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spellbindingtomes's reviews
301 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Did not finish book. Stopped at 83%.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really wanted to like this more than I did, but I had a lot of issues with it. Their entire scheme—where Sawyer tries to ruin romance for Mason, a hopeless romantic, by using all the romance tropes and clichés against him—made very little sense to me. When Sawyer says "she was going to become the blueprint for Mason's other half", while Mason falls in love easily just seems like a recipe for disaster.
Mason falls head over heels for Sawyer in just a month, which feels unbelievable—especially for someone known for being a grand romantic gesture type of guy. Their relationship comes across as forced and rushed. I struggled to see why they were supposed to be a good match for each other.
I was not a big fan of Sawyer. She came off as immature and inconsiderate so many times. She also only hears what she wants to hear and she kept making a big deal out of a problem when it was really a minor thing (i.e., Mason and the film rights). There were many times I felt bad for Mason, which is unfortunate in a romance book. We don't see much character growth here. I felt their resolution was quickly brushed over. They didn't really do any work to fix themselves and when they got back together at the end they didn't even talk about what they fought about.
All that said, I think this had great potential! I really enjoyed the definition of each trope at the beginning of every chapter and I loved that this took place near the holidays. I will be on the look out for the author's next book!
Graphic: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
Graphic: Death and Grief
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Stalking
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment