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A review by ashlightgrayson
Ignite by Melanie Harlow
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This romance takes place in the span of 6 weeks and I appreciated that the characters are self-aware about this.
Dex is 12 years older than Winnie and is divorced with 2 kids. He moves in next door to Winnie and recognizes pretty quickly that he is attracted to her (as she is to him). He thinks about this age gap a lot when determining what to do about his attraction to her. I personally really liked that he had to really think about it because I felt like it was his way of being considerate of Winnie's future and self-aware of the baggage he would be bringing into a relationship with her. I think relationships with age gaps involving people as young as Winnie can easily become predatory. The fact that Dex was this self-conscious about it made me grateful of the care he was taking not to hurt her or take advantage of her. I'm not against age gap relationships in real life as long as both people are of consenting age. However, I have seen many situations where the older partner infantilizes the younger partner (or makes them feel like they are unable to be independent without them because they "know better"). Obviously that can happen in relationships of any age, but I feel like it tends to be easier to fall into those unhealthy patterns when there is a significant age gap with one partner in their early 20s. Dex harbored more on the cautious side in part because of this in a way that I wish more people who are the older partner in these age gap relationships would.
Additionally, Dex and Winnie are both very likeable. Dex tries his best to be present for his daughters while also putting in an effort to keep the peace with his ex-wife. He doesn't always succeed but it's never for lack of effort. Winnie is super great with his kids and is very funny while also being hardworking. They have a nice grumpy/sunshine dynamic with Dex having a soft spot for people he really cares about. I really liked the side characters, especially the relationship between Dex and his ex-wife. You can tell that they both weren't a good match for each other and that's why they are now divorced. Despite that, they both just want the best for one another and try to be great parents to their kids. Overall, I'm hoping to read more age gap relationship books like this as well as other works by this author.
Dex is 12 years older than Winnie and is divorced with 2 kids. He moves in next door to Winnie and recognizes pretty quickly that he is attracted to her (as she is to him). He thinks about this age gap a lot when determining what to do about his attraction to her. I personally really liked that he had to really think about it because I felt like it was his way of being considerate of Winnie's future and self-aware of the baggage he would be bringing into a relationship with her. I think relationships with age gaps involving people as young as Winnie can easily become predatory. The fact that Dex was this self-conscious about it made me grateful of the care he was taking not to hurt her or take advantage of her. I'm not against age gap relationships in real life as long as both people are of consenting age. However, I have seen many situations where the older partner infantilizes the younger partner (or makes them feel like they are unable to be independent without them because they "know better"). Obviously that can happen in relationships of any age, but I feel like it tends to be easier to fall into those unhealthy patterns when there is a significant age gap with one partner in their early 20s. Dex harbored more on the cautious side in part because of this in a way that I wish more people who are the older partner in these age gap relationships would.
Additionally, Dex and Winnie are both very likeable. Dex tries his best to be present for his daughters while also putting in an effort to keep the peace with his ex-wife. He doesn't always succeed but it's never for lack of effort. Winnie is super great with his kids and is very funny while also being hardworking. They have a nice grumpy/sunshine dynamic with Dex having a soft spot for people he really cares about. I really liked the side characters, especially the relationship between Dex and his ex-wife. You can tell that they both weren't a good match for each other and that's why they are now divorced. Despite that, they both just want the best for one another and try to be great parents to their kids. Overall, I'm hoping to read more age gap relationship books like this as well as other works by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing