A review by sixelad03
If You Don't Love Me We Both Die by C.M. Stunich

emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Do you ever tell yourself before you start reading a book that it's not for you, but that you're going to try and read it anyway because you've enjoyed other books by that author? That's what happened to me with this book. I was wrong to think it wasn't for me because it was, and I LOVED it! 
 
To be honest, I have a few complaints about this book: 
—It's a slow burn and I don't have the patience for slow burns. 
—It made me cry... SEVERAL TIMES! 
—It made me crave bubble tea. And that stuff is expensive, and I have to go downtown to buy it, and I never go downtown. 
 
As you've probably noticed by now, these complaints aren't really complaints at all, and mostly have to do with my bad faith, because this book had no right to make me feel so many emotions over nearly 1,000 pages 😢 
 
One thing is true: I don't usually read slow burns because I don't have the patience for it. I'm the kind of person who, when two people have chemistry that's obvious to everyone but them, yells at the TV, "Just kiss already!" I actually spent a good chunk of the book trying to tell Lake and Tam that, but they didn't listen 😭 
 
Another thing is true, I cried many times. This book makes you go through so many emotions that it should be illegal for it to be this long. My fragile little heart will need some time to recover from this book 🥺 
I cried especially when it came to the moments surrounding grief. These scenes are both accurate and raw. Well, they were for me and reminded me of my own feelings in relation to my own experiences of grief. 
 
Another emotion I often felt was tension. From the beginning to the end of the book I was on the edge of my seat (both literally and figuratively). Being a romance, I knew how the book would end, but the journey from point A to point B was full of obstacles, potholes, and blocked roads. You know you're going to get there, but you don't know how, and you don't know what state you'll be in at the end. 
 
As for the characters, I liked almost all of them–I can think of one or two who don't deserve my affection. I'm not going to lie though, if I had to pick just one character it would be Joules. Sorry Tam, but Joules clearly stole the show. Lake and he are the two stars of this book, which is ironic considering they're not the celebrities in the book (don't worry Tam, I like you too, you just can't compete with Joules 🤣). 
 
To sum it all up, this book is a little gem, and if you feel like tackling a 946-page behemoth (for the ebook), then I recommend it 1,000%.