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A review by _isabel_
Just a Footnote by Maya Jean
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a ride.
"Just a Footnote" is an absolutely impressive, brilliantly written debut and I feel like I've been on the adventure of a lifetime with Aiden and Liam, Archer and Miles: my heart is simultaneously giddy with joy over that ending and heartbroken it's over.
It took me quite a few days to read this through, because I kept feeling the need to savour it, all the words and all the feelings, the love and the heartache, the absolutely incredible found family atmosphere and the gorgeous, complex romance between Liam and Aiden.
I've been so lucky recently with my reads: I keep meeting protagonists that think and feel things that seemed to be plucked straight from my head. My experience with Aiden was exactly like that: even though I spent half of the book wanting to shake him because of how stubborn he was, how blind, he still felt wholly relatable, and his insecurities and his self-doubt, his self-sabotaging instincts, the deep-set certainty of being unlovable and unknowable, the constant fear... I understood where he was coming from even when I wanted to scream in frustration, and I felt and cried alongside him. And his character arc, the growth! Now that's how you do it.
The characters around him were equally impressive and unforgettable. Archer and Miles, and their love story, made me feel so many things despite them being only secondary characters (I LOVE THEM SO MUCH), and Liam... Well, where do I start? Liam's the absolute best. He's the sunshine to Aiden's grumpy; he's got that irresistible golden retriever energy; he's so swoon-worthy I'm actually devastated that he isn't a real man; he's also H O T, and his possessive, mean streak in bed was *chef's kiss*
Yep, I have a huge crush on him.
Aiden and Liam's romance is a rollercoaster ride of pining, heartache, miscommunication and, especially, love. They made me tear up and swoon, and despite wanting to jump into the book to strangle Aiden at times in frustration, I KNOW that overcoming deep-set fears and trauma is never linear, and that convincing yourself that you deserve love and happiness feels impossible sometimes, so I totally understood where Aiden was coming from, and my heart broke over and over for him. Easy isn't realistic, and people are complex, contradictory messes, so I have to applaud Maya Jean not only for the way she depicted their relationship in such a realistic, but still heartfelt, manner, but also for the way she handled Aiden, and Aiden's development as a character.
Also, the writing? Freaking gorgeous.
I'm damned excited to read more by this author. I wonder if her next book will be in this same hockey universe? I hope so, because some minor characters felt promising, and I REALLY want to see Liam and Aiden again.
I wholly recommend.
TWs/CWs: childhood abuse, panic attacks.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"Just a Footnote" is an absolutely impressive, brilliantly written debut and I feel like I've been on the adventure of a lifetime with Aiden and Liam, Archer and Miles: my heart is simultaneously giddy with joy over that ending and heartbroken it's over.
It took me quite a few days to read this through, because I kept feeling the need to savour it, all the words and all the feelings, the love and the heartache, the absolutely incredible found family atmosphere and the gorgeous, complex romance between Liam and Aiden.
I've been so lucky recently with my reads: I keep meeting protagonists that think and feel things that seemed to be plucked straight from my head. My experience with Aiden was exactly like that: even though I spent half of the book wanting to shake him because of how stubborn he was, how blind, he still felt wholly relatable, and his insecurities and his self-doubt, his self-sabotaging instincts, the deep-set certainty of being unlovable and unknowable, the constant fear... I understood where he was coming from even when I wanted to scream in frustration, and I felt and cried alongside him. And his character arc, the growth! Now that's how you do it.
The characters around him were equally impressive and unforgettable. Archer and Miles, and their love story, made me feel so many things despite them being only secondary characters (I LOVE THEM SO MUCH), and Liam... Well, where do I start? Liam's the absolute best. He's the sunshine to Aiden's grumpy; he's got that irresistible golden retriever energy; he's so swoon-worthy I'm actually devastated that he isn't a real man; he's also H O T, and his possessive, mean streak in bed was *chef's kiss*
Yep, I have a huge crush on him.
Aiden and Liam's romance is a rollercoaster ride of pining, heartache, miscommunication and, especially, love. They made me tear up and swoon, and despite wanting to jump into the book to strangle Aiden at times in frustration, I KNOW that overcoming deep-set fears and trauma is never linear, and that convincing yourself that you deserve love and happiness feels impossible sometimes, so I totally understood where Aiden was coming from, and my heart broke over and over for him. Easy isn't realistic, and people are complex, contradictory messes, so I have to applaud Maya Jean not only for the way she depicted their relationship in such a realistic, but still heartfelt, manner, but also for the way she handled Aiden, and Aiden's development as a character.
Also, the writing? Freaking gorgeous.
I'm damned excited to read more by this author. I wonder if her next book will be in this same hockey universe? I hope so, because some minor characters felt promising, and I REALLY want to see Liam and Aiden again.
I wholly recommend.
TWs/CWs: childhood abuse, panic attacks.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders