A review by macwiththemic
The Deal by Elle Kennedy

emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

*spoilers!*

I did not enjoy the majority of this book. Giving it two stars because I liked the two main characters and found their backstories interesting, but how was this book published in 2023 and didnt come with a list of trigger warnings? I honestly thought a lot of the detail they went into regarding her history with SA, and his history with domestic violence could have been more nuanced, or again a trigger warning could have been issued at the beginning of this book. Look up the trigger warnings before reading this book. They don’t just mention these things, they go into a fair amount of detail. 

ALSO: maybe this is just a result of her trauma, but Hannah slut shames so much in this book. Little to NO personal growth other than “oh yay he’s helped me enjoy sex again” happens to make her realize that maybe she shouldn’t call people who enjoy casual sex sluts???? Like Jesus Hannah. 

On a less serious note, did this author or NONE of the editors ever play music? No wonder they didn’t really dive deep into Hannah’s studies or performances or rehearsals. Some of the things they say regarding the music she is rehearsing are just incorrect. Not that this is a super serious issue where you’d need to be an EXPERT on music to write about it or enjoy her story, but like come on. I mean I’m not an expert on hockey but let me tell you I don’t read this book for the hockey if you know what I mean. 


2 stars because I appreciate the depth given to these characters even if I think the lack of trigger warning is ridiculous given the subject matter and detail in some of these chapters. I did read this on my kindle so maybe in other versions there are trigger warnings? 

Idk if I’ll read another book in this series. Who am I kidding I probably will. Thank god these are on kindle unlimited. 

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