A review by readnoot
Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I’m a sucker for the childhood-neighbors-who-are-different-but-find-their-way-to-each-other-later-in-life trope, so this book was definitely romantic and satisfying to me in that capacity. I enjoyed the childhood flashbacks that revealed the history of the conflict between Lucian and Sloane, and I appreciated how much context and detail Score wrote into the characters, as it makes them and their lives really come off the page. However, I thought Lucian was way too vengeful and Sloane was rather cringe in certain parts. I especially thought it was inappropriately possessive and demeaning of Lucian to essentially force Sloane to be in a relationship with him, as he gave no consideration to her thoughts or desires on the matter. Also, Lucian and Sloane resolving 20 years of resentment in one therapy appointment was clearly deeply unrealistic, which is fine, but I just didn’t like it. Where was the hard work to heal and come together? Further, the way Lucian and Sloane talk about and to Kayla, a victim of severe domestic violence, was concerning and made me wonder if Score did any research on effective and compassionate ways for speaking about and with survivors of domestic violence? Anyway, the sex scenes were fantastic as usual! I appreciated that this couple was more adventurous in the bedroom.
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