A review by shinysue
Back to Center by Joshua Harwood, Ryan Taylor

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Really enjoyed this book. It was a decent look at "making up for your sins", but it could have done just a bit more to explore remorse. This book carefully didn't discuss what he actually did in the previous book, which helped the reader sympathize with him. There was only a surface level look at mental health which also could have been interesting to explore, but I understand that this is a rom com and not the place for such trauma.

There was a lot of trauma discussion near the end which could be triggering. I assume the authors felt this is so extreme that it wouldn't trigger many readers, which is why this was more graphic than the mental health. Or maybe the authors aren't too familiar with how brutal mental health issues can actually look and feel.

The parenthood aspect is nice. A bit rose-colored but it helped lighten the tone.