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A review by elwirax
Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Was this the most believable or well written novel I've ever read? Absolutely not. Was it fun, easy and a good escape? Indeed it was.
It touched well on topics like homophobia (internal and external) in sports and toxic masculinity. There was strong communication in this book which is sometimes rare in romance books and the fact that hateful speech was always pointed out and held accountable was great. The side characters (while not as developed as they could've been) were wonderful. I also liked how the conversations/ information surrounding seizures, service dogs and anxiety disorders was introduced.
However, I thought that Eli deserved better characterisation. It's mentioned that he's a figure skater but never speaks about his ambitions or shows any of his practices which makes him seem rather flat . I feel like a lot of his character was set up as a support for Alex's character and he was more of a secondary character rather than the main narrator. There's nothing wrong with pure fluff (in fact it's sometimes well needed) but I would've wanted just a bit more tension, angst and conflict so that the world/ character building weren't so flat/ insubstantial. While the romance was sweet and respectful, it happened rather fast ( in the first few pages type of fast) and reinforced the shallow worldbuilding due to it being the sole focus. The structure and pacing of this book was also a wee bit off as at times as it jumped from POV to POV without warning, yet this wasn't too jarring as a whole.
Overall, I thought this was lovely, not perfect but sweet nonetheless.
It touched well on topics like homophobia (internal and external) in sports and toxic masculinity. There was strong communication in this book which is sometimes rare in romance books and the fact that hateful speech was always pointed out and held accountable was great. The side characters (while not as developed as they could've been) were wonderful. I also liked how the conversations/ information surrounding seizures, service dogs and anxiety disorders was introduced.
However, I thought that Eli deserved better characterisation. It's mentioned that he's a figure skater but never speaks about his ambitions or shows any of his practices which makes him seem rather flat . I feel like a lot of his character was set up as a support for Alex's character and he was more of a secondary character rather than the main narrator. There's nothing wrong with pure fluff (in fact it's sometimes well needed) but I would've wanted just a bit more tension, angst and conflict so that the world/ character building weren't so flat/ insubstantial. While the romance was sweet and respectful, it happened rather fast ( in the first few pages type of fast) and reinforced the shallow worldbuilding due to it being the sole focus. The structure and pacing of this book was also a wee bit off as at times as it jumped from POV to POV without warning, yet this wasn't too jarring as a whole.
Overall, I thought this was lovely, not perfect but sweet nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Abandonment and Mental illness
Minor: Car accident