cozywbooks 's review for:

Safety Measures by Maeve Hazel

3.5

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Trigger Warnings —

Heavy: Alcoholism, Addiction, Open door, consensual sex, Death of parents, Emotional abuse, Abandonment

Moderate: Mention of Cancer, Violence


Tropes —

Best Friends to Lovers
Author x Editor
Grumpy x Sunshine
Dual Perspective
Childhood Friends
Disability Representation

This is a contemporary romance book about friends who become lovers. Blaise has had feelings for Ares for a long time, but it seems that Ares does not feel the same way. This hurt Blaise when they were teenagers. As a result, Blaise made a vow to never let anyone kiss her again. When Blaise kissed Ares, he did return the kiss, but he did not reciprocate her feelings, leaving Blaise with a bitter memory. Despite this, they remained friends and acted as if the kiss never happened. Don't worry, this detail only occurs in the first chapter and is not a spoiler.

The writing style is easy to read; I didn't have a hard time reading it. Sometimes the story became so emotional that it made me cry. The depiction of career struggle and self-doubt resonated with me, possibly because of the current stage of my life.

She should talk to someone, even if that person isn’t me. — Ares

Ares Hart is an introverted person who prefers to be quiet and only speaks when necessary or when he truly has something to say. Ares and Blaise were childhood friends who always looked out for each other and took care of each other. Ares had feelings for Blaise, but he wasn't certain if she was the right person for him. Personally, I could relate more to Ares than Blaise, because I am an introvert person myself. 

We don’t need a fancy restaurant to meet. I’d choose privacy a thousand times above dressing nicely for the night and eating in an expensive place. We could sit on the couch with a movie on and order some takeaway, and the day would still end with happy faces. — Ares 

I place a hand on his shoulder, trying to show him I’m here whether he wants to talk about it or not. If he pushes me away, I’ll pull him back harder. No matter what, I’m right beside him. — Blaise 

Ares had a difficult upbringing as his parents abandoned him and his brother. His mother, who is an alcoholic, subjected him to physical and emotional abuse. However, she showed affection towards his younger brother whenever she was around. SpoilerIt is later revealed that Ares is not her biological son, which explains the cruelty. 
 

I always liked that about him. The control he holds is sometimes scary, but most of the time, I know to appreciate the way he handles things. It’s obvious he’s fuming with anger, yet he chooses to not let anyone be the victim of his rage, no matter what they did. That takes a lot. — Blaise

The storyline transitions from lighthearted to deep, and at times, I could relate to and understand the struggles the characters were going through, such as doubt and fear. The fact that Ares is partially deaf plays a significant role in how the story ends. The ending made me feel sad 😭; I wished it didn't conclude that way.

Blaise's parents died a long time ago, but despite her grief, she brings sunshine to this relationship. She talks a lot and often feels the urge to fix things that are not hers to fix. She aspires to be an author. One aspect I appreciated about this story is the representation of failure.

Blaise goes for an interview for her debut novel, and when the publishers accepted it, she was delighted and worked even harder to finalize it for printing. However, she became involved in a scandal that was not even her fault. The publishers emailed her, stating that they couldn't accept her novel because of the scandal.

I usually read stories where everything works out fine in the end, but this was refreshing because it showed that not everything works out, and that's okay. It's okay to fail; it's heartbreaking, but it's fine.

Blaise is the type of person who offers anyone her help on a silver tray along with bits of her heart. Luckily, she’s got a big one. — Ares

The choices Blaise made throughout the book were surprisingly not cringe-worthy, but it was difficult to read about how

she was emotionally manipulated by Ares's mother. However, in the end, things worked out between Blaise, Ares, and his brother.

I wasn't very engaged with the story, as it sometimes felt boring. However, this may be because I tend to prefer plot-driven stories. That being said, it did have a plot twist that was heartbreaking to read and I didn't see it coming, especially the ending.

“I could write a thousand stories about worshiping you and I’d never get bored of it, Moon.” — Ares