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A review by abadbookreader
Beyond the Stroke by Erin Hawkins
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
9.5/10
Beyond the Stroke by Erin Hawkins is a perfect swimmer romance with plenty of smutty goodness and no third act breakup.
I literally devoured this book in 11 hours. Like started it late at night, took to bed and finished it in the morning. That’s how good this book is.
It instantly hooks you with the dual POV that introduces the characters perfectly and lets you know everything you need to, to start the book.
Then heading into the mermaid fiasco, into a tentative acquaintance-ship with a focus on good guy swimmer hero Rory with begrudging Summer and her perfect pug Edgar.
And then, boom fake marriage/dating that is actually realistic. (it’s also where my gripes are held in the book funnily enough)
To be fair, the gripes do not come off as unreadable, they’re simple little things if I were picking apart the book.
1. You literally never see Daphne again. And very little interactions with his parents.
2. The ending is a bit chaotic. With no clear third act separation, the ending resolves little plot points and swiftly comes to an end with little to no real resolution of the original plot. It focuses a lot more on their relationship as it has grown more so than the overall plot of how they got into it.
Now, onto my second favorite part of this book. The supporting cast of characters that I am DELIGHTED to see more of. The second epilogue with Connor and Rory? The teasing of Connor and Whitney???
And Logan and Eli and potentially Charlie??? It quite literally is so limitless to return to this series and I am already making mental reminders to watch out for more ARCs from Erin Hawkins. I personally CANNOT wait for more from this author and this town of Coral Cove.
I received this book early as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Beyond the Stroke by Erin Hawkins is a perfect swimmer romance with plenty of smutty goodness and no third act breakup.
I literally devoured this book in 11 hours. Like started it late at night, took to bed and finished it in the morning. That’s how good this book is.
It instantly hooks you with the dual POV that introduces the characters perfectly and lets you know everything you need to, to start the book.
Then heading into the mermaid fiasco, into a tentative acquaintance-ship with a focus on good guy swimmer hero Rory with begrudging Summer and her perfect pug Edgar.
And then, boom fake marriage/dating that is actually realistic. (it’s also where my gripes are held in the book funnily enough)
To be fair, the gripes do not come off as unreadable, they’re simple little things if I were picking apart the book.
1. You literally never see Daphne again. And very little interactions with his parents.
2. The ending is a bit chaotic. With no clear third act separation, the ending resolves little plot points and swiftly comes to an end with little to no real resolution of the original plot. It focuses a lot more on their relationship as it has grown more so than the overall plot of how they got into it.
Now, onto my second favorite part of this book. The supporting cast of characters that I am DELIGHTED to see more of. The second epilogue with Connor and Rory? The teasing of Connor and Whitney???
And Logan and Eli and potentially Charlie??? It quite literally is so limitless to return to this series and I am already making mental reminders to watch out for more ARCs from Erin Hawkins. I personally CANNOT wait for more from this author and this town of Coral Cove.
I received this book early as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.