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ellacat11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Classism
clairew97's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
now_booking's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The premise is that Harper is a high-achieving final year dental student struggling with an intense anxiety disorder, PTSD and a fear of failure who meets Dan, a former financial sector guru turned dental student bearing the crushing weight of expectation to carry on the family dental business. Sparks fly immediately and “Dental Dan” is all in till their unresolved issues get in the way of their happiness.
I think this was written with a lot of understanding and empathy for people with anxiety disorder. It dealt with themes of parental death and grief and anxiety and pressure really well and I think those parts of the book were dealt with the best. I really enjoyed the secondary characters (Thu, Indira, Lizzy, even Alex) but I felt like more could have been made of them to make a richer, more balanced story. Everytime they were on the page, they shone but I think sometimes they disappeared a lot. I also felt that for being so nosy, they kind of didn’t speak up to Harper in ways they could have before things got really bad. I couldn’t tell if this was because they didn’t know how bad her mental health was or if it was that they didn’t want to rock the boat, but there was some dissonance with how intrusive they otherwise were as a trait of their friendship. I think Alex could have been better utilized as a friend for Dan, giving him someone else to talk to and to develop as a character within his complex relationship with his mother rather than just Harper and internal monologues. I also think it would have been good to see that relationship in person especially since she wasn’t live particularly far away so that we could make our own judgements.
One thing I really liked about Harper and Dan was that they were (eventually) good commmunicators and the development of the friendship and transition to lovers was a delight to read. For an Instlove-based plot, their coupledom was very believable. I’m glad I read this and would read something else from this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishers.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
mandaraffe's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Toxic relationship
lnzava's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Toxic relationship, and Car accident
Minor: Bullying and Medical content
ambersbooks's review against another edition
- 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: Panic attacks/disorders and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Terminal illness
bookwormbullet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
katiemack's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is both an incredibly sweet (but not sugary) romance novel and an accurate (but not pedantic or preachy) depiction of how anxiety, grief, and unrealistic parental expectations can affect one's relationships and one's sense of self. While a dental school seems like an unlikely place for love, the book produces a lot of steamy scenes alongside a relationship that blossoms from friendship (a short-lived friendship, I might add) to a solid romantic pairing. Part of me hated how perfect Dan was, but the other part of me (the part with anxiety) was so taken with how much he cares about Harper and supports her (though I wish she had reciprocated). The dialogue is also raunchy and laugh-out-loud funny.
Grab this if you're looking for something with depth but still want a depiction of a swoony romantic relationship.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying and Death of parent