A review by lizanneyoung
The ordeal of being known by Malia Rose

4.0

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

TROPES

🏀 Mutual Pining

🏀 Sports Romance (Basketball)

🏀 Forced Proximity

🏀 Golden Retriever MMC x Black Cat FMC

🏀 Dual POV

CW

🟥 Child Abuse, on page

🟥 School Shooting, memories

This is one of the shortest books of this genre that I’ve read, but it packs a punch. Layla grew up in an abusive family situation, and when she finally gets to spread her wings and leave, she discovers what life can be like. However, that doesn’t stop her from having walls up and being careful about who she lets in. 

She and Jess are both two sides of the same coin. They both want to care for others and have someone care for them, it’s just rooted in different ways. It’s wonderful to watch them understand this themselves and navigate their feelings about it. I like to think that we’ve seen them both grow for the better at the end of the book.

Jess is a pretty dynamic character. He lost his voice due to an injury during a school shooting. I have never read a character like him before, and it was nice to see. Everyone in his life is so accommodating and does what they need to for communication purposes, which I love. 

The unique aspect of this story is that we do get moments where the characters speak directly to the reader. They are short, but it’s a nice change of pace compared to other books in the genre. I’m always a fan of fourth wall breaks, especially in media, so it was fun to see it in a book.