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j_emerson18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Was recommended this by a coworker as her top romance read. This was everything I was hoping for and more. Tore out my heart and shredded it in front of me at times. Beautifully done with the depth of love from grief, loss, romance, familial, friendship, and more. This book went above and beyond in discussing grief after losing a parent and I thank the author for providing something so authentic that I finally felt heard in my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer and Panic attacks/disorders
caroovbiondi's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Medical content
thefatpaperback's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
While this book has romance elements (childhood friends to lovers and a happily ever after) this book is fiction. It’s specifically marketed as “women’s fiction,” but I don’t really care for that genre name category so I’m going with fiction. And damnit this book is good. It feels nostalgic, mainly because the chapters alternate between the present and the past. I loved the tension between Elliot and Macy, and “soulmate” quality of their relationship. I’ve read a couple Christina Lauren books that I’ve enjoyed, but this one is the best I’ve read by them. I want more fiction works from them with romance elements, rather than just purely romantic stories. They captured so many emotions in this book, that I’m already tempted to read it all over again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
I think I can officially say that the duo of Christina Lauren has successfully infiltrated my heart into the deepest, most emotional parts.
I feel numb after finishing this one, because I felt everything else while reading it. It didn’t take me long at all to pour through it, but somehow I’m left thinking I’d been inside those words for years and years. It was so comforting, real, sweet, honest, deep, heartbreaking… and other words.
To say this is a ‘great romance’ is doing it a disservice—it is an overwhelming portrait of every pulsing vein that makes up a contemporary romance. The chemistry between Elliot and Macy, built up so naturally, stretched into an aching slow burn, the intensity of raw hurt and mixed signals, dialogue dripping with honesty, the painful passage of time lost. Short chapters switching between “then” and “now” made it all the more heart racing. Would love prevail?
This isn’t a romcom, like the other books by Lauren that I’ve read. I adore romcoms, but I adore real stories even more. Real characters, real emotions, real loss, real situations. And this is real, this is all-encompassing, this is love.
Lauren’s full-hearted leap with this romantic drama is an instant winner for me. Hard to believe it was their first foray into women’s lit. What a home run.
I feel numb after finishing this one, because I felt everything else while reading it. It didn’t take me long at all to pour through it, but somehow I’m left thinking I’d been inside those words for years and years. It was so comforting, real, sweet, honest, deep, heartbreaking… and other words.
To say this is a ‘great romance’ is doing it a disservice—it is an overwhelming portrait of every pulsing vein that makes up a contemporary romance. The chemistry between Elliot and Macy, built up so naturally, stretched into an aching slow burn, the intensity of raw hurt and mixed signals, dialogue dripping with honesty, the painful passage of time lost. Short chapters switching between “then” and “now” made it all the more heart racing. Would love prevail?
This isn’t a romcom, like the other books by Lauren that I’ve read. I adore romcoms, but I adore real stories even more. Real characters, real emotions, real loss, real situations. And this is real, this is all-encompassing, this is love.
Lauren’s full-hearted leap with this romantic drama is an instant winner for me. Hard to believe it was their first foray into women’s lit. What a home run.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Car accident
Minor: Addiction and Pregnancy