Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Next of Kin

No star rating yet. I enjoyed a lot of it.

However, it was published in 2022 yet there’s a HP reference. This is made worse by the fact that the FMC’s best friend is trans (this actually slipped by me, I was listening to the audio and never heard this).

As for the rest of the book:

While I still enjoyed the romance, it wasn’t my favorite aspect in the beginning. I was much more interested in Chloe’s path to raising Willow.

During the second half, I became a bit more invested in the romance. I was glad that the book brought up Warren’s anger problems and how he was dealing with them, but I don’t know that the way it was all handled will sit well with everyone.

Listening to the scene where his anger comes out the most, jarred me.

Most of the content warnings will be in that section, however i did want to mention the anger. There is a scene where a male character yells towards the female character and punches a wall.

Content Warnings

dymonlikestoread's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

✨ Book Review✨

Next of Kin

Author: Hannah Bonam-Young

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (3.75)

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

When Chloe receives a call that her alcohol-addicted birth mother Connie has given birth to her little sister Chloe steps up. To meet child protective services standards she participates in their Teamup initiative. Warren is financially stable while Chloe provides the space needed for Warren to take custody of his teenage brother Luke. Hesitant but willing to do anything to protect her little sister from a similar childhood she had.

I think the plot of the book is amazing. I loved the representation in the book. I love ASL and I was so glad to see it being represented in this book. Initially, I liked Chloe and Warren he was grumpy but funny. The first half of the book was excellent. I think a combination of the banter, instant love, and Warren's attitude lowered the overall rating for me.

The book was pretty fast-paced we didn’t get enough background on Chloe’s transition from a single woman to essentially a single mother. There wasn’t much background either on how Warren and Chloe fell in love. The only connection I saw that could’ve created a relationship between Warren and Chloe was the care he had for Willow. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two of them.

Maybe I am biased as someone who has dealt with a person exactly like Warren—someone who blows up at small things and has explosive reactions. I couldn’t imagine feeling safe around them with a baby, especially with my adoption on the line.

Overall, I think the storyline was there and regardless of how it was executed I still enjoyed it. I definitely will be checking out the rest of the series.

Content Warnings

teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective

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

3.5

The story behind how the characters come together is unique and I really liked the concept. The main characters each had their struggles and though that can somehow make things feel forced, it felt natural in how they supported each other and showed their vulnerabilities. I felt the relationship came together naturally. The found family aspect was a nice touch. The writing was accessible, but did lack some depth in places where it was "telling, not showing" I wish there weren't time jumps, I think the gaps left were important ones to fill. I appreciate that the conflict wasn't the typical normally seen in romances. I think dual POV would have also added great depth. It was a heartwarming read that touched on healing, forgiveness and acceptance.

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haley49's review

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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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

0live_tr33's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

cozy_soul_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Found Family
Adoption
Slow Burn
Sign language
Spice
Unexpected baby (sister)
Trigger Warning: Discussion of child neglect, drug use, and addiction

💓 Favorite Qoutes 💓
"Show me your messy"

"I wanna keep all of you."

"I'm not going anywhere, I'd never do that."

"Dove means peace. For me, you are peace."

"My people were with me the whole time. I just had to let them in."

🥺📖 Overall Thoughts ⬇️⬇️
I fell in love with the found family and geniune compassion between these beautiful characters. I wanted them to out run their family trauma and find peace.

Content Warnings