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A review by himbonation
Five Ways to Fall Out of Love by Emily Martin
challenging
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Five Ways to Fall Out of Love was an alright book. I didn’t feel that it was super special but I didn’t think it was horrible either. I felt it was shorter than most but still long enough for a plot and progressive storyline. I have conflicting opinions about Aubrey, who is having an internal battle with love and the center of the story. She is incredibly cynical in an annoying way and definitely wasn’t a great friend in more than one part. And for a main character, she was incredibly toxic with little to no resolve or acknowledgement. I did expect a bit more from this title and description of the book but overall it was still good.
I really loved how the bisexual character was handled in the book, it addressed biphobia and microaggressions, as well as made the character unique outside of his bisexuality. However, I felt that even Webster was unlikable in his own way. His relationship with Aubrey was incredibly wishy-washy and honestly they should’ve just given up on it. They fought up until the very end which left the ending dissatisfying.
Holland was the most enjoyable character along with his cute dog, Lucy. He was very cheated in the end and deserved way better than he received. He was so kind, sweet, and incredibly accommodating to Aubrey, who just brushed him off and hurt him when he’d done nothing wrong.
I also think the overall toxicity and depressing themes were just too much. For a rom-com coming of age story, it felt more like a bad example and a character that desperately just needed therapy. Having toxic relationship and depressing themes is fine, it’s just about how it was handled. I felt that there was more to be done and I had a higher expectation.
I received an ARC for an honest review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I really loved how the bisexual character was handled in the book, it addressed biphobia and microaggressions, as well as made the character unique outside of his bisexuality. However, I felt that even Webster was unlikable in his own way. His relationship with Aubrey was incredibly wishy-washy and honestly they should’ve just given up on it. They fought up until the very end which left the ending dissatisfying.
Holland was the most enjoyable character along with his cute dog, Lucy. He was very cheated in the end and deserved way better than he received. He was so kind, sweet, and incredibly accommodating to Aubrey, who just brushed him off and hurt him when he’d done nothing wrong.
I also think the overall toxicity and depressing themes were just too much. For a rom-com coming of age story, it felt more like a bad example and a character that desperately just needed therapy. Having toxic relationship and depressing themes is fine, it’s just about how it was handled. I felt that there was more to be done and I had a higher expectation.
I received an ARC for an honest review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Minor: Biphobia