Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Restore Me by J.L. Seegars

15 reviews

tddaffin's review against another edition

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!

Check Trigger Warnings.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage

Minor: Cancer, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Sexual harassment

shanaepraystoo's review against another edition

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

Minor: Cancer, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

ashleycmms's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, and Alcohol

Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual harassment

takarakei's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.5

This was veryyyyy long, longer than it needed to be. A lot of spice, as in frequency. It is dual pov but I felt it was a little off balance as we got mostly Sloane's POV and I would've liked to get more of Dominic. The ending was cute but just took too long to get there the middle dragged a lot.

5/5🌶️

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism and Car accident

jerricka329's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Grief, and Sexual harassment

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. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

sam_xmc's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual harassment

peachmoni's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Miscarriage, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

addiesbookshelf_'s review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

5.0

I am not ok nor will I ever be ok because this book has DESTROYED ME. It is a MASTERPIECE. I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on and ready to cry in the span of the same chapter as many times as I was reading this book. It’s messy and emotional and REAL, and manages to handle things like grief, strained familial relationships, and finding new love in such a compassionate and beautiful way. It also did a few tropes I normally don’t love (second chance romance and a third act breakup) serious justice, because for once it felt like without the circumstances that made those things happen, Sloane and Dom wouldn’t have been the people they needed to be to build a strong, healthy love together. This book had impeccable spice, too, but it is so much more than that. J.L. Seegars is a new insta-buy author for me.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Car accident, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

hilwithonel's review against another edition

emotional 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Grief and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism and Physical abuse

Explicit depiction of a narcissist parent