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A review by 1943tre
What If You & Me by Roni Loren
4.0
3.5 rounded up because I am a woman of generosity.
I read them out of order, but I've now completed the entire Say Everything series and I think I'd rank them: #3, #2, #1. Roni Loren, I've said it before and I'll say it again!, is a very competent romance writer. Even if she doesn't deliver super high highs for me, I feel like they're all consistently pretty good. All three have really good steam with impeccable consent, extremely healthy communication, and like, a strong message, lol, at the end. They're also all very much Romances and NOT women's fiction, which will appeal to some.
One thing she has done twice in this series is introduce a friends-with-benefits arrangement. I really don't love this for some reason. I think it's just a little predictable how it's going to work. One person is always so deadset on the other person only seeing them as a friend, though since these books are dual-POV we the readers know otherwise, and it gets a little frustrating. The other thing that grates me on a little in this book is just how SWEET it is lol? There's definitely angst and both Hill and Andi are dealing with some legitimately serious traumas, but it's wrapped up so sweetly at the end that it's kind of like, really???? I also think Loren's dialogue is a bit cheugy. Her characters, basically always, sound like they're coming out of feel-good sitcoms written by...older people (is this mean lol?) and not like what 20/30-somethings would actually say. It's a bit jarring.
That said, this book had really good pacing. I couldn't put it down and the third act conflict at the end legitimately had my heart racing. I could see how others would find it triggering, so I guess I will say that if you are not into reading about attempted assault, I'd avoid. Loren used to be a social worker apparently and I think it really shows––she treats her characters with care and their emotional journeys are always complex and quite lovely by the end.
I read them out of order, but I've now completed the entire Say Everything series and I think I'd rank them: #3, #2, #1. Roni Loren, I've said it before and I'll say it again!, is a very competent romance writer. Even if she doesn't deliver super high highs for me, I feel like they're all consistently pretty good. All three have really good steam with impeccable consent, extremely healthy communication, and like, a strong message, lol, at the end. They're also all very much Romances and NOT women's fiction, which will appeal to some.
One thing she has done twice in this series is introduce a friends-with-benefits arrangement. I really don't love this for some reason. I think it's just a little predictable how it's going to work. One person is always so deadset on the other person only seeing them as a friend, though since these books are dual-POV we the readers know otherwise, and it gets a little frustrating. The other thing that grates me on a little in this book is just how SWEET it is lol? There's definitely angst and both Hill and Andi are dealing with some legitimately serious traumas, but it's wrapped up so sweetly at the end that it's kind of like, really???? I also think Loren's dialogue is a bit cheugy. Her characters, basically always, sound like they're coming out of feel-good sitcoms written by...older people (is this mean lol?) and not like what 20/30-somethings would actually say. It's a bit jarring.
That said, this book had really good pacing. I couldn't put it down and the third act conflict at the end legitimately had my heart racing. I could see how others would find it triggering, so I guess I will say that if you are not into reading about attempted assault, I'd avoid. Loren used to be a social worker apparently and I think it really shows––she treats her characters with care and their emotional journeys are always complex and quite lovely by the end.