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A review by themermaddie
We Can't Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon
4.0
i love it when books catch me off guard, this was much better than i expected but definitely different than what i was expecting.
this book's shining moment is how each character is so well developed, i fully believe that these are all real people with complex and complicated emotions. this is just such a great cast of characters. it has excellent family dynamics and explores the way we are all deeply shaped by our families, and of course, shows off different kinds of non-romantic love (a favourite theme of mine!). i was a big fan of quinn's relationships with her family, her complicated love and resentment for her parents and asher are so well expressed. her relationship with asher was one of my favourites, navigating this new phase in both of their lives and staying close despite their age gap. the plot concerning quinn's misbelief that her family's love is conditional was my favourite of the book, the overall message of working through things with the ones you love because they're worth it was so lovely. this is definitely a family heavy story and it warmed my heart.
the author clearly understands her characters' psychologies so well, i'm so obsessed w the way that tarek and quinn's respective approaches to romance clash so perfectly. the romantic and the cynic trope isn't new but this is such a good take on it, rachel lynn solomon has absolutely understood the assignment. i love that their romance was built on proper friendship, their conflicts were all the result of their own specific pathologies and it was so believable and honest. definitely less of a friends to rivals to lovers story and more of a friends to lovers story, with some miscommunication due to misunderstandings.
the writing is deceptively simplistic at times, but i think that it actually did a good job with speaking between the lines, particularly because a great deal of the story had instances of miscommunication. i was briefly worried at the beginning bc i was afraid that it was going to fall into the miscommunication trope (my least favourite trope) but luckily it was handled very well! this book really emphasises the importance of communication, building misunderstandings to resolve them with difficult but necessary conversations. i'd say the story as a whole is about these characters relearning how to express love for others and themselves in healthy ways, and i loved watching tarek and quinn fight and find compromises.
to be honest the romance was the least interesting plot for me, but still really enjoyed it and i love these characters. i was more invested in the bildungsroman aspect of quinn trying to figure out who she is outside of her assigned role in the family. i love her insecurities and uncertainties about what she wants from life when everyone around her seems to have it all figured out, and i loved her relationship with maxine; two lovely lost and lonely people finding friendship with each other. i was so invested in quinn's future and her rediscovering her love for the harp; i really liked the scenes with characters explaining their love for their respective passions, like tarek with baking and asher with wedding planning. i also really liked the mental illness rep, i loved the depictions of quinn's ocd and tarek's depression, it wasn't dramatised or exploited as an excuse for shitty behaviour.
overall this is a fantastic coming of age romance with above average characterisation, this is a must read if you want a YA novel that discusses messy complicated teen feelings <3
this book's shining moment is how each character is so well developed, i fully believe that these are all real people with complex and complicated emotions. this is just such a great cast of characters. it has excellent family dynamics and explores the way we are all deeply shaped by our families, and of course, shows off different kinds of non-romantic love (a favourite theme of mine!). i was a big fan of quinn's relationships with her family, her complicated love and resentment for her parents and asher are so well expressed. her relationship with asher was one of my favourites, navigating this new phase in both of their lives and staying close despite their age gap. the plot concerning quinn's misbelief that her family's love is conditional was my favourite of the book, the overall message of working through things with the ones you love because they're worth it was so lovely. this is definitely a family heavy story and it warmed my heart.
the author clearly understands her characters' psychologies so well, i'm so obsessed w the way that tarek and quinn's respective approaches to romance clash so perfectly. the romantic and the cynic trope isn't new but this is such a good take on it, rachel lynn solomon has absolutely understood the assignment. i love that their romance was built on proper friendship, their conflicts were all the result of their own specific pathologies and it was so believable and honest. definitely less of a friends to rivals to lovers story and more of a friends to lovers story, with some miscommunication due to misunderstandings.
the writing is deceptively simplistic at times, but i think that it actually did a good job with speaking between the lines, particularly because a great deal of the story had instances of miscommunication. i was briefly worried at the beginning bc i was afraid that it was going to fall into the miscommunication trope (my least favourite trope) but luckily it was handled very well! this book really emphasises the importance of communication, building misunderstandings to resolve them with difficult but necessary conversations. i'd say the story as a whole is about these characters relearning how to express love for others and themselves in healthy ways, and i loved watching tarek and quinn fight and find compromises.
to be honest the romance was the least interesting plot for me, but still really enjoyed it and i love these characters. i was more invested in the bildungsroman aspect of quinn trying to figure out who she is outside of her assigned role in the family. i love her insecurities and uncertainties about what she wants from life when everyone around her seems to have it all figured out, and i loved her relationship with maxine; two lovely lost and lonely people finding friendship with each other. i was so invested in quinn's future and her rediscovering her love for the harp; i really liked the scenes with characters explaining their love for their respective passions, like tarek with baking and asher with wedding planning. i also really liked the mental illness rep, i loved the depictions of quinn's ocd and tarek's depression, it wasn't dramatised or exploited as an excuse for shitty behaviour.
overall this is a fantastic coming of age romance with above average characterisation, this is a must read if you want a YA novel that discusses messy complicated teen feelings <3