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alyanthea's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
this was the first book I read after an almost 2-year long reading slump, and I needed something to break me out of it. well, it definitely did! there is something so compulsively readable and engaging about cate c wells' books, even when they make me so mad sometimes.
the fatphobia in this book was a lot, and the author did put a warning up at the beginning of the book. I'm not a fan of how this was handled, and the dramatic contrast betweenthe two packs and how they treated her was a little over the top. I wasn't a fan of how flora being sexually objectified by groups of men ogling her while she works (but in a ~~respectful~~ way so it's okay) was highlighted not only as a way to boost her self-esteem and self-image, but a way to highlight how this pack was better than the other one. I wasn't a fan of how pivotal external sexual validation was to her own self-image and self-worth, although I can understand it, I felt that it drove a lot of flora's character development in the latter half. ymmv on whether or not this will resonate, but it was rough to read.
as for their relationship, I'm not entirely sold on alec's character development, as there was just so big of a gap between their history and how he treated her vs. how he treated her after he found out she was his mate. his POV chapters were very compelling to read, and I loved that version of him, the one who actually gave a shit, but he's got a rough history to overcome. I'm not sure that Wells pulls that off for me this time, personally.their sexual relationship for example--even though it's revealed he's very inexperienced, the fact that all their sexual history is for his own gratification in the past doesn't quite connect with how he suddenly gives a shit about her pleasure in the present, only when they're mated. it was certainly a choice to make him that much of an inconsiderate asshole, and I'm not sure that disconnect was bridged through his character development.
overall though, I did give this 2.5 stars because it did make me cry and I am a sucker for what is, essentially, a book-long grovel. I'm here for the angst and Wells does deliver on that fairly consistently.
the fatphobia in this book was a lot, and the author did put a warning up at the beginning of the book. I'm not a fan of how this was handled, and the dramatic contrast between
as for their relationship, I'm not entirely sold on alec's character development, as there was just so big of a gap between their history and how he treated her vs. how he treated her after he found out she was his mate. his POV chapters were very compelling to read, and I loved that version of him, the one who actually gave a shit, but he's got a rough history to overcome. I'm not sure that Wells pulls that off for me this time, personally.
overall though, I did give this 2.5 stars because it did make me cry and I am a sucker for what is, essentially, a book-long grovel. I'm here for the angst and Wells does deliver on that fairly consistently.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
clmr's review
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
krzzykitty92's review
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
jelavision's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I wish I could get into the book more but I had a hard time connecting with the characters (especially Alex) and their romance. Part me rooted for Flora and Bevan more then Flora and Alec. There wasn’t enough groveling nor apologies for what he put her through for years. And the explanation in the book wasn’t good enough for me as a reader. Usually I enjoy Cate’s books but this was a miss for me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
briandherreads's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
babblesbea's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
cluckieduck's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Hmmm….the way I was able to breeze through this story speaks to how well it was written but something just didn’t click for me with the couple. Unfortunately, the amount of grovelling was seriously underwhelming for the years of BS that Flora had to put up with from Alec. I know they’re in the NA age range, but it all felt very high-school in tone and content, so maybe that’s where the disconnect comes from 🤷🏻♀️
I did enjoy the interconnection between the packs and the timeline overlap with book 3 (brief as it was), but otherwise just a meh read, overall.
I did enjoy the interconnection between the packs and the timeline overlap with book 3 (brief as it was), but otherwise just a meh read, overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
stuffandwhatnot's review
emotional
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Ugh, so frickin' good. Perfectly captures the frustration and hopelessness of growing up in a tiny little cruddy town where everyone knows everyone else and God help you if you're even the slightest bit different or want something out of life other than your prescribed role.
Flora is overweight, which is apparently almost unheard of in the shifter world, due to some hand-wavy super fast metabolisms and such. So she's not only a fat girl, she's the only fat girl in town. She experiences intense fat shaming all her life, from almost everyone in the community. Since she has no family to stick up for her, she's also one of the lowest ranked shifters in a cruddy town obsessed with rank. As a result, her self-esteem is lower than the Mariana Trench.
Alec is a handsome alpha who is one of the three contenders to be the next pack alpha. He seems so douchey at first and you'll want to punch him right in the dick more than once, but Wells works her magic and by the end of the book I just wanted to give him a blankie and some hot cocoa. He's the alpha who is more than strong enough to seize power, but in truth he doesn't really want to lead, especially not their cruddy shitty town.
We get to see Rosie and Cadoc and their newly formed Old Den pack again, which is a lot of fun and (as so often happens when people move away from their small towns for the first time) pretty eye opening for our main couple as they see a world where being different can be attractive, or where everyone isn't constantly jockeying for rank. The story also seems to take place concurrently with the last book, as we hear about some of the stuff that happened in it near the end of this book.
Loved it, loved Flora, grew to love Alec, and I can't wait to see what happens next in the shifter world.
Flora is overweight, which is apparently almost unheard of in the shifter world, due to some hand-wavy super fast metabolisms and such. So she's not only a fat girl, she's the only fat girl in town. She experiences intense fat shaming all her life, from almost everyone in the community. Since she has no family to stick up for her, she's also one of the lowest ranked shifters in a cruddy town obsessed with rank. As a result, her self-esteem is lower than the Mariana Trench.
Alec is a handsome alpha who is one of the three contenders to be the next pack alpha. He seems so douchey at first and you'll want to punch him right in the dick more than once, but Wells works her magic and by the end of the book I just wanted to give him a blankie and some hot cocoa. He's the alpha who is more than strong enough to seize power, but in truth he doesn't really want to lead, especially not their cruddy shitty town.
We get to see Rosie and Cadoc and their newly formed Old Den pack again, which is a lot of fun and (as so often happens when people move away from their small towns for the first time) pretty eye opening for our main couple as they see a world where being different can be attractive, or where everyone isn't constantly jockeying for rank. The story also seems to take place concurrently with the last book, as we hear about some of the stuff that happened in it near the end of this book.
Loved it, loved Flora, grew to love Alec, and I can't wait to see what happens next in the shifter world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
romanceschmomance's review
3.0
I keep hoping that one book from this series would really hit the mark for me. I love rejected mates and it's hard to find books where they MCs end up together. But this just comes down to personal preference with my reads and it wasn't working for me.
Like her previous books in the series, we get some decent groveling, but this felt like it was on the lower end of things.
Sadly, this wasn't for me.
Like her previous books in the series, we get some decent groveling, but this felt like it was on the lower end of things.
Sadly, this wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia