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A review by elizabethcaneday
All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese
3.0
What I liked:
- The Bridge and the idea of a safe place like that for aged-out foster kids was cool and inspiring.
- The behind-the-scenes look at the fashion + beauty social media industry was interesting and eye-opening. I'm not on Instagram and don't pay much attention to social media influencers, but I wish Molly was a real person.
- I loved Val and Miles and I wish I could see more of them. Thus, I will probably read the sequel when it releases next spring.
- I guess that's it?
- Ah, yes. I really liked Silas. (How could I forget about the heart-stopping hero?) He was always very gentlemanly (please tell me that's a word because I'm second-guessing myself) and kind - a great hero.
- This shouldn't count, but I liked the cover. It's so feminine and pretty... but it screams "YA!" to me, which was confusing because this book is not Young Adult. The heroine is 27, folks. But that was my mistake. All That Really Matters is pretty clean for a modern romance novel.
What I disliked:
- I didn't really like or connect with the heroine (this can be explained by our age difference and very different lifestyles, though). Molly is just so different than me (and she felt somewhat... spoiled), so she wasn't very sympathetic. But she was a genuinely kind and funnyperson character.
- The hero and the heroine were shockingly gorgeous. I don't know why it disappointed me, but I was oddly annoyed by how many times their physical appearance was mentioned.
- As much as I liked Silas, he didn't feel like a real guy - he felt like a girl's perception of a guy. Which is ironic since Jake, Miles, and the other male supporting characters were awesome. But it wasn't awful and I know how hard it is to write realistic guys.
- The themes also felt understated for a Christian romance novel. I honestly couldn't tell you what the theme was. Probably something about what really matters, I guess. XD
- On the same note, there isn't much of a Christian influence on All That Really Matters. Molly and Silas never go to church (at least, it isn't mentioned). Miles pastors a church, but that isn't discussed. Molly's parents live a crazy church planting and missionary life that few Christians involved in ministry can pull off.
So, in conclusion, All That Really Matters just wasn't my piece of cake. My apologies.
Content: mild language and romance, including some kissing. All the teenagers at The Bridge have awful pasts. Drugs are mentioned several times.
Not really recommended.
- The Bridge and the idea of a safe place like that for aged-out foster kids was cool and inspiring.
- The behind-the-scenes look at the fashion + beauty social media industry was interesting and eye-opening. I'm not on Instagram and don't pay much attention to social media influencers, but I wish Molly was a real person.
- I loved Val and Miles and I wish I could see more of them. Thus, I will probably read the sequel when it releases next spring.
- I guess that's it?
- Ah, yes. I really liked Silas. (How could I forget about the heart-stopping hero?) He was always very gentlemanly (please tell me that's a word because I'm second-guessing myself) and kind - a great hero.
- This shouldn't count, but I liked the cover. It's so feminine and pretty... but it screams "YA!" to me, which was confusing because this book is not Young Adult. The heroine is 27, folks. But that was my mistake. All That Really Matters is pretty clean for a modern romance novel.
What I disliked:
- I didn't really like or connect with the heroine (this can be explained by our age difference and very different lifestyles, though). Molly is just so different than me (and she felt somewhat... spoiled), so she wasn't very sympathetic. But she was a genuinely kind and funny
- The hero and the heroine were shockingly gorgeous. I don't know why it disappointed me, but I was oddly annoyed by how many times their physical appearance was mentioned.
- As much as I liked Silas, he didn't feel like a real guy - he felt like a girl's perception of a guy. Which is ironic since Jake, Miles, and the other male supporting characters were awesome. But it wasn't awful and I know how hard it is to write realistic guys.
- The themes also felt understated for a Christian romance novel. I honestly couldn't tell you what the theme was. Probably something about what really matters, I guess. XD
- On the same note, there isn't much of a Christian influence on All That Really Matters. Molly and Silas never go to church (at least, it isn't mentioned). Miles pastors a church, but that isn't discussed. Molly's parents live a crazy church planting and missionary life that few Christians involved in ministry can pull off.
So, in conclusion, All That Really Matters just wasn't my piece of cake. My apologies.
Content: mild language and romance, including some kissing. All the teenagers at The Bridge have awful pasts.
Spoiler
One of the girls at The Bridge attacks another girl while she's asleep. The attacker shears off the victim's hair and slices her cheek.Spoiler
Two of the teens at The Bridge are discovered to have been stealing, wherever they can. They have also had sex together.Not really recommended.