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levilore_'s review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really liked the story and the way the characters found each other despite their past issues. The professor/student thing was a bit weird at the beginning but the characters being in their 30s made it less weird. I wish there was more about Abbot's family, especially why his sister is so much younger, because that feels like a plot point that was brought up and never resolved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
chris_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
littlewishling's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
Another lovely read from Oliver and I love the way they write banter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
unusablebooklore's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Great book. Great characters. Great story. Well paced.
I’m not sure if it was the writers style/formatting or my brain that had a hard time keeping things straight in my head. I found myself having to go back and reread sections, or losing my place pretty regularly.
At the end of the day it all worked out and was super. Not exactly student - teacher and not exactly enemies - lovers. This book took into consideration a lot regarding professional relationships, power dynamic and even age; academic settings can muddy the water.
It fell a little short in some of the specifics surrounding grad school, but, considering most of the people who read it will not be PhD candidates I don't think it really matters in the end.
I’m not sure if it was the writers style/formatting or my brain that had a hard time keeping things straight in my head. I found myself having to go back and reread sections, or losing my place pretty regularly.
At the end of the day it all worked out and was super. Not exactly student - teacher and not exactly enemies - lovers. This book took into consideration a lot regarding professional relationships, power dynamic and even age; academic settings can muddy the water.
It fell a little short in some of the specifics surrounding grad school, but, considering most of the people who read it will not be PhD candidates I don't think it really matters in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Death of parent
aromarrie's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
in this frenzy of a book with a whirlwind of characters & a fast-paced writing style, the warmth that was in every scene between ned & abbot was like standing in the middle of a tornado as it whips around you and yet there’s absolute quiet right in the center. i enjoyed ned’s pov most of all, his last trials as a P.H.D candidate preparing for his dissertation surprisingly relatable for someone who’s still on track towards getting my undergraduate degree.
as many mixed feelings as there are with how meddlesome some other characters were as they pushed ned & abbot together to the point of giving me a headache, there was a lot of heart & humor in seeing them both be pushed outside of their comfort zone and get their happy ending. there’s this scene involving a trivia game that i genuinely adored because it was so chaotic but it was a small glimpse of how good-natured this friend group is; it also felt like a nice escape for both ned & abbot who are knee-deep in their academic work.
out of all the characters, there’s two who feel very mysterious, and abbot is one of them. i adored his character to death, especially with the way he carries himself as someone with a quiet and subdued nature about him. his special interest in research as a statistician was really interesting, and seeing how he & ned worked together with brief nods to statistics and the topic ned was exploring regarding first-generation college students was actually a little fascinating. the way the author blended the harsh realities of academia with this still very lighthearted feel in this adult romance was genuinely captivating, and so it made me feel fond of this book.
something that made ned’s pov read as so charming was not just in how much i felt seen in moments where he was at his absolute lowest and thought of quitting, but much more in how what pulled him out of the deep end was the thought that he could finally get to spend more time with his daughter, peggy after he successfully defends his dissertation. peggy is an absolute sweetheart who has a special interest in dinosaurs, and all the dinosaur trivia in this book was just as interesting as all the statistics. reading about how close they are in their father-daughter relationship warmed my heart, especially as ned doesn’t quite get to see her as often as he’d like to as he & his ex-wife have arranged this co-parenting situation where ned would only get to see his daughter about every other weekend. despite how distant those visits seem, every one of them was filled with so much love and it was just so obvious how much ned adored his daughter and vice versa. seeing ned’s parents be there for peggy as her grandparents was so sweet, and they brought so much support to ned when he most needs it, to hell with the long distance. it would be such a delight if i could get to see more of what abbot and ned’s daughter, peggy, might be like as a pair since i saw a few similarities between them in certain ways (such as both of them having their special interests and being very stubborn regarding what’s correct and what isn’t).
this story felt like home while also making me feel like a fish out of water, which is such a huge dichotomy that i don’t know how the author was able to execute and yet they did. as much pressure as there constantly was for ned regarding his dating life and then the stresses of academia, there was still some fun and soft moments that made me feel closer to the story and his character. the love that he finds with abbot was quite a slow-burn, and it was executed wonderfully to the very end.
as many mixed feelings as there are with how meddlesome some other characters were as they pushed ned & abbot together to the point of giving me a headache, there was a lot of heart & humor in seeing them both be pushed outside of their comfort zone and get their happy ending. there’s this scene involving a trivia game that i genuinely adored because it was so chaotic but it was a small glimpse of how good-natured this friend group is; it also felt like a nice escape for both ned & abbot who are knee-deep in their academic work.
out of all the characters, there’s two who feel very mysterious, and abbot is one of them. i adored his character to death, especially with the way he carries himself as someone with a quiet and subdued nature about him. his special interest in research as a statistician was really interesting, and seeing how he & ned worked together with brief nods to statistics and the topic ned was exploring regarding first-generation college students was actually a little fascinating. the way the author blended the harsh realities of academia with this still very lighthearted feel in this adult romance was genuinely captivating, and so it made me feel fond of this book.
something that made ned’s pov read as so charming was not just in how much i felt seen in moments where he was at his absolute lowest and thought of quitting, but much more in how what pulled him out of the deep end was the thought that he could finally get to spend more time with his daughter, peggy after he successfully defends his dissertation. peggy is an absolute sweetheart who has a special interest in dinosaurs, and all the dinosaur trivia in this book was just as interesting as all the statistics. reading about how close they are in their father-daughter relationship warmed my heart, especially as ned doesn’t quite get to see her as often as he’d like to as he & his ex-wife have arranged this co-parenting situation where ned would only get to see his daughter about every other weekend. despite how distant those visits seem, every one of them was filled with so much love and it was just so obvious how much ned adored his daughter and vice versa. seeing ned’s parents be there for peggy as her grandparents was so sweet, and they brought so much support to ned when he most needs it, to hell with the long distance. it would be such a delight if i could get to see more of what abbot and ned’s daughter, peggy, might be like as a pair since i saw a few similarities between them in certain ways (such as both of them having their special interests and being very stubborn regarding what’s correct and what isn’t).
this story felt like home while also making me feel like a fish out of water, which is such a huge dichotomy that i don’t know how the author was able to execute and yet they did. as much pressure as there constantly was for ned regarding his dating life and then the stresses of academia, there was still some fun and soft moments that made me feel closer to the story and his character. the love that he finds with abbot was quite a slow-burn, and it was executed wonderfully to the very end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
spookieboogie's review
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
nutm3g's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Place Between was a charming and witty read. It took me a bit to push through the beginning, but once I did I fell in love with the story and characters (seriously, I absolutely loved all of these characters with the exception of some certain hurtful jerks). The fake dating aspect had such a funny reasoning behind it, simply needing to get work done in order to present and graduate. The slow burn was excellent, and also lent to believability of the romance between Ned and Abbot. I am excited to read more from Kit Oliver, and hopefully the Christmas story about these two in the near future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism
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