A review by chloe_liese
Between the Devil and Ian Eversea by Julie Anne Long

5.0

Tansy and Ian aren’t terribly likable people when we meet them, which seems to be some of the critique leveled at this story. To me, however, their character “flaws” are powerful lessons in how people may seem “fine” when they are anything but, “functional” when they’re barely staying alive. Sticking with their unlikableness is a lesson in both empathy and patience, an exercise I felt deeply rewarded for as a reader. Both Tansy and Ian have undergone loss and trauma, and they don’t handle it like angels, but that only renders them more human and their character growth more profound. I read this whole story with a lump in my throat. I frequently teared up. They felt so real, and the manner in which they figured each other out and by the same token gave each other permission to be their imperfect selves was so emotionally satisfying. By the end of this story, I loved Tansy and Ian as much as they loved each other.

On a final note: I want to see more romance novels that normalize people who are struggling—to heal, to be sincere, to trust, to believe—and show that with the right person, with honesty and understanding, trust and laughter, they can find their happy ending, too.