A review by skudiklier
Behind the Scenes by Karelia Stetz-Waters

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'm giving this 4.5 stars because it was a good romance, and I was invested, and overall I enjoyed it. I had some small things I didn't like though.

Some of the pacing is weird; like their first kiss is pretty anticlimactic, and some scenes felt super drawn out while others felt brushed over, in ways that took away from the story in my opinion.

Also there was just so much repetitive stuff about their trauma and anxiety--now, please don't get me wrong, I am super down for those parts of the story. And mostly it was well-done I think, but some of it felt forced/on the nose in a way where it's like, okay I get it, this is the major conflict here, but having it brought up multiple times in every scene is a little much. 

Small things I liked though: the Portland stuff, and how they clearly made sure to keep their lives separate in a healthy way. Also I would read a sequel about Ty and Emma, ngl.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
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