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A review by jkreads
Because of Her by Devon May
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was some of the best infertility representation I’ve read in ages! I’m always nervous going to a romance book where infertility is part of the plot, as all too often there’s a such a huge focus of it throughout the story only for there to be a random surprise epilogue baby thrown in. Which sure, some people dealing with infertility have that outcome but many don’t and I feel like that’s not represented enough. I felt like Cassidy’s feelings around her infertility were realistic and explored well. Her journey towards the realisation that biology isn’t all that makes a family was emotional and tough but again, I felt like that was very realistic.
Watching Cassidy’s relationship with Maisie develop was honestly better for me than her relationship with Callum! I loved how she slowly opened up to her and realised she loved her and wanted her in her life, and that even though she didn’t give birth to Maisie she was still an important part of her life. I loved that this wasn’t presented as a ‘consolation prize’ for Cassidy in place of having her own biological child - she loved Maisie completely and unconditionally. Same with the other children in her life - they weren’t placeholders for the children she wished she would have, they were loved for who they were.
The romance in the book almost felt like a side plot to me (even though it wasn’t) because I just didn’t feel as invested in it as I did with Cassidy’s infertility journey and relationship with Maisie! There is A LOT of conflict in this book - much of it is internal conflict as it’s written in first person POV, but that’s something to be aware of if a heap of conflict in a romance isn’t your thing.
{ARC review - thankyou very much to Devon for providing an early copy in exchange for my honest review}
Watching Cassidy’s relationship with Maisie develop was honestly better for me than her relationship with Callum! I loved how she slowly opened up to her and realised she loved her and wanted her in her life, and that even though she didn’t give birth to Maisie she was still an important part of her life. I loved that this wasn’t presented as a ‘consolation prize’ for Cassidy in place of having her own biological child - she loved Maisie completely and unconditionally. Same with the other children in her life - they weren’t placeholders for the children she wished she would have, they were loved for who they were.
The romance in the book almost felt like a side plot to me (even though it wasn’t) because I just didn’t feel as invested in it as I did with Cassidy’s infertility journey and relationship with Maisie! There is A LOT of conflict in this book - much of it is internal conflict as it’s written in first person POV, but that’s something to be aware of if a heap of conflict in a romance isn’t your thing.
{ARC review - thankyou very much to Devon for providing an early copy in exchange for my honest review}
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Infertility, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, and Mental illness