Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Read-randomly found in a free little library. Thought it would be a light romcom ended up being more of a heavy ROM but very sweet. I like it much more than boyfriend/husband material. Ash is a depressed, bipolar upper crust author, who feels like life can only be about managing his conditions. Then he meets Darian, a lower class fashion model, who is completely different in all ways. Very British, very sweet.
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
Wow. This is my first Alexis Hall book and I am impressed. I listened to this one via audiobook and I was blown away by the narrator. Between the author’s writing and the narrator’s voice acting, I was fully immersed in this world and didn’t want to leave.
We only get Ash’s point of view in this book, but I didn’t miss Darian’s. His dialogue and his reactions to Ash were enough to know what was going on with him. Ash is the one with all the contradictions. Since Darian doesn’t know Ash’s past, he doesn’t treat him in any sort of way. He also doesn’t always understand Ash’s mercurial moods. Yet Darian always gives Ash the benefit of the doubt and this amazes Ash. He doesn’t know what to do with the unconditional friendship.
Not only are the characters great, but so is their chemistry. I’m extremely glad I decided on the audiobook version of this title since I’m from the U.S. and don’t know all the dialects in England. That’s taken care of with the narration and helped me to better understand the class difference between the two leads. It was also a reminder not to judge a book by its cover. Or, in this case, a person by their vocabulary and grammar.
This story is filled with angst and self-flagellation, but it also has a shining light at the end of the tunnel. Ash isn’t magically cured of mental illness by his beautiful glitter pirate, but he starts to see that he isn’t broken, that he’s not a burden, and that he deserves love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Abandonment
challenging
slow-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
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
sad
tense
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
emotional
funny
reflective
Alexis Hall has a great way with witty banter and having the reader empathize with the narrator. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions to this one, and really felt the emotional punches. I’m glad I listened to the audiobook for this one, which really made the Essex accent (among others) come alive.