The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
maggies's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A good audiobook for a travel day, but the primary romance didn't really make a lot of sense to me. I mostly enjoyed Allison's emotional journeys with her parents and best friend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Ableism, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
*3.5⭐️
This was a very hard book to review. On the one hand, I really liked Alison’s story. Hearing about the world of academia from a medieval lit enthusiast’s brain was great. I also thought the complexities of her relationships with her parents and her body image were really interesting. On the other hand, this book didn’t really prove to me that Colin didn’t suck. I mean, there were a lot of great romantic moments between them, especially the last few pages of the book, but I wasn’t convinced that Colin wouldn’t betray her eventually. In my mind, I started to compare Colin and her dad, and then the character Sophie said that too and I felt validated that the main couple wasn’t right for each other. I think maybe they could have been if we had seen more of his change or if the third act conflict hadn’t been his fault, but I still feel unsettled by their lack of communication and their unhealthy rivalry.
I am rounding this up because I really did like the book and I’m excited to read more Jenny L. Howe’s books in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Jenny L. Howe for providing me access to this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Death, Body horror, and Body shaming
Moderate: Child abuse and Dementia
Minor: Cancer
More...