ever afters.
I don't often read contemporary romance because it's predictable, usually full of tropes I'm not crazy about, and often has me sitting there wishing I could shake the characters into being less stupid or selfish.
All of those things were true with this one, too, but it was written in a way I still found enjoyable. The characters had me simultaneously wishing I could shake them, while still being endearing and sometimes relatable. Each character was fleshed out with their own voices, which I loved. Even characters with similar personalities didn't feel like copy and paste versions of each other.
The relationships between everyone were messy, sometimes dramatic, and complicated but it gave the characters depth and felt believable instead of just feeling like it was there to add meaningless tension.
This book had me laughing, occasionally choked up, shaking my head, while still rooting for everyone to get their happily ever afters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Death of parent
abby_can_read'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
📱
This was delightful. I had a wonderful time reading this book. I liked the characters and the relationships.
Bonus: It was set in the Pacific Northwest.
This was delightful. I had a wonderful time reading this book. I liked the characters and the relationships.
Bonus: It was set in the Pacific Northwest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Death of parent
Minor: Blood and Cancer
katbotelho's review against another edition
funny
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
4.0
i give this a four bc it was just as entertaining as astrid parker doesn’t fail but ive rated lower mainly bc if the childish antics that these 30 year old women were pulling throughout the book because what do you mean you put chili powder in ur besties fiancés underwear instead of just having a conversation with ur friend about how her fiancé is a douche ????
also as i read more of this authors books i have to raise my eyebrow at her inability to call characters lesbians,, like it’s very clear which characters are bisexual bc they mention such all the time but the characters that are supposed to be lesbians (aka Deliliah Green herself) never actually say the word lesbian ?? it’s always queer which is not the same thing at all,, lesbian isn’t a bad word why can’t we just say it ?
also the relationship dynamics in these books just be lacking diversity,, why is is always a white bisexual woman and a white lesbian woman who is unwilling to call herself a lesbian ? why can’t the love interest be a poc ? why can’t the love interest be a she/they or a nonbinary lesbian ? why can’t it be a bi/bi pairing or a bi/pan pairing or any other of the multitudes of queer pairings ? its just all feeling very the same
that being said i will be reading iris kelly doesnt date just to see if the third book surprises me
also as i read more of this authors books i have to raise my eyebrow at her inability to call characters lesbians,, like it’s very clear which characters are bisexual bc they mention such all the time but the characters that are supposed to be lesbians (aka Deliliah Green herself) never actually say the word lesbian ?? it’s always queer which is not the same thing at all,, lesbian isn’t a bad word why can’t we just say it ?
also the relationship dynamics in these books just be lacking diversity,, why is is always a white bisexual woman and a white lesbian woman who is unwilling to call herself a lesbian ? why can’t the love interest be a poc ? why can’t the love interest be a she/they or a nonbinary lesbian ? why can’t it be a bi/bi pairing or a bi/pan pairing or any other of the multitudes of queer pairings ? its just all feeling very the same
that being said i will be reading iris kelly doesnt date just to see if the third book surprises me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer and Infidelity
reddeddy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Pregnancy, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Classism, Incest, and Sexual harassment
carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I fear that every relationship in this book (Astrid/Iris/Claire, Delilah/Astrid, Delilah/Ruby) was more interesting than Delilah/Claire. Especially Delilah/Astrid. During any Delilah/Claire scenes, I found myself wishing for another Delilah/Astrid scene instead. Their relationship was much more compelling imo. I would have enjoyed the book much more had their relationship been the focus instead of Claire/Delilah.
Sadly, I didn't much like any of the characters besides Astrid (well, okay, I guess this is unfair. I didn't hate the characters. I was just disappointed. I almost liked them, and then they went and acted like assholes). Iris is a mean little bitch. Delilah is...I guess more complicated, but still, she has such malicious intent towards Astrid for like basically no reason. Astrid was never mean to her when they were kids, she was also just another grieving kid who didn't know how to reach out to her sister.
