A review by meeklovestoread
Out of Love by Hazel Hayes

emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Not gonna lie, I read this about two weeks ago and I barely remember any of it. I don't think I remember the main character's name. I don't even recall if it was ever given. But from what I do remember I think it was a decent portrayal of just how much a toxic relationship could damage a person. I think the idea of telling the love story in reverse was a neat concept and although the execution wasn't the absolute best in my opinion I do applaud the author for her effort. There was a lot of telling and not showing and to be honest I didn't really care for their relationship. Throughout the book I was wondering what drew her to Theo, to begin with, and although I do recall a few moments where Theo was a decent guy I still think he wasn't a catch from the start and there are a plethora of moments in the book where I was wondering why she didn't initiate the break up first.
Okay a few things are coming back to me. First, I seriously believe they both cheated on each other. We see the main character cheat on Theo twice (both with women; which contributes to the negative connotations people have with bisexuality). And I know it wasn't explicitly said but it was definitely implied that Theo cheated on her with his co-worker. Also (I know this is sporadic), but I found the scene between the main character and the woman going down on her to be highly disturbing. Not only because of the cheating, but also due to how wishy-washy the consent was in there. It made me feel extremely uncomfortable reading that because the main character was CLEARLY contemplating if she even wanted that to happen. The whole scene just gave me the ick!
I like the main character's mom and her friendship with her friend.
The scene where she was having that miscarriage broke me!
The best chapter in this book is "are you a banana?" I will FOREVER think about this chapter because I love it so much! The message was so clear, but reading it was so relatable. There are some great quotes in this book too!

Spice Rating:🌶️.5/5
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