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A review by katielouise210
Melt My Heart by Bethany Rutter
4.0
3.5/4 stars - couldn't decide to levelled it up in the end!
A soft and sweet, very slowburn, very character-focused romance/coming of age set in a seaside town in England. The story revolves around one Summer in which the protagonist, Lily Rose, deals with her impending future at university, a new relationship, intolerance from those around her, and coming to terms with being in love with her best friend.
This was a lovely read that brought me straight to days by the coast and was full of that feeling of the chaos inherent in this stage of life: being on the cusp of leaving home for the very first time - and all the accompanying anxieties. I adored Lily as a character - she felt very real, both sure of herself in some ways and desperately fearful in others in a very realistic way. I loved her evolving relationship with her Mum and her sister, Daisy, as well as how the book didn't shy away from exploring conflict within the family. At times the pace felt a little off, though, and I wish that more time had been given to exploring Lily and Cassie's relationship. Maybe another 50 or so pages to draw it out because yes, I am a sucker for extreme slowburn...... I wanted to know more about Cassie, more of Lily and Cassie's first meetings, those little moments between the pair. My only other gripe is that the relationship with Cal felt a little heteronormative?? Is that the right word? Cal was a sweet character but I wasn't convinced by Lily herself actually liking him - it felt like compulsory heteronormativity. I get it was part of Lily's journey and discovering her feelings for Cassie, but honestly I would rather have had more time spent on Lily and Cassie instead.
Anyway, this was short but sweet and also dealt with issues beyond the romance (fatphobia, biphobia and general bigotry) in a way that felt very authentic and fit in with the plot itself. I was just left wanting a little more.
A soft and sweet, very slowburn, very character-focused romance/coming of age set in a seaside town in England. The story revolves around one Summer in which the protagonist, Lily Rose, deals with her impending future at university, a new relationship, intolerance from those around her, and coming to terms with being in love with her best friend.
This was a lovely read that brought me straight to days by the coast and was full of that feeling of the chaos inherent in this stage of life: being on the cusp of leaving home for the very first time - and all the accompanying anxieties. I adored Lily as a character - she felt very real, both sure of herself in some ways and desperately fearful in others in a very realistic way. I loved her evolving relationship with her Mum and her sister, Daisy, as well as how the book didn't shy away from exploring conflict within the family. At times the pace felt a little off, though, and I wish that more time had been given to exploring Lily and Cassie's relationship. Maybe another 50 or so pages to draw it out because yes, I am a sucker for extreme slowburn...... I wanted to know more about Cassie, more of Lily and Cassie's first meetings, those little moments between the pair. My only other gripe is that the relationship with Cal felt a little heteronormative?? Is that the right word? Cal was a sweet character but I wasn't convinced by Lily herself actually liking him - it felt like compulsory heteronormativity. I get it was part of Lily's journey and discovering her feelings for Cassie, but honestly I would rather have had more time spent on Lily and Cassie instead.
Anyway, this was short but sweet and also dealt with issues beyond the romance (fatphobia, biphobia and general bigotry) in a way that felt very authentic and fit in with the plot itself. I was just left wanting a little more.