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A review by discarded_dust_jacket
Next Of Kin by Hannah Bonam-Young
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I was intrigued by the plot—true originality is something that, at times, feels missing in contemporary romance—and I really wanted to like this book, but in the end it just didn’t work for me.
The big thing was just that I found the pacing of the romantic relationship to be too abrupt. It felt like they were declaring their love for one another unbelievably fast, especially given how prickly they were at the beginning. I anticipated a slower burn.
It also felt lacking in the side characters department. Chloe’s friends are incorporated here and there, and even as their relationship definitely grows throughout the length of the book, it still felt very surface-level throughout.
The dialogue, especially Warren’s sometimes made me cringe, especially in the more intimate scenes. They just struck me as a bit juvenile, but that’s entirely personal preference.
And the whole thing with him having been in a band felt shoehorned in for no particular reason. Like that plot thread never really went anywhere.
It’s not that I thought this book was bad, by any means! Like I said, I was really intrigued by the story. That’s the big thing that kept me wanting to keep reading, I loved the story. The characters, though maybe a little underdeveloped, were still endearing. I still wanted to root for them. Overall, ok. Just a tad disappointing in my opinion.
The big thing was just that I found the pacing of the romantic relationship to be too abrupt. It felt like they were declaring their love for one another unbelievably fast, especially given how prickly they were at the beginning. I anticipated a slower burn.
It also felt lacking in the side characters department. Chloe’s friends are incorporated here and there, and even as their relationship definitely grows throughout the length of the book, it still felt very surface-level throughout.
The dialogue, especially Warren’s sometimes made me cringe, especially in the more intimate scenes. They just struck me as a bit juvenile, but that’s entirely personal preference.
And the whole thing with him having been in a band felt shoehorned in for no particular reason. Like that plot thread never really went anywhere.
It’s not that I thought this book was bad, by any means! Like I said, I was really intrigued by the story. That’s the big thing that kept me wanting to keep reading, I loved the story. The characters, though maybe a little underdeveloped, were still endearing. I still wanted to root for them. Overall, ok. Just a tad disappointing in my opinion.