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rschroath's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
jess_noack's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- 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
I really liked the romance. The moments between just Eli and Leah gave me butterflies and had the perfect build up before their tension finally broke! I loved their friendship and watching it grow into more was cute. I also liked how Eli learned the difference between his feelings for Victoria and his feelings for Leah. I also enjoyed the addition of Leah’s history in the foster system, something that is not often featured in romance books.
Everything else about the book was a little lackluster. I liked the friends and I liked the possible continuation of a series for Delia and Gray, but the friends were a little too much sometimes, especially Jenna. I think that they meant well with the “makeover,” but that it went too far to the point of decreasing my enjoyment of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Jayne Denker for providing me access to this book.
Everything else about the book was a little lackluster. I liked the friends and I liked the possible continuation of a series for Delia and Gray, but the friends were a little too much sometimes, especially Jenna. I think that they meant well with the “makeover,” but that it went too far to the point of decreasing my enjoyment of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Jayne Denker for providing me access to this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
hrtlss_grl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Very cute fade to black romance with diverse characters and a plot straight out of a rom-com movie. A nod to all the greats. :) Narrator was a little slow, but otherwise great at making characters stand out from each other._bookstamandy_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
samchase112's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
3.5
A short, sweet, heartwarming rom-com about finding your family. This one definitely grew on me — I was put off by the juvenile writing at first, but Leah’s journey really drew me in by the end, especially helped along by adorable Eli and the supportive circle of friends she finds. As everyone mentions, Eli’s infatuation/fixation on Victoria lasts completely too long for the situation, but honestly it’s not even a huge deal because I think the author explained it away fairly well. I was much more interested in Leah coming to terms with her new community, struggles with accepting support, and dealing with the grief she feels after losing her foster mother. Anyway...this one was cute, if largely forgettable outside of Leah’s character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Grief
Moderate: Medical content and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
analenegrace's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I went into this book hoping I'd enjoy it quite a book, but during the middle, I actively turned to my roommate and said, "this book is terrible," something I don't often say. While by the end, it got better, I still did not enjoy this book like I thought I would. The MCs were so mind-numbingly stupid at times, and the side characters were so frustrating throughout the book, that it was hard to enjoy the actual romance.
Also, there are multiple Harry Potter references that are not necessary for a book published in 2023, we all know JK Rowling is transphobic, antisemitic, and more, it's time to leave Harry Potter out of your pop culture references (especially when you write a Queer Character into your book.)
Leah's character was the most interesting throughout the book, much more than Eli, but even still, her plot as an aged-out foster child dealing with caregiver burnout after having both her biological and foster moms die felt so overshadowed by everyone else's "problems" that it wasn't until the literal last 25 pages that anyone cared about her issues beyond Eli, sometimes when he wasn't being dramatic. Leah dealing with caregiver burnout and dealing with it was quite good, and if the other plotlines hadn't been written as more important, it could have been really good. Leah being written as a complicated foster child who had a relationship with her bio mom and foster family is really important, and showing her reconnecting with her bio mom before she died was a nice touch.
On Eli, who proposes after four months like that and then, when he's rejected, decides to win her back almost a year later?? It felt like a huge case of not respecting Victoria's boundaries constantly, between constantly texting, calling, and stalking her Instagram. Her character felt written so one-dimensionally that not another character could really say much good about her, not even Eli, who was supposedly in love with her. He seemed not to realize he loved Leah untilVictoria was no longer available at all, and that rubbed me the wrong way entirely.
As mentioned above, I found the side characters so frustrating. Their dedication to fully changing Eli was very annoying, and like, Jennathrowing out his favorite hat from when he coached Little League was so insane of her. Jenna was probably my least favorite character in the book, as everything she did was actively mean or demeaning to others. Her harassing some kids at the school where she worked was probably my last straw with her. Gray also made me actively upset as he was fully written as a bisexual stereotype of a slut who can't settle down even though he loves someone. It made me very uncomfortable the entire time, especially since we get hints of his and Delia's past and present relationship while he literally disrespects her and sleeps with people she knows. The other characters were not memorable enough to discuss.
The ending with the Will was insane, and as someone who has worked in an estate planning law firm, I was personally very invested in that plotline and would have loved to see a resolution!
Also, there are multiple Harry Potter references that are not necessary for a book published in 2023, we all know JK Rowling is transphobic, antisemitic, and more, it's time to leave Harry Potter out of your pop culture references (especially when you write a Queer Character into your book.)
Leah's character was the most interesting throughout the book, much more than Eli, but even still, her plot as an aged-out foster child dealing with caregiver burnout
On Eli, who proposes after four months like that and then, when he's rejected, decides to win her back almost a year later?? It felt like a huge case of not respecting Victoria's boundaries constantly, between constantly texting, calling, and stalking her Instagram. Her character felt written so one-dimensionally that not another character could really say much good about her, not even Eli, who was supposedly in love with her. He seemed not to realize he loved Leah until
As mentioned above, I found the side characters so frustrating. Their dedication to fully changing Eli was very annoying, and like, Jenna
The ending with the Will was insane, and as someone who has worked in an estate planning law firm, I was personally very invested in that plotline and would have loved to see a resolution!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Gaslighting
Minor: Bullying, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
puria's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
It drew me in fast. I liked the plot, it was different then things I have read recently, the setting was unique.
It was well written, I often felt for Leah. There is LGBTQ characters, minority characters, strong female friendships. I liked the diverse group, like Leah it drew me in before Eli did.
It was well written, I often felt for Leah. There is LGBTQ characters, minority characters, strong female friendships. I liked the diverse group, like Leah it drew me in before Eli did.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness
Minor: Death of parent and Abandonment
ninebookishlives's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
emmas_bookshelf's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The premise of the book was cute and it definitely has the comedy aspect of a rom-com. The love interest Eli is like a big teddy bear, he’s a hopeless romantic who loves kids and the outdoors. Leah is desperate for family and belonging, but also thinks she will never have it. Most of the book is waiting for the two of them to wake up and realize they should be together - but it is a fun read. It’s also low/no steam.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcohol