Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - 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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cowmingo's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.0

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spuki's review against another edition

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4.75

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_isabel_'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

God, this was freaking gorgeous and, by far, my favourite Roan Parrish novel.

"Better Than People" stole my whole damn heart: it's sweet, it's soft, it's emotional and thoughtful and deep and sexy, and I adored it, start to finish.

The writing was beautiful, the plot deceptively simple but also so real? And the main characters? Their dynamic? The freaking adorable pack? WHERE DO I START.

Both Jack and Simon STOLE my soul: I really can't express how much I absolutely loved them both.
Simon, with his heartbreaking anxiety, his anger, his bravery, his sweetness; Jack, with his broody, gruff personality, his hidden romantic heart, his generous, kind affection and care.
And their dynamic? Oh my god. Their relationship managed to be the sweetest, most precious thing ever but also the hottest, most delicious one too. I really can't explain it, because I've read dozens of steamier and kinkier books than this one, but the way these two were together? The fact that Jack was so into Simon being so inexperienced? The slow discovery of bodies and preferences? The dirty talk? Jack's blessed drawing skills *wink wink* ? Be still my beating heart: I literally melted from the heat.
Jack and Simon were sexy as hell together. Needless to say, I adored their relationship, inside and outside the bedroom, to absolute bits.

I also loved this book because of the animals (ADORABLE) and all the lovely, lovely side characters. My pack of dogs and cats own my heart, and seeing Jack and Simon with the Matheson Pack was, simultaneously, deeply relatable (yes, animals are definitely better than humans) and so damn cute it melted my heart. Charlie and Jean were fantastic side characters and although I'm not sure about continuing with this series (I've now realized that life is too short, I have a mile-long TBR and I should be able to pick and choose the standalones in a series I want to read), but I admit I'm very curious about Charlie.

Content Warnings

pitsikakku's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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