Reviews with content warning for Grief - Restore me

This was the first @booksandlooksbookclub BOTM that I hadn't finished in time for the meeting 😅, and I'd considered DNFing it, but doing that stresses me out so I decided to see it through.

*sigh* The writing style, the MCs, the length- all of it was a no from me. I'm not against a little cheesy romance sometimes but the cringe levels in 'Restore Me' were sky high, and it felt extremely long-winded and repetitive. Honestly, guys, I'd be reading and thinking "I MUST'VE tackled 20% by now", only to realise I'd only tackled 3 😭😂 and it felt like there was so much internal dialogue but nothing was really happening. Also, I don't want to read the words, "angel", "small of my/her back" or "liquid heat" again at this point. I'M TIRED.

I definitely preferred Sloane's chapters, and found the depiction of grief in these to be more thoughtful and emotive, but the balance between the characters' chapters was off and Sloane's character started to grind my gears after a while. I found her to be a bit too passive at times. Her relationship with Eric's family was a nice touch though and I liked that they'd created a space where it was okay for her to grieve yet live at the same time (which we can sometimes feel guilty about).

For me personally, it would've been helpful to know a bit more about Eric and to see more of Dom's experience actually grieving his best friend rather than just coveting his wife/widow. As for Dom's character as well, all I'm going to say is NO.

I've heard the other books in the series are better, which is good to hear but, for now, I won't be finding out as this is where my journey with the series ends.

Content Warnings

jotheblackbookworm's review against another edition

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"Wanting you is the only thing that's gotten me through living without you."

Four years on from the death of her beloved husband Eric, Sloane is doing her best to keep on living, but the life she's leading is one that excludes romance. Why? Because all of that died when Eric died. Despite having a close relationship with Eric's mum & twin sister, Sloane doesn't have a relationship with Eric's best friend, Dominic. For as long as Sloane can remember, Dominic has hated her. Well, so she thinks... Unbeknownst to her, Dominic has "loved" her since the very first time her met her. Will Dominic's secret be revealed during the course of their new budding friendship?

I for one don't know as I DNF'd this book at 268 pages. I originally wanted to DNF @ page 3 but I felt I owed it to my Book Club Sisters to try a lil harder than that. But then I realised that I wasn't put on this earth to suffer through a Pandemic, various lockdowns, recessions, cost of living crises, to still end up torturing myself with a book that is not serving me any purpose.

If there were any positives that I did take away from this book, it was the exploration of grief. I will be honest and say that I did like the stance that the author took on grief through Sloanes character. The way in which Sloanes's mother attempted to minimise & trivialise her grief was bottom of the barrell, but it did make me think that sometimes even with the best of intentions we sometimes put time restrictions on grief. Whilst life does indeed go on, so does our grief.

Asides from the above, I do not think that this book should be labelled as "Black Love", the behaviours displayed by Dominic became increasingly concerning to me whilst reading. He didn't appear to be in love, he came across as possessive & obsessive. He categorically gave me the ick & ruined what could have been a good book.

I found the plot flimsy. A lot of words being used, with no overall importance.

⚠️ If you do proceed to read this book, please err on the side of caution as this book makes reference to: Death, Grief, Cancer & Miscarriage.

💫

Content Warnings

lil_bolu's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

kryfrh's review against another edition

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emotional

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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thirdeyeangel23's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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

5.0

Content Warnings

tddaffin's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

18+

This book lived up to all the hype surrounding it! I had Restore Me on my TBR because of TikTok but ultimately read it because on J.L. Seegars' website she states, “All of my works center around Black women and the lovingly possessive men who are obsessed with them.” and this book definitely delivered that! Dominic is obsessed with Sloane, Sloane is obsessed with Dominic, and I am obsessed with both of them.

“An enemies to lovers romance about forbidden relationships and love after loss”; the way Dominic and Sloane's story unfolded was equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking. I will say that the ending did feel a bit rushed for the book to be so long but I enjoyed the book overall. If you're looking for a book to read where the man falls head over heels in love first, this book is for you!

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Content Warnings

shanaetheflyest's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.75

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