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A review by me_alley
Next to You by Hannah Bonam-Young
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
You know that a book is great when the publisher re-prints it with a more “romancey” looking cover. Romance books are the most popular genre in the US today, and the more the cover art uses the same format of monochromatic color, hand drawn characters making eye contact, and the title in a loopy font. We are really seeing a cover art trend and this new cover follows it completely— I know that what is inside the book is great, although it may not *entirely* fit the romance/trope bill. Sometimes, honestly, this backfires. You pick up a book with 347 pages and expect some “friends to lovers,” “one bed” “grumpy sunshine” with a ridiculous happy ending and a proposal in the epilogue. And you get some kind of grief novel.
There is absolutely romance in this book, although a smaller level of 🌶️ than most. It’s the story of Lane and Matt, and Lane buys a school bus. But the romance is really a secondary storyline to coming of age, overcoming grief and some really very funny and realistic dialogue. I LOVED the characters and you get to know them primarily through some very smart dialogue.
Truth be told, it’s just that Hannah Bonam-Young is just a very good writer, she writes mid-20’s women really well, and I will read whatever else she has written and pre-order the new ones. She is an “auto-buy” for me from now on.
There is absolutely romance in this book, although a smaller level of 🌶️ than most. It’s the story of Lane and Matt, and Lane buys a school bus. But the romance is really a secondary storyline to coming of age, overcoming grief and some really very funny and realistic dialogue. I LOVED the characters and you get to know them primarily through some very smart dialogue.
Truth be told, it’s just that Hannah Bonam-Young is just a very good writer, she writes mid-20’s women really well, and I will read whatever else she has written and pre-order the new ones. She is an “auto-buy” for me from now on.