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A review by _isabel_
Matrimonial Merriment by Nicky James
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
I have only one word: FINALLY.
No okay, I do have more but really, finally FINALLY Quaid's underlying anxiety and eating disorder issues have been addressed. It took six books and a half, and also a hospital trip, but I'm so glad Nicky James has stopped treating this stuff as a personality quirk (mostly at least): I've been saying since I don't know how many books ago, but I'm so glad it's been finally said on page and that Quaid's planning on doing some therapy.
This book would have had a much lower rating otherwise, and I would have probably abandoned this series altogether.
Anyway, the first half of the book was a bit tough for me to get through: mental health issues aside, Quaid's an acquired taste and I think I'm at my last straw with him. He sneers and judges and shames, distrusts everyone (Aslan, his friends, his family; although to be fair, he has gotten better) and is constantly insecure. I know, it's relatable: I'm a bit like him, so I think that's the reason a fair chunk of his thoughts and words were kinda of... triggering? for me? I don't know, but I might have found a trigger/content that doesn't work for me. Especially the food/fat-shaming he does: yes, okay, it's part of his whole "insert mental health issue that needs to be treated" but god, it hit really close to home, it left me feeling bad, and I know he's just a character, but I'm pretty sure this kind of stuff needs to be handled in a much more thoughtful way.
Wedding books/installments should feel light-hearted and sweet, but that first half was anything but; it was frustrating.
Also, did it need to be this long? I skimmed quite a lot.
Thankfully, the second half is so much better. So, so much better: I laughed and swooned, and everything felt so much more joyful and fun.
Aslan, my precious baby, he's been my fav since book one: I adored him in this one. So patient, so loving, so sexy. He's the reason I keep coming back to this series, and if there are to be more books, I so hope he gets another chance to shine in the spotlight (there's a reason why I love the mysteries that centred around his work more).
I loved the character interactions (Torin and Ruiz, Allison and Amelia, her kids... I loved everything about them all), the banter and the fun, and hilarious, scenes (Torin and Ruiz make an epic team, I adore them), and the wedding was pretty much dreamy. The ending was perfect.
I'm glad Nicky James is hitting pause of this series for a bit though; it's time to give these two a chance to properly grow (*cough* and for Quaid to become healthier and happier). I'm really curious about the next MCs for the spin-off series! Hopefully I'll end up loving them.
TWs/CWs: untreated eating disorder and anxiety, food-shaming, homophobia and bullying (referenced, in the past), death of family members (referenced, in the past), alcohol addiction.
No okay, I do have more but really, finally
This book would have had a much lower rating otherwise, and I would have probably abandoned this series altogether.
Anyway, the first half of the book was a bit tough for me to get through: mental health issues aside, Quaid's an acquired taste and I think I'm at my last straw with him. He sneers and judges and shames, distrusts everyone (Aslan, his friends, his family; although to be fair, he has gotten better) and is constantly insecure. I know, it's relatable: I'm a bit like him, so I think that's the reason a fair chunk of his thoughts and words were kinda of... triggering? for me? I don't know, but I might have found a trigger/content that doesn't work for me. Especially the food/fat-shaming he does: yes, okay, it's part of his whole "insert mental health issue that needs to be treated" but god, it hit really close to home, it left me feeling bad, and I know he's just a character, but I'm pretty sure this kind of stuff needs to be handled in a much more thoughtful way.
Wedding books/installments should feel light-hearted and sweet, but that first half was anything but; it was frustrating.
Also, did it need to be this long? I skimmed quite a lot.
Thankfully, the second half is so much better. So, so much better: I laughed and swooned, and everything felt so much more joyful and fun.
Aslan, my precious baby, he's been my fav since book one: I adored him in this one. So patient, so loving, so sexy. He's the reason I keep coming back to this series, and if there are to be more books, I so hope he gets another chance to shine in the spotlight (there's a reason why I love the mysteries that centred around his work more).
I loved the character interactions (Torin and Ruiz, Allison and Amelia, her kids... I loved everything about them all), the banter and the fun, and hilarious, scenes (Torin and Ruiz make an epic team, I adore them), and the wedding was pretty much dreamy. The ending was perfect.
I'm glad Nicky James is hitting pause of this series for a bit though; it's time to give these two a chance to properly grow (*cough* and for Quaid to become healthier and happier). I'm really curious about the next MCs for the spin-off series! Hopefully I'll end up loving them.
TWs/CWs: untreated eating disorder and anxiety, food-shaming, homophobia and bullying (referenced, in the past), death of family members (referenced, in the past), alcohol addiction.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Medical content, and Alcoholism
Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Grief