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eriinmaureenn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.75
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
⚕️ Family sag
🚒 Firefighter
⚕️ Single mom
🚒 Second chance at love
⚕️ Patient/PT relationship
🚒 Angst
⚕️ Forbidden
🚒 Found family
⚕️You'll need tissues
First of all, thank you to Hambright PR and Lauren Rowe for the ALC copy! There are a lot of things that worked here for me; however, a lot of things that didn't work for me. The narrators did a wonderful job with this story and showing the emotions of the characters through their voices. The only downside with the audio was that Lydia's chapters were extremely quiet compared to Colby's chapters and I was constantly adjusting the volume.
The book starts out with tears and sadness for our FMC and then a traumatic event for the MMC. This book had actions, emotions, and lots of love. I'm not typically a fan of insta-love but it worked well in this story. However, I felt like given everything Lydia went through, Colby did not give her much grace as she was healing and processing new grief that she didn't know about until she was put into a romantic situation. I thought everything Lydia was experiencing was valid and Colby was just being a jerk about it. Coby's possessiveness honestly didn't work for me... for someone so "thoughtful," not thinking about the guilt Lydia would be experiencing through this didn't fit. I did extremely enjoy the love Colby has for Lydia's children and how much he loves them as his own from the beginning.
There were some <u>very</u> cringe spicy scenes... facetime scene is probably at the top of that list, IYKYK. I literally cringed while listening to it. And overall the chemistry in the bedroom just wasn't hitting for me. AND THE DESCRIPTIVE WORDS IN THESE SCENES. A MAGICAL UNICORN OF AN ORGASM? Excuse me? Birthing babies?? What?
I don't think the scene toward the end of the book where Colby was put through a similar situation as Lydia's late husband was just so unnecessary and made me roll my eyes.
Also having Cat's story so intertwined within Colby's was just jarring. The bragging about Cat's husbands wealth felt bizarre and out of place. And please, I know the band name and the producers name for an alternate storyline that didn't need to be included and I don't need to be reminded of these names every single time they're brought up.
Finally, I'm disappointed we never got a resolution with Lydia's late husband's parents. It seemed like something we deserved after so much emphasis was placed on that during the Disney trip and the adoption conversation.
Overall, this book isn't for everyone; however, I do know that there is a large audience that will love this book.
⚕️ Family sag
🚒 Firefighter
⚕️ Single mom
🚒 Second chance at love
⚕️ Patient/PT relationship
🚒 Angst
⚕️ Forbidden
🚒 Found family
⚕️You'll need tissues
First of all, thank you to Hambright PR and Lauren Rowe for the ALC copy! There are a lot of things that worked here for me; however, a lot of things that didn't work for me. The narrators did a wonderful job with this story and showing the emotions of the characters through their voices. The only downside with the audio was that Lydia's chapters were extremely quiet compared to Colby's chapters and I was constantly adjusting the volume.
The book starts out with tears and sadness for our FMC and then a traumatic event for the MMC. This book had actions, emotions, and lots of love. I'm not typically a fan of insta-love but it worked well in this story. However, I felt like given everything Lydia went through, Colby did not give her much grace as she was healing and processing new grief that she didn't know about until she was put into a romantic situation. I thought everything Lydia was experiencing was valid and Colby was just being a jerk about it. Coby's possessiveness honestly didn't work for me... for someone so "thoughtful," not thinking about the guilt Lydia would be experiencing through this didn't fit. I did extremely enjoy the love Colby has for Lydia's children and how much he loves them as his own from the beginning.
There were some <u>very</u> cringe spicy scenes... facetime scene is probably at the top of that list, IYKYK. I literally cringed while listening to it. And overall the chemistry in the bedroom just wasn't hitting for me. AND THE DESCRIPTIVE WORDS IN THESE SCENES. A MAGICAL UNICORN OF AN ORGASM? Excuse me? Birthing babies?? What?
I don't think the scene toward the end of the book where Colby was put through a similar situation as Lydia's late husband was just so unnecessary and made me roll my eyes.
Also having Cat's story so intertwined within Colby's was just jarring. The bragging about Cat's husbands wealth felt bizarre and out of place. And please, I know the band name and the producers name for an alternate storyline that didn't need to be included and I don't need to be reminded of these names every single time they're brought up.
Overall, this book isn't for everyone; however, I do know that there is a large audience that will love this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
annica_fourie's review
emotional
funny
fast-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
3.75
I sobbed throughout most of this book, but it was well worth it. Beautiful story.
There were a few loose strings at the end, which I don't like, but I still enjoyed the reading experience.
Highly recommend you check out trigger warnings before reading.
There were a few loose strings at the end, which I don't like, but I still enjoyed the reading experience.
Highly recommend you check out trigger warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Ableism and Gaslighting
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Gun violence
mariereads6's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
This romance features instalove, a single windowed mom, and an injured firefighter. Though this couple (Lydia and Colby) falls for each other fast, Lydia has a lot to work through as she is recently widowed after her husband was killed in the line of duty. Watching Colby fall in love with Lydia and her kids, and them fall in love with Colby was wonderful and inspiring. One of my favorite book couples.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence