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jsncnrd's review
4.0
Another fantastic entry into Damien Benoit-Ledoux's series. I have loved all 3 of the books in the Love Grows in Honest Places series, and this was no exception. Love's Hope and The Love We Hide have the difficult job of being compared to Skyler Phoenix, which was such a special book to me. And while the other 2 books are also special in their own way, it's hard to top that first one.
The Love We Hide made so many valid points about religious superiority and the judgment that comes from so many churches and religions that pride themselves on "love and acceptance" -- while they directly contribute to hatred and alienation. One of the most heartbreaking themes in the author's books is the role that religion plays in shaming kids / teens for their identities and how they encourage self-loathing. But what is most heartwarming is the author's ability to craft a tale of a protagonist finding their way to accepting themself and embracing the community around them.
I loved both Zavien and Jolan. Zavien especially was a very complex character written with a great deal of empathy and emotional depth. I loved his friendship with Caleb and how supportive they were of each other. Jolan was also a wonderful secondary protagonist -- because most of the book did focus on Zavien's narrative. It is also lovely to continue seeing all the previous characters in the series.
Overall, an emotional read that had my heart both broken and put back together again.
The Love We Hide made so many valid points about religious superiority and the judgment that comes from so many churches and religions that pride themselves on "love and acceptance" -- while they directly contribute to hatred and alienation. One of the most heartbreaking themes in the author's books is the role that religion plays in shaming kids / teens for their identities and how they encourage self-loathing. But what is most heartwarming is the author's ability to craft a tale of a protagonist finding their way to accepting themself and embracing the community around them.
I loved both Zavien and Jolan. Zavien especially was a very complex character written with a great deal of empathy and emotional depth. I loved his friendship with Caleb and how supportive they were of each other. Jolan was also a wonderful secondary protagonist -- because most of the book did focus on Zavien's narrative. It is also lovely to continue seeing all the previous characters in the series.
Overall, an emotional read that had my heart both broken and put back together again.
kelliemw's review
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
wanderwithjon's review
2.0
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An e-ARC of the book has been provided by the author, Damien Benoit-Ledoux, in exchange for an honest review.
The Love We Hide is the third book in the Love Grows in Honest Places series.
The story follows Zavien, a boy who’s lost in the discovery of his own sexuality in fear of rejection from what he considers to be his entire life.
I would first like to talk about the characters within this novel. I find them quite interesting but flat in comparison to the first novel as I find nothing out of the ordinary—considering this is the third part of a series. I am saying this, in part, because the character felt closely resemblant to the ones in the first book that it wasn’t surprising. But Jolan is definitely different from all the characters in the entire series as he is more of the rebel type with reservations. He knows who he is but finds himself having inner conflicts that reduces his actions.
As per the writing, I find the book to be easy to follow and it flows well within the confines of the story; however, I find that there are some details that could have been executed better with a different strategy to give the book more depth and to provide an interesting involvement for the characters. This, in hindsight, ruined the pacing for me as it was rotating towards a singular subject—religion. It could’ve worked better for me, had it been given a retrospective aspect to it.
Another interesting idea that could’ve given this book a more unique perspective is to give us an insight of how and what goes within the mind of Zavien’s mother. The series in its entirety is secluded in a constrained idea that it could’ve worked better if the three books were written as an anthology instead of individual stories. They were resembling one another too much that you could’ve easily gotten away knowing the whole series with reading just one book.
In its entirety I, believe the novel to be a wonderful read as it provides us with a message that we all cannot deny to be true in real life. It is timely and intriguing; however, the way the story (the whole series) was told was too contained that it felt more of a story written in ire than a story of sadness and inspiration of acceptance. I love aspects of the book, but its entirety didn’t work well for me.
Get a copy here!
See this and other reviews in my blog.
An e-ARC of the book has been provided by the author, Damien Benoit-Ledoux, in exchange for an honest review.
The Love We Hide is the third book in the Love Grows in Honest Places series.
The story follows Zavien, a boy who’s lost in the discovery of his own sexuality in fear of rejection from what he considers to be his entire life.
I would first like to talk about the characters within this novel. I find them quite interesting but flat in comparison to the first novel as I find nothing out of the ordinary—considering this is the third part of a series. I am saying this, in part, because the character felt closely resemblant to the ones in the first book that it wasn’t surprising. But Jolan is definitely different from all the characters in the entire series as he is more of the rebel type with reservations. He knows who he is but finds himself having inner conflicts that reduces his actions.
As per the writing, I find the book to be easy to follow and it flows well within the confines of the story; however, I find that there are some details that could have been executed better with a different strategy to give the book more depth and to provide an interesting involvement for the characters. This, in hindsight, ruined the pacing for me as it was rotating towards a singular subject—religion. It could’ve worked better for me, had it been given a retrospective aspect to it.
Another interesting idea that could’ve given this book a more unique perspective is to give us an insight of how and what goes within the mind of Zavien’s mother. The series in its entirety is secluded in a constrained idea that it could’ve worked better if the three books were written as an anthology instead of individual stories. They were resembling one another too much that you could’ve easily gotten away knowing the whole series with reading just one book.
In its entirety I, believe the novel to be a wonderful read as it provides us with a message that we all cannot deny to be true in real life. It is timely and intriguing; however, the way the story (the whole series) was told was too contained that it felt more of a story written in ire than a story of sadness and inspiration of acceptance. I love aspects of the book, but its entirety didn’t work well for me.
Get a copy here!
See this and other reviews in my blog.
zac_housedownbooks's review
4.0
The Love We Hide is an honest, emotional, and heartfelt story about the power of love and overcoming all obstacles. This book is for those of us queer people who have been hurt or betrayed by a world that we wanted, but did not want us. The questions and problems raised about religion are so valid and will speak to many young LGBT readers. I hope that someone sees themselves in Zavien and is inspired by his story. This book was a joy to read and a much-needed addition to the YA LGBT pantheon!
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