Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Before Us

Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

0live_tr33's review

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emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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clareasday's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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amanda_reads13's review

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emotional hopeful sad 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

4.25

Zach hires Emersyn as their maid so that he has more time to spend with his wife, Suzie, who has cancer. The two women instantly form a bond. After Suzie passes away, Zach marries Emersyn so that she will have health insurance. Things get a little complicated when they both begin developing true feelings for each other.

Be prepared to cry. Like ugly cry. The book is heartbreaking, yet healing.

Em is tough, hardworking, and incredibly strong. She has been through so much shit in her life, yet remains optimistic and hopefully of the future. She has never really felt love and kindness before. Her father abandoned her, her mother was an addict, she doesn't have any real friends, and her bf is one of convenience. That was until she met Suzie and Zach. I adored Suzie and Em's relationship. Their friendship was fun, honest, and filled with so much love.

Zach is incredibly selfless. He gives all he has to his dying wife. When she is gone, he fulfills her wish to help Em. What he does for Em is truly life changing. It allows her the freedom to follow her dreams.

Yet, his selflessness is too extreme in some ways. He and Em love each other, but he feels like he will hold her back in life. He wants nothing more than for Em to achieve her dreams, but does not realize that he is a part of that dream she has created. He must have been beyond confused about his feelings for Em (the wedding ring scene was heartbreaking). I'm sure he never imagined himself loving anyone the way he loved Suzie, but your mother shouldn't have to convince you to go after the woman you love.

The last part of this book was incredibly rushed. I think this would have been really good as a duet.

Tropes: right person/wrong time, boss x employee, marriage of convenience, age gap, friends to lovers, slow burn

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chelsearose's review

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emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

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lilnickie22's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-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

4.5

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lauriereadsrom1's review

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emotional 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

It's tough for me to put into words exactly how much I loved this book. It's not what I would describe as a "traditional" romance (though there is an HEA), but despite the difficult circumstances that brought them together, I was rooting for main characters Emersyn and Zach from the start. Their story broke my heart and put it back together more than once and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

I highly recommend "Before Us" for all fans of emotional contemporary romance and look forward to whatever this author writes next.

*Review copy provided by the author via Valentine PR. All opinions expressed are my own.

CW: Cancer/Breast Cancer; Death; Grief

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books4escaping's review

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emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

Really Liked.
The first part of the story was a solid 5 stars, but once Suzanne

passed away

the story fell a little flat. The self-sacrifice of Zach made no sense given he took no notice of what Emersyn feelings were, and that she still could have followed her dreams. I didn't connect with the long-distance romance aspect of the story as I watched a friendship growing between Zach and Emersyn, not a love connection.

Favourite quote

I have never met a person whose greatest need was anything other than real, unconditional love. You can find it in a simple act of kindness toward someone who needs help. There is no mistaking love. It is the common fiber of life, the flame that heats our soul, energizes our spirit and supplies passion to our lives.” —Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

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rereadsromance's review

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emotional slow-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 loved Before Us, it was angsty goodness, but I have beef with the last 10% of the story, before the sweet epilogue.

I cannot believe I am saying this, because I hate cliffhangers, but I feel this book could have been a duology. Zach and Emersyn went through so much and the ending just seemed rushed.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD (even though all of this is mentioned in the book synopsis):

Zach is a widower and grieving the death of his wife, his marriage of convenience to Emersyn brings up a lot of conflicting feelings in him; it's understandable. However, I needed him to do a bit more groveling in the end to convince Emersyn that this time he was ready to be with her, that his love would not be overshadowed with guilt over his dead wife.

I needed Zach to do more to prove himself because Emersyn constantly put herself out there, risking her heart, and he slapped it away a few too many times. His rushed reunion with Emersyn left me feeling a bit dissatisfied in the end.

That being said, I love Jewel E. Ann's writing; it either breaks my heart or pushes me out of my comfort zone, often times both. Before Us was no exception.

Overall Ratings: Zach 3/5, Emersyn 5/5, Before Us 4/5