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stephrand's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Helen is a bit hard to root for/like at times, but it makes sense from all of the family trauma and drama she has endured. Parts of her and Grant’s story seemed a bit choppy at parts (how quickly they went from enemies to friends to more) but I did enjoy this overall.
A lot of serious topics, but also a lot of spice (if that’s not your thing, I’d skip this one).
TW: death, suicide, substance abuse
Graphic: Suicide and Death
Minor: Drug use
gwenswoons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I did find the characters’ arcs disappointing and flat - somehow their individual growth in order to find their way back to each other didn’t quite register or land believably. I also guess I struggled (though I am a voracious rom-com and romance reader and actually very rarely say this!) with the believability of the basic premise: there were just a few too many neat/tidy coincidences to the overall romance plot, and though I get the plot device of this very specific enemies-to-lovers bent, it was so on the nose (like…there’s enemies and there’s “was driving the car when your teenage sister, who had no access to mental health support, jumped in front of it and died by suicide”) that it felt sort of heavy-handed ultimately. As I said - lots that was interesting, and also not totally satisfying for me ultimately.
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Grief, Suicide, Child death, and Medical content
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Alcohol, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
sdupont's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Suicide and Grief
Moderate: Car accident and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Drug use
jen_sometimes's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Drug use
sarasukovic's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Suicide, Car accident, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Drug use
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Car accident, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
gabichatslit's review against another edition
4.0
*Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for gifting an eARC of this book in exchange for review*
This book kept me enraptured, had my emotions up and down, and felt like watching an impending train crash at times. But I couldn’t look away and I couldn’t stop reading.
The premise had me intrigued from the moment the book’s release was announced and I just kept thinking— “there’s no way this is gonna work. how will this possibly work?” lol And for the first 30% of the novel, I was still like how can this end well for anyone? But Kuang made it work and by 41% I was rooting for Helen and Grant.
These characters felt so so real. And I love how the POV’s flowed between the main characters multiple times in every chapter instead of bouncing between each one chapter to chapter. Helen drove me up a wall at the beginning with her insecurities but it made her feel so human because like I know her, I’ve been her. It felt so good to watch her grow and establish boundaries kind of with her parents. And see her make friends. It was nice to see Grant fight for something/someone and to not let things happen to him. They deserved a happy ending with one another because they really saw one another and pushed the other to be better.
I wish there had been more moments of watching Helen and Grant settle into their relationship after getting over their big hurdle. Only having like one or two chapters of their HEA, felt like a letdown given how much they overcame but I had a good time nonetheless.
There were moments while reading, where I was floored by the way Kuang wrote not only dialogue but prose, and I find myself reassured that us, Emily Henry fans, are in good hands with her at the helm of the PWMOV and Beach Read adaptations.
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Death, Car accident, Cursing, and Suicide
Minor: Drug use and Injury/Injury detail
hannahmichele5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I might write a more coherent review someday but probably not. Fans of Emily Henry, Elissa Sussman, Tia Williams, and Ashley Poston (so, me) will INHAIL this book!
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Suicide, Car accident, and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Cursing, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Drug use
belarna's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, and Drug use
bricrowder's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book.
The book centers on Helen, an YA book author who is temporarily moves to LA to help write the scripts for the TV adaptation of her book series. She discovers that one of the other writers is Grant, who was tragically the person who hit and killed her sister thirteen years prior when they were teenagers. Even though it was an accident and not Grant's fault, there is obviously so much heavy tension and emotions from the trauma they've both endured in different ways.
Their relationship slowly builds from cold colleagues to friends, and then to so much more.
The book is extremely deep and complex. The author talks about death in such a brutally honest and refreshing way. It goes back and forth between funny and devastating. How there can be anger along with grief.
There were so many amazing, thought-provoking, and powerful lines that made me feel every emotion.
The characters are complex, flawed, and wonderful. I absolutely loved this book! It reminds me of a Emily Henry romance with another level of complexity, sadness, and love.
I can't recommend this book enough! It is every feeling. One of those books you will feel sad when you finish it because it's over and you know it will be hard to beat and compare to. I can't wait to read more by this author. Thank you again for the chance to read it!
Moderate: Suicide and Death
Minor: Drug use