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whitneyfclarke's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
This book was a great second chance at love while there still being mystery throughout and not knowing how it will end. Some lines were a little cringey but there is a lot about grief but also the story of love and how to accept the love you deserve. It was spicy and it ended just how I wanted it to. Always love when the man is more obsessed:)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Grief
bookishplantmom's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was really disappointing so buckle up because I have thoughts. The book started out well and the premise was interesting. Two people with a complicated and conflict filled past start seeing each other romantically while trying to grapple with the death of someone they both loved very deeply. Ok fine, good. I am not a widow and can’t know how realistic the grief portrayed in the book actually was. For me, it felt like it took too much space in the story especially given that Sloan is apparently ready to get out there and date again. It felt like her internal conflict and constant referring to her husband as though he was still living and she was cheating on him was contradictory to me because it has been YEARS and she is trying to move on. Though grief can be that way, I’ve heard, so again maybe it’s realistic. My struggle with this aspect wasn’t so much that she was conflicted, it’s more that the conflict and her perspective on it never actually evolved or shifted in a meaningful and understandable way to me. It was as if there were two Sloans in the story and at no point did they connect really.
Dom’s grief was similar in that he was deep in his self loathing and we never really get to see him work through that. His secret pining for Sloan and his whole “I hate you” act for over a decade needed wayyyy more unpacking than what it got. He was an ASS to her for a DECADE and we’re just not going to talk about it?! Because…he was…secretly in love???!?! I needed to see more atoning for that for sure.
My other major difficulty with this book is that Dom’s authoritative/possessive tendencies while fun in some sexy instances were concerning in other moments especially after “the incident” happened that he had to help with (iykyk) I found the dubious consent between them so soon after what happened was not believable/ok given how the incident affected Sloan. Even though it was clear that she was into what Dom was doing it was icky to me. I also always feel annoyed when a book equates an STI conversation with “being clean” because it perpetuates stigma.
My next and biggest problem which really pulled me out of the story at about 60% and grated on me until the very end of the book was that the whole premise of this romance is based on miscommunication which continues nonstop and made me increasingly frustrated. I was so annoyed with their ridiculous refusal to have adult conversations left me unable to root for them at all. Because of this constant inability they had to just bffr with each other I basically hated them as a couple by the end of the book. And the fact that this same refusal to have mature conversations extended to the whole family?! I just… I enjoyed the book at the beginning but after the halfway point it was a steady decline until the bitter end. The one saving grace is that there is plenty of decent steam though even that got dull after a while. Idk I’m bummed this was not for me.
Dom’s grief was similar in that he was deep in his self loathing and we never really get to see him work through that. His secret pining for Sloan and his whole “I hate you” act for over a decade needed wayyyy more unpacking than what it got. He was an ASS to her for a DECADE and we’re just not going to talk about it?! Because…he was…secretly in love???!?! I needed to see more atoning for that for sure.
My other major difficulty with this book is that Dom’s authoritative/possessive tendencies while fun in some sexy instances were concerning in other moments especially after “the incident” happened that he had to help with (iykyk) I found the dubious consent between them so soon after what happened was not believable/ok given how the incident affected Sloan. Even though it was clear that she was into what Dom was doing it was icky to me. I also always feel annoyed when a book equates an STI conversation with “being clean” because it perpetuates stigma.
My next and biggest problem which really pulled me out of the story at about 60% and grated on me until the very end of the book was that the whole premise of this romance is based on miscommunication which continues nonstop and made me increasingly frustrated. I was so annoyed with their ridiculous refusal to have adult conversations left me unable to root for them at all. Because of this constant inability they had to just bffr with each other I basically hated them as a couple by the end of the book. And the fact that this same refusal to have mature conversations extended to the whole family?! I just… I enjoyed the book at the beginning but after the halfway point it was a steady decline until the bitter end. The one saving grace is that there is plenty of decent steam though even that got dull after a while. Idk I’m bummed this was not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
bookswithca's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
ariel_marie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Miscarriage and Car accident
Minor: Sexual assault
tiannakelly's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Grief
laura_rheads_too_much's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Grief, and Pregnancy
azariamckay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I adored this book, it was very spicy and I couldn’t put it down, often finding myself engulfed in the novel at 4am. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline, the characters were insufferable but I still cared for them and found myself rooting for them by the end. The writing at times would take me out of it though, I found nicknames, physical descriptions, and emotional explanations to be overused art times. There were also certain conflicts that didn’t make sense to me but I bypassed because this is a romance after all. I also found myself being extremely upset with certain characters for the simple fact that they lacked basic communication skills that would’ve inevitably solved all of their problems. All in all, I was very entertained by this novel, Seegar’s unintentionally swept me off my feet with Restore Me. I’m feverishly recommending her work to my friends at the moment. I’ll definitely tune into the sequel plans to write.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Car accident
Minor: Miscarriage and Terminal illness