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A review by elenajohansen
How to Say Goodbye by Amber Lin
2.0
Okay, it's New Adult, but it lacks the two major hallmarks of NA romances: a tone of hyperbolic angst or a scene breakdown that skirts the line between a reasonable level of smut and full-fledged erotica. There's sex scenes, sure, but not every two pages, and not immediately after these characters meet. And there's angst, yeah, but it's not for its own sake, it's actually mostly centered around the dual issues of runaways and homelessness. Which is not something I've really seen romances tackle with any seriousness (though of course my exposure is not universal and there are probably other romances out there in this wheelhouse..)
I enjoyed it, but not to the point where I don't see its flaws, or to the point where I wasn't uncomfortable with how the delicate subject matter was handled. The simple fact of the matter is: I don't know how realistic this portrayal is of a teenager running away from an unsafe home environment and living on the streets for four years. The story doesn't ignore the darker aspects of survival without support, but I question if they're being romanticized or softened to be palatable to the reader. Like, on the one hand, homelessness is obviously not good for somebody and can entail a whole host of legal and moral issues, but am I projecting how awful I think it is when I read this and think, well, Dane doesn't actually have it that tough? It's not ideal but it could be worse? I'm not a fair judge of that, and I don't know that the author is, either, so I don't know how much of this serious issue is being prettied up for the romance side of things.
And if the core conflict of the story is undermined by my questionable trust in how it's presented, that's an issue.
That being said, I do like our characters. They're both well-developed, with personality flaws and past issues that make for compelling conflict between them. At the same time, though, the end of the story has them see-sawing constantly between breaking up and being together, and I'm just not on board, personally, for that level of lack of commitment. Having the main couple break up once during a typical-length romance, sure. Having them constantly turning away from each other every few chapters? That got old for me, quick, and the last time they did it didn't feel like a real ending. Nor did them getting back together for their happy ending feel like it was deserved, like it had the proper dramatic weight. It was just another "up" section of their relationship roller coaster to me, which didn't leave a positive impression of the book to linger with me.
So I enjoyed some of the book. Mostly the scenes that focused on Amy and Dane interacting directly, because their chemistry is solid and their dynamic is pretty adorable at times. But whenever the plot got serious, I liked it less.
I enjoyed it, but not to the point where I don't see its flaws, or to the point where I wasn't uncomfortable with how the delicate subject matter was handled. The simple fact of the matter is: I don't know how realistic this portrayal is of a teenager running away from an unsafe home environment and living on the streets for four years. The story doesn't ignore the darker aspects of survival without support, but I question if they're being romanticized or softened to be palatable to the reader. Like, on the one hand, homelessness is obviously not good for somebody and can entail a whole host of legal and moral issues, but am I projecting how awful I think it is when I read this and think, well, Dane doesn't actually have it that tough? It's not ideal but it could be worse? I'm not a fair judge of that, and I don't know that the author is, either, so I don't know how much of this serious issue is being prettied up for the romance side of things.
And if the core conflict of the story is undermined by my questionable trust in how it's presented, that's an issue.
That being said, I do like our characters. They're both well-developed, with personality flaws and past issues that make for compelling conflict between them. At the same time, though, the end of the story has them see-sawing constantly between breaking up and being together, and I'm just not on board, personally, for that level of lack of commitment. Having the main couple break up once during a typical-length romance, sure. Having them constantly turning away from each other every few chapters? That got old for me, quick, and the last time they did it didn't feel like a real ending. Nor did them getting back together for their happy ending feel like it was deserved, like it had the proper dramatic weight. It was just another "up" section of their relationship roller coaster to me, which didn't leave a positive impression of the book to linger with me.
So I enjoyed some of the book. Mostly the scenes that focused on Amy and Dane interacting directly, because their chemistry is solid and their dynamic is pretty adorable at times. But whenever the plot got serious, I liked it less.