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A review by joanna1905
Worthy of Love by Quinn Ivins
4.0
I requested this on a bit of a whim and honestly, it was so much better than I ever could have hoped. I am a huge fan of romances that deal with ex-felons and this one was a pretty good take on that premise.
I was a little bit wary about how the fact that Nadine was actually innocent might impact the broader message of how actual offenders are treated post-release. My concern being would all the shit Nadine has to go through be treated as bad and unfair because she was innocent and not because it's unfair treatment for any ex-felon to receive. However, I think this book did a pretty good job of avoiding that, and the book remains sympathetic to all those who struggle to survive post-prison. Though I will say, I think it would have been cool if - once Nadine's name was cleared and she got her job at the justice organisation - they made a point to acknowledge that a lot of reoffending is born from felons having a lack of support post-release, and if we ACTUALLY want people to turn a new leaf they need better support to guide them through that.
I also liked how we saw two other characters commit felonies in the story, Bella with her illegal ADHD meds and Jason with the cameras - because I think this really highlighted how a lot of people love to think they're amazing law-abiding citizens compared to 'scummy criminals' when in actual fact a LOT of everyday people knowingly or unknowingly break the law allll the time - but cause they never get caught they think they're so much better than people who did get caught for their crimes.
This book also had some good moments discussing privilege; such as the fact that Bella's life has been exponentially more difficult without an ADHD diagnosis and how unfair it is that she had to struggle so much all because she couldn't get access to diagnosis and treatment.
It also touched on the struggle of being a POC woman in America, and the additional complexities this demographic has post-prison release.
In terms of the romance, I think Ivins did a great job of building the co-worker, to friends, to lovers transition - the pair balanced each other well and while Nadine could seem abrupt sometimes she was actually so soft for Bella and always encouraging her.
I do think it would have been nice if we saw Nadine reconnect with the girls she lived with at the rehab house, just to get a broader look at life post-prison.
Thank you to Netgally and Ylva Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I was a little bit wary about how the fact that Nadine was actually innocent might impact the broader message of how actual offenders are treated post-release. My concern being would all the shit Nadine has to go through be treated as bad and unfair because she was innocent and not because it's unfair treatment for any ex-felon to receive. However, I think this book did a pretty good job of avoiding that, and the book remains sympathetic to all those who struggle to survive post-prison. Though I will say, I think it would have been cool if - once Nadine's name was cleared and she got her job at the justice organisation - they made a point to acknowledge that a lot of reoffending is born from felons having a lack of support post-release, and if we ACTUALLY want people to turn a new leaf they need better support to guide them through that.
I also liked how we saw two other characters commit felonies in the story, Bella with her illegal ADHD meds and Jason with the cameras - because I think this really highlighted how a lot of people love to think they're amazing law-abiding citizens compared to 'scummy criminals' when in actual fact a LOT of everyday people knowingly or unknowingly break the law allll the time - but cause they never get caught they think they're so much better than people who did get caught for their crimes.
This book also had some good moments discussing privilege; such as the fact that Bella's life has been exponentially more difficult without an ADHD diagnosis and how unfair it is that she had to struggle so much all because she couldn't get access to diagnosis and treatment.
It also touched on the struggle of being a POC woman in America, and the additional complexities this demographic has post-prison release.
In terms of the romance, I think Ivins did a great job of building the co-worker, to friends, to lovers transition - the pair balanced each other well and while Nadine could seem abrupt sometimes she was actually so soft for Bella and always encouraging her.
I do think it would have been nice if we saw Nadine reconnect with the girls she lived with at the rehab house, just to get a broader look at life post-prison.
Thank you to Netgally and Ylva Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!