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casey_beth_reads 's review for:
Things We've Lost and Found
by Ally Williams
3.5 stars
“..it’s beautiful. That’s what life is about, finding people who give you rather than take it away”
First-off, this book has one of my favorite meet cutes ever! It’s Cinderella inspired and adorable. A bit of insta-lust but I was totally here for it. Charles and Annabel both felt like such authentic, believable characters. They were low-angst and clearly moving through life imperfectly, but doing the best they knew how. The side characters and relationships brought real life to the story and I really enjoyed watching how Charlie’s family and Anabel’s lovely friends provided support and encouraged their growth.
“But sometimes, the hardest person to be honest with is yourself.”
Honesty was a big theme in this novel, and I loved how this built a safe and mature relationship between the characters. It was refreshing to see them bring up concerns directly and quickly without slogging through pages of inner turmoil first. Even during their FWB situation, Anabel and Charlie seemed to heal little bits of each other, largely through their commitment to honesty. I’m normally *really* not a fan of third-act breakups. But Ally really did this one, right, in my opinion. I don’t want to spoil it, but it just felt right to me.
“‘Do you like it when I say your name?’ My dick responds for me, and her smile turns into a grin. ‘You do, Charlie, don’t you?’”
Mmm, the spice. Honestly, personally I wish it had been a bit more detailed. But spice is such a personal thing. Annabel’s confidence was fun to read and Charlie’s appreciation of her confidence was even better. I loved watching their spicy interactions morph from pure lust into something sweet and loving.
Overall, I found this story to be an easy, low-stress read with well-developed side characters, a refreshingly realistic relationship arc, fun settings, and some great dirty talk. However, it wasn’t incredibly memorable, IMO. I enjoyed it and feel confident recommending it, but likely won’t reread.
Thank you, Ally, for the eARC!
“..it’s beautiful. That’s what life is about, finding people who give you rather than take it away”
First-off, this book has one of my favorite meet cutes ever! It’s Cinderella inspired and adorable. A bit of insta-lust but I was totally here for it. Charles and Annabel both felt like such authentic, believable characters. They were low-angst and clearly moving through life imperfectly, but doing the best they knew how. The side characters and relationships brought real life to the story and I really enjoyed watching how Charlie’s family and Anabel’s lovely friends provided support and encouraged their growth.
“But sometimes, the hardest person to be honest with is yourself.”
Honesty was a big theme in this novel, and I loved how this built a safe and mature relationship between the characters. It was refreshing to see them bring up concerns directly and quickly without slogging through pages of inner turmoil first. Even during their FWB situation, Anabel and Charlie seemed to heal little bits of each other, largely through their commitment to honesty. I’m normally *really* not a fan of third-act breakups. But Ally really did this one, right, in my opinion. I don’t want to spoil it, but it just felt right to me.
“‘Do you like it when I say your name?’ My dick responds for me, and her smile turns into a grin. ‘You do, Charlie, don’t you?’”
Mmm, the spice. Honestly, personally I wish it had been a bit more detailed. But spice is such a personal thing. Annabel’s confidence was fun to read and Charlie’s appreciation of her confidence was even better. I loved watching their spicy interactions morph from pure lust into something sweet and loving.
Overall, I found this story to be an easy, low-stress read with well-developed side characters, a refreshingly realistic relationship arc, fun settings, and some great dirty talk. However, it wasn’t incredibly memorable, IMO. I enjoyed it and feel confident recommending it, but likely won’t reread.
Thank you, Ally, for the eARC!