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A review by smartie_chan
The Heartbreak Handshake by J.R. Hart
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5 / 5 Stars
CW: mentions of off-page past ableism .... and plane crashes (?)
I think, this might be one of my favourit fake-dating books out there. And the reason why is very simple:
There's no forced third-act drama of "Oh no! *tripple gasp* They found out it was all just fake , whatever shall we do! :O"
I guess I never understood why we needed that plot point in an already amazing trope. To everyone their own, but for me, personally, reading about two people who didn't mean to but do end up falling in love anyways is quiet enough.
Bonus points for asexual & neurodiverse (ADHD & Autism) rep. DOUBLE Bonus points for a romance that doesn't require mouth or sex battles to be valid. I have a very soft spot for these kinds of storys because it's something that hits very close to my own feelings on the matter. And finding a partner who has the same needs, well, can be a challange. I could go on and on, spill all of my insides open for the world to see, but let's just not do that. And instead just summarize that this romance story was beautiful, heart-warming and everything I could have hoped for.
I don't think I could name something I didn't like about the book even if I wanted to, so there's that.
Final thoughts:
I loved every second of this.
CW: mentions of off-page past ableism .... and plane crashes (?)
I think, this might be one of my favourit fake-dating books out there. And the reason why is very simple:
There's no forced third-act drama of "Oh no! *tripple gasp* They found out it was all just fake , whatever shall we do! :O"
I guess I never understood why we needed that plot point in an already amazing trope. To everyone their own, but for me, personally, reading about two people who didn't mean to but do end up falling in love anyways is quiet enough.
Bonus points for asexual & neurodiverse (ADHD & Autism) rep. DOUBLE Bonus points for a romance that doesn't require mouth or sex battles to be valid. I have a very soft spot for these kinds of storys because it's something that hits very close to my own feelings on the matter. And finding a partner who has the same needs, well, can be a challange. I could go on and on, spill all of my insides open for the world to see, but let's just not do that. And instead just summarize that this romance story was beautiful, heart-warming and everything I could have hoped for.
I don't think I could name something I didn't like about the book even if I wanted to, so there's that.
Final thoughts:
I loved every second of this.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism