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A review by _isabel_
Salt by Fearne Hill
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
5.0
What a freaking gorgeous book. I'm seriously in awe. Fearne Hill is one of the best MM contemporary romance authors out there, and I've loved many of her books before, and "Salt" is absolutely no exception. I loved it so damned much.
This book is magical: it sucked me right inside its pages from the very first paragraph, and I'm pretty sure it will stay with me for the next few months, at least. This one isn't an easy romance: it's magical for sure, and sweet and lovely and heartfelt and dreamy, but it's also dark and tough and angsty and gut-wrenching. Hill is one of the few authors out there who excels at balancing out the lighthearted with the angst, the steam with the emotional, the sweetness with the "oh god I'm about to start sobbing out loud". And she also excels at backing all of this up with wonderfully real, relatable protagonists and absolutely believable, tangible, unforgettable character and relationship arcs. I seriously felt like I was there with Charles, battling his demons, his colours and his soul-wrenching grief, and with Florian, facing his own demons, an aging grandfather and struggling business; I was with them through the thick and thin, and I can't say how happy, and how satisfied, their story made me feel.
Charles is one of the most fascinating protagonists I've read about in quite a while: he's full of contradictions, and even more real because of it. He's a business shark and genius; he's an artist; he's funny and sincere and gentle; he's also grief-stricken and suicidal, so fragile you just want to jump into the book and hug him to bits and protect him from the whole world (and his landmine of a mind). Needless to say I loved him; I felt what he was going through at a deep personal level, and I related to him so damned much.
I think I've said this a dozen times in my reviews before, but the romance genre NEEDS more mental health rep. And it needs authors like Fearne Hill, ones who manage to tackle deep, important topics without cheapening them, without disrespecting them, and without losing a touch of lightheartedness and sweetness.
Florian was as unforgettable as Charles, and as real. He's a flirt, open-hearted and gentle and charming, but he also isn't afraid of showing his vulnerabilities and his insecurities.
I loved their relationship so damned much. Their romance made me want hurl myself from the nearest building, sob in a corner and squeal like a little girl, simultaneously. I laughed and swooned and cried alongside them, and their hard-won HEA was the most satisfying, perfect HEA you could wish for.
The setting was absolutely magical, so vividly depicted; it made me want to move to French, salt-harvesting island myself. The side characters, from Jerome to the mysterious (and seriously hot) Nico, from Papi to all the colourful, hard-working people of the island.
And the writing! God, like I said, Fearne Hill is one of a kind, and I can't believe I still haven't devoured all of her backlist.
I'm sooooooooo excited for the next book. I'm sure it will be as unforgettable as this one; I'm also seriously hoping it will have some mental health rep too. Nico's such a fascinating character, and I can't wait to get to know him properly and to finally meet his love interest.
TWs/CWs: suicide (described), suicidal thoughts, mental health crisis, depression, death of a parent and of other family members (mentioned), grief, character with dementia.
Thank you GRR and the author for the ARC. This is my honest review.
This book is magical: it sucked me right inside its pages from the very first paragraph, and I'm pretty sure it will stay with me for the next few months, at least. This one isn't an easy romance: it's magical for sure, and sweet and lovely and heartfelt and dreamy, but it's also dark and tough and angsty and gut-wrenching. Hill is one of the few authors out there who excels at balancing out the lighthearted with the angst, the steam with the emotional, the sweetness with the "oh god I'm about to start sobbing out loud". And she also excels at backing all of this up with wonderfully real, relatable protagonists and absolutely believable, tangible, unforgettable character and relationship arcs. I seriously felt like I was there with Charles, battling his demons, his colours and his soul-wrenching grief, and with Florian, facing his own demons, an aging grandfather and struggling business; I was with them through the thick and thin, and I can't say how happy, and how satisfied, their story made me feel.
Charles is one of the most fascinating protagonists I've read about in quite a while: he's full of contradictions, and even more real because of it. He's a business shark and genius; he's an artist; he's funny and sincere and gentle; he's also grief-stricken and suicidal, so fragile you just want to jump into the book and hug him to bits and protect him from the whole world (and his landmine of a mind). Needless to say I loved him; I felt what he was going through at a deep personal level, and I related to him so damned much.
I think I've said this a dozen times in my reviews before, but the romance genre NEEDS more mental health rep. And it needs authors like Fearne Hill, ones who manage to tackle deep, important topics without cheapening them, without disrespecting them, and without losing a touch of lightheartedness and sweetness.
Florian was as unforgettable as Charles, and as real. He's a flirt, open-hearted and gentle and charming, but he also isn't afraid of showing his vulnerabilities and his insecurities.
I loved their relationship so damned much. Their romance made me want hurl myself from the nearest building, sob in a corner and squeal like a little girl, simultaneously. I laughed and swooned and cried alongside them, and their hard-won HEA was the most satisfying, perfect HEA you could wish for.
The setting was absolutely magical, so vividly depicted; it made me want to move to French, salt-harvesting island myself. The side characters, from Jerome to the mysterious (and seriously hot) Nico, from Papi to all the colourful, hard-working people of the island.
And the writing! God, like I said, Fearne Hill is one of a kind, and I can't believe I still haven't devoured all of her backlist.
I'm sooooooooo excited for the next book. I'm sure it will be as unforgettable as this one; I'm also seriously hoping it will have some mental health rep too. Nico's such a fascinating character, and I can't wait to get to know him properly and to finally meet his love interest.
TWs/CWs: suicide (described), suicidal thoughts, mental health crisis, depression, death of a parent and of other family members (mentioned), grief, character with dementia.
Thank you GRR and the author for the ARC. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Death of parent, Grief, and Dementia