jenmcreads 's review for:

Behind the Scenes by Karelia Stetz-Waters

3.5

emotional funny hopeful 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

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Given half stars, I would rate this 3.5. Overall it was enjoyable, however I think it could have benefited from one more editing pass. 

The good: 
-I love reading women who are a bit older than the typical romance protagonists, and these two women felt realistically in their late 30s
-I loved the tenderness of their reactions to each others' trauma (and particularly the descriptions of Rose interacting with Ash's scars was beautiful and touching)
-The side characters (Emma, Rose's sisters, Mia) were distinguishable and played into the plot in just the right amount to not distract but still feel fleshed out

The less good: 
-I found the pacing odd. Some parts really dragged a bit
-There was some repetitiveness eventually to each characters' fears about how the other one would react to their traumas
-The dialogue often felt stilted and odd
-There was an exceptionally large number of major typos, even for an ARC- I hope that is remedied before release