Claire was mostly fine(and by this I mean, that I didn't really give a shit about her either way), except in her treatment of Josh. Like I get that there is a history there that I don't know, but from what we're told (and especially, shown), it wasn't that bad, so I guess I found her reactions to him disproportionate. She was just like incredibly mean to him. And like half the reason for it was that every time he showed back up she slept with him and then he left and that devasted both her and Ruby. Like, okay, some personal accountability pls. It was just really hard to buy him as this irresponsible untrustworthy person. I found HER really selfish and controlling re: Ruby. Like ok, I've heard many times that IM immature and irresponsible so I guess I might have projected more onto Josh than Claire, but I guess I didn't really see what was so wrong about letting your ELEVEN YEAR OLD kid, who you haven't seen in two years, stay up until 10 (one hour past her bedtime and on a weekend) to watch a kid-friendly movie. Like? Idk Claire just came off as really controlling and annoying. And also the hijacking of the camping trip really pissed me off and I totally get why Josh (who, frankly, reacted much more maturely than you'd think, based on his supposed characterization) was annoyed.
Having said all that, I did enjoy the book overall, the writing was on a much higher level than most other romances I've read, the plot was fun, if a little lacking in the execution department, and I read the book into the early hours of the morning, which is why it's an almost 4 star read. Also, it's gay, which automatically bumps it up by 1 star.
Sadly, I didn't much like any of the characters besides Astrid (well, okay, I guess this is unfair. I didn't hate the characters. I was just disappointed. I almost liked them, and then they went and acted like assholes). Iris is a mean little bitch. Delilah is...I guess more complicated, but still, she has such malicious intent towards Astrid for like basically no reason. Astrid was never mean to her when they were kids, she was also just another grieving kid who didn't know how to reach out to her sister.
Claire was mostly fine(and by this I mean, that I didn't really give a shit about her either way), except in her treatment of Josh. Like I get that there is a history there that I don't know, but from what we're told (and especially, shown), it wasn't that bad, so I guess I found her reactions to him disproportionate. She was just like incredibly mean to him. And like half the reason for it was that every time he showed back up she slept with him and then he left and that devasted both her and Ruby. Like, okay, some personal accountability pls. It was just really hard to buy him as this irresponsible untrustworthy person. I found HER really selfish and controlling re: Ruby. Like ok, I've heard many times that IM immature and irresponsible so I guess I might have projected more onto Josh than Claire, but I guess I didn't really see what was so wrong about letting your ELEVEN YEAR OLD kid, who you haven't seen in two years, stay up until 10 (one hour past her bedtime and on a weekend) to watch a kid-friendly movie. Like? Idk Claire just came off as really controlling and annoying. And also the hijacking of the camping trip really pissed me off and I totally get why Josh (who, frankly, reacted much more maturely than you'd think, based on his supposed characterization) was annoyed.
Having said all that, I did enjoy the book overall, the writing was on a much higher level than most other romances I've read, the plot was fun, if a little lacking in the execution department, and I read the book into the early hours of the morning, which is why it's an almost 4 star read. Also, it's gay, which automatically bumps it up by 1 star.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Grief
nightworldlove's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this (audio) book! First of all I was really lured in by the cover art, because the characters both look absolutely gorgeous, and Delilah was very quickly growing on me. Partially because she's a photographer and I can relate to that quite a bit.
The story itself had me hooked almost instantly and it stayed that way. I really enjoyed the alternating POVs, which really made sense in this case and added a lot. All the characters have a distinct personality, no mary sues here!
There's some smut scenes that were incredibly good and I thoroughly enjoyed those too. The emotions came across so vividly, it was lovely <3 The narrator did a phenomenal job too!
The story itself had me hooked almost instantly and it stayed that way. I really enjoyed the alternating POVs, which really made sense in this case and added a lot. All the characters have a distinct personality, no mary sues here!
There's some smut scenes that were incredibly good and I thoroughly enjoyed those too. The emotions came across so vividly, it was lovely <3 The narrator did a phenomenal job too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Death of parent, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Cursing, Alcohol, Death of parent, Misogyny, Gaslighting, and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Abandonment, and Infidelity