thaliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
While this started a little slow for me, as the plot started to unfold I really enjoyed it. I will say that miscommunication or a lack of communication is probably one of my least favorite tropes. While the initial miscommunication is a fun misunderstanding that sets the stage well, I wish that the characters had just been more honest with eachother later in the book.
However, I love how Ryder truly stuck by Willa no matter how many times she pushed him away. I also love how Willa never made Ryder feel like less than because he chose not to speak or not to pursue hearing aids or learning sign language. She took him at face value and loved him for who he was at his core, regardless of everything else.
However, I love how Ryder truly stuck by Willa no matter how many times she pushed him away. I also love how Willa never made Ryder feel like less than because he chose not to speak or not to pursue hearing aids or learning sign language. She took him at face value and loved him for who he was at his core, regardless of everything else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Ableism, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
belle13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Tropes/Themes: Frenemies to Lovers, Disability Rep, Big ol’ Lumberjack MMC
Amount of spice: 🔥🔥
Explicitness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
My God this book was stunning. I won’t lie, it did take me a little while to get into it only because I found Willa’s character so grating (I did all the way through but I understand why she was written that way) but once I was into it I was INTO it. It absolutely annihilated me, in a good way I promise.
The tension, the emotional moments, the family dynamics and everything else Chloe managed to squeeze into this book were total perfection. Also, I cried so hard while reading this (stupid me didn’t check the CWs) that I couldn’t breathe but I didn’t care because it was so beautiful. It was so interesting reading from someone’s perspective who has developed hearing loss as an adult and has had to learn how to navigate that. Ryder is so wholesome and so sweet and I wanted to reach into the pages and give him a huge hug.
Also, I have to give the spice a special mention because not only was it incredibly sexy but it has to be some of the most well written spice I’ve ever come across. Their intimate moments were breathtaking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Grief, and Terminal illness
_mariethln's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness and Death of parent
bookswithsara8's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Grief, and Cancer
lit_with_lauren's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, and Cancer
cheerful_bursts's review against another edition
3.25
Started off as a 5 but half way through it felt too forced. Overall a fun read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Mental illness
one of the main characters is newly deaf and the book includes a lot of his journey in copinghannah_lilli's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
slow-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Terminal illness
potatogrr's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Ableism
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: War, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
sam_xmc's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
galleytrot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
READ: Apr 2023
FORMAT: Audio
BRIEF SUMMARY:
In this contemporary romance, Willa is a full-ride soccer student who is having difficulties in one of her courses. When the professor refers her to Ryder for the lecture notes, she finds the man won’t so much as give her the time of day. A misunderstanding and some competitive spirit sparks a series of escalating pranks and shenanigans between the two as they dance around their attraction to one another, while they condition themselves to mistrust and stay suspicious of each other’s motives.
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 3 / 5⭐
A bit of context before I get into my review: I do not typically read hetero romances. They don’t tend to do much for me, they’re near-impossible for me to relate to, and they plain and simply tend to bore me. This series was recommended to me more than once based on the amount of representation it’s known for, and for one of the books in particular being queer. I was immediately intrigued, as I am all for people from all walks of life getting their happy-ever-afters. I am mostly interested in reading the fifth book of the series, but I figured it might be a good idea to give the rest of the series a try and expand my horizons a bit.
A bit of context before I get into my review: I do not typically read hetero romances. They don’t tend to do much for me, they’re near-impossible for me to relate to, and they plain and simply tend to bore me. This series was recommended to me more than once based on the amount of representation it’s known for, and for one of the books in particular being queer. I was immediately intrigued, as I am all for people from all walks of life getting their happy-ever-afters. I am mostly interested in reading the fifth book of the series, but I figured it might be a good idea to give the rest of the series a try and expand my horizons a bit.
Alas, my personal response to this book was not what I was hoping for. And by no means was that the fault of the author, or the characters, or the representation. I simply was not the target demographic for this one. I tried to make the shoe fit, and wound up with blisters for my effort. I adored Ryder’s character well enough, but couldn’t find it in me to get past Willa’s stubbornness, suspicion, and self-sabotage. The whole prank-wars trope generally doesn’t work for me in the first place (although the term “prank” is used rather loosely – these guys’ idea of getting at each other is just making the other one sexually frustrated, with the side-effect of also making themselves sexually frustrated, ad nauseam).
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 3.75 / 5⭐
I didn’t have any notable issues with the writing of this story, except maybe how the passage of time was tackled. There were a couple times where there had been some time jumps but I didn’t realize it. There were other times where I felt like there must have been a time jump, but it was only a day or two later. It’s possible I missed something from the translation to audiobook format – I find I have more trouble with time passage when I’m listening to a book instead of reading it.
Both of the narrators for this book were new to me, and I had no problems with their performances.
FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 3.25 / 5⭐
I can understand why this book has as much appeal as it does. To the correct audience, it ticks all the right boxes. Antagonistic enemies-to-lovers, a hefty dose of angst and tragedy, plenty of spice (after it finally actually gets to the spice; it’s a pretty long wait, but there is payoff). I simply was not the correct audience, though I wouldn’t say I disliked the book at all.
This book has representation for hard-of-hearing individuals (sensorineural deafness). At least one character is a person of colour.
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
Spoiler
This book contains: medical content, terminal cancer; ableism; alcohol use, heavy drinking; vomiting (alcohol induced); mentions of an absentee father; past war story involving a wound leading to the loss of a limb, mention of PTSD; death of a parent; grief, loss, depression; and, an act of blatant disrespect for one character’s body autonomy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Medical content, and Vomit
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and War