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frantically's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I don't care if Sally Thorne doesn't want this to be compared to THG, it's her sophomore novel, of course it's going to compared.
Darcy feels like Thorne read all the criticism she got on Lucy and, in one alcohol-fueled night, created Darcy Bennett. Don't get me wrong – Darcy's fun. But she doesn't feel real, not like Lucy did.
This book is mainly one thing and that is weird. Really strange. It feels like so many different genres all at once. We've got romance (trying to be a rom-com? Who knows.), loooads of litfic vibes and a weird furry/urban fantasy sideplot.
There were so many small parts of this I loved. It took me some time to get into it but I think the middle section was truly the strongest. Yes, Darcy and Tom are both dickheads but I was still rooting for them.
Still, I could already tell their relationship wasn't quite...healthy. There are multiple instances of them describing, in graphic detail, how they'd kill the other's love interests. It became very weird very quickly.
Then – there was the fireplace scene. God, the fucking fireplace scene. That's when I decided to stop reading because I just knew I couldn't love Tom again afterwards. He does the one thing Darcy asks him not to do and when she gets upset (as is her right!) he lets out his sob story. Fuck you Tom and fuck your sob story.
I did really love the chronic illness rep – as a fellow very messy patient who realised she'd run out of her meds a few days ago and it's now Sunday, while I was listening to this, I could very much relate.
The THG epilogue had me squealing, though. Seems like the perfect time for a reread...
Darcy feels like Thorne read all the criticism she got on Lucy and, in one alcohol-fueled night, created Darcy Bennett. Don't get me wrong – Darcy's fun. But she doesn't feel real, not like Lucy did.
This book is mainly one thing and that is weird. Really strange. It feels like so many different genres all at once. We've got romance (trying to be a rom-com? Who knows.), loooads of litfic vibes and a weird furry/urban fantasy sideplot.
There were so many small parts of this I loved. It took me some time to get into it but I think the middle section was truly the strongest. Yes, Darcy and Tom are both dickheads but I was still rooting for them.
Still, I could already tell their relationship wasn't quite...healthy. There are multiple instances of them describing, in graphic detail, how they'd kill the other's love interests. It became very weird very quickly.
Then – there was the fireplace scene. God, the fucking fireplace scene. That's when I decided to stop reading because I just knew I couldn't love Tom again afterwards. He does the one thing Darcy asks him not to do and when she gets upset (as is her right!) he lets out his sob story. Fuck you Tom and fuck your sob story.
I did really love the chronic illness rep – as a fellow very messy patient who realised she'd run out of her meds a few days ago and it's now Sunday, while I was listening to this, I could very much relate.
The THG epilogue had me squealing, though. Seems like the perfect time for a reread...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Sexual content, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism and Toxic relationship
Minor: Classism, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
brookey8888's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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’m not sure way this has such a low rating. I really enjoyed it. I really liked Darcy as a mine character. I thought she was funny. I also really related to some of her struggles and I’m glad their was chronic illness representation in this. I did enjoy the romantic dynamic between her and Tom and the slow burn. I did enjoy seeing her relationship with her brother grow because he was honestly getting on my last nerve until like 90%. I usually don’t like friends to lovers but I really enjoyed this one. I think was the protective and jealousy tropes to be honest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Grief, and Death
eagerreader2022's review
emotional
fast-paced
- 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
Loved the idea of this story - and it was executed well too! However, some smaller details made the reading confusing and clunky for me. There were many moments where I was trying to figure out who said what, or even who heard what was said. This led to rereading anywhere from a sentence to a couple pages to make the mental image make sense. Maybe I should have just suspended reality to read this, but its a realistic fiction romance. I would hope you aren't joking with your brother about certain things... ;)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Alcoholism
nila's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I really liked Tom, the love interest. I'm a sucker for a person who's just trying their best. I really hoped I'd like Darcy eventually, but her character never seemed to learn from her mistakes or show any consideration for Tom or other characters, until the last few chapters... And by then, the development just felt rushed. The dialogue between all the characters was just repeating itself throughout the book and that was also tiring.
I also think Thorne has tried to put all the tropes into the book, and naturally didn't have enough time to fully explore all of them satisfyingly, so there are certain things that just seemed a bit out of left field or that is was added as an afterthought...
All in all, its a sweet and fun book, and I think it checks most of the boxes of what you want from a romance read
I also think Thorne has tried to put all the tropes into the book, and naturally didn't have enough time to fully explore all of them satisfyingly, so there are certain things that just seemed a bit out of left field or that is was added as an afterthought...
All in all, its a sweet and fun book, and I think it checks most of the boxes of what you want from a romance read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Moderate: Medical content, Misogyny, and Sexual content
tabata8009'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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
0.5
I found this book to be quite boring. I disliked every character in the book. Darcy Jamie, and Tom are all flat and one-dimensional. It felt like Thorne picked 2 or 3 traits for each of them and just repeated them constantly ("Tom is like a big dog...Tom is super hot..Tom is like a big dog..."). Darcy and Jamie are also jerks to everyone else almost all of the time, and they are people I would never want to spend time with in real life.
The chemistry was also missing for Darcy and Tom. Thorne repeatedly emphasizes that they are very into each other, but I can't see why. They seem to have nothing in common, and there's no real spark between them. This book seemed to be trying to embody the "friends to lovers" trope, but the friendship before the romance didn't feel genuine.
Thorne is clearly a talented writer, but this was a big miss for me.
The chemistry was also missing for Darcy and Tom. Thorne repeatedly emphasizes that they are very into each other, but I can't see why. They seem to have nothing in common, and there's no real spark between them. This book seemed to be trying to embody the "friends to lovers" trope, but the friendship before the romance didn't feel genuine.
Thorne is clearly a talented writer, but this was a big miss for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Alcoholism
meghanm404's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
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