Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Better Than People

Animals didn’t make him feel self-conscious. They didn’t make him feel like he was drowning. They gave and never required anything of him except kindness.

A quick, comforting read, and generally one of those "warm blanket in book form" stories. One of the leads, on top of being in a bad place emotionally, suffers a bad fall and has to navigate taking care of his many pets with limited mobility. The other loves animals and happily volunteers to walk them, but crippling social anxiety makes human interaction very hard for him. Gradually, the two build a connection that is fulfilling and uplifting to them both.

I felt the depiction of anxiety here was really well done. My own social anxiety has never been as extreme as Simon's, but there were so many aspects of his condition that felt super relatable, from his feelings and thoughts on his anxiety to small details like the side effects from his medication. Also, all the pets! Such a great part of the book. So many of them, and each had a floofy personality of their own! I also appreciated that Jack wasn't strictly a dog person or cat person and kept his house full of animal friends of both kinds. Another big relatability factor here!

There were a bunch of minor hiccups for me here, such as a bunch of scenes dragging a bit and losing direction and the relationship development significantly picking up way sooner than I expected. I also couldn't always reconcile the way Jack acted around Simon with how he was with his brother or on his own. I choose to believe that Simon brought up the best in him, but I would've liked to see him carry some of that best over into his other relationships more prominently. You know, just to avoid that lingering alternate interpretation that he's presenting a front to Simon that might crumble eventually.

Overall though, it was a much smoother read than Roan Parrish's books usually are for me, and I practically inhaled the books with no real breaks. I was really craving something romantic and healing-focused, and this was exactly that story.

Content Warnings

greatestheights's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-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

3.25

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relin's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

I will be coming back to reread this book, the animals came alive, and I was super invested in the characters!

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tiggerreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-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

4.0

This was so soft and sweet to read. This was really enjoyable. I liked how Simon was portrayed and how he discussed his anxiety to others. I liked how Jack accepted Simon as he is and wasn't looking to fix him. I liked how their relationship didn't fix their mental issues, but it did make them look at things differently and be open to other options. The animal pack seemed neverending. Way too many for me, but I see how Jack sort of acquired them all. I liked how the animals weren't introduced than ignored, but they also didn't take over the story either.

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meganpbennett's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Children's book illustrator Jack has all the cats and all the dogs, and he enjoys walking them. He's also recovering from learning that his former best friend and business partner isn't as good a friend as he thought. Everything's fine until he breaks his leg walking his pack and needs someone to walk the dogs. Enter Simon, someone who is much better behind a computer than in person, who loves and adores dogs, but can't have one because his grandmother is allergic and he lives with her. It's not exactly love at first sight.

But, this is a romance novel, so despite everything, Jack gets better and Simon decides that he can't live without the pack.

Edit, Feb 2022: I re-read this book, and while I still liked it, it wasn't as good as I'd remembered. The scenes with Simon where he's having issues with his disability were extremely difficult to read, and several of the sex scenes veered in the direction of something that I find really squicky.

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ariknox05's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

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