mrose21's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Trigger warning for sexual assault/the r word & also substance abuse
****
I find books with assault like this super difficult to read. Its quite triggering for myself and so I always put the book down multiple times before I can finish it.
I will add, although there is SA mentioned its not something you read happen. Theres a few flash backs to the night it was said happened but you don't thankfully have to read it happen - hope that makes sense.
***
If I take away the main elephant in the room I will say that even though this is a high school set romance at least the majority of it is. It never felt like it. It had moments where they were immature but it was sprinkled in enough in no way did it detract from their romance.
Knox is a tough guy and at first I thought their father was going to be abusive but that wasn't the case and he was a pretty good character. Knox himself was a bit back and forth. One moment he was into her next he wasn't and it was aggressively so. That did annoy me after a while. It was just loads of bumps.
Ava was easier to read in my opinion. She was sulky moody and closed off at the start and then slowly opened up to Knox and became more relaxed with her friends too. The whole leaving thing just felt odd. I didn't see the point in that but whatever its a happy ending so does it matter? Nope.
The romance was good. It was hot and heavy but I still managed to read this in a night. Would recommend for those that are Ok with the triggers mention and perhaps enjoy a darker romance.
Trigger warning for sexual assault/the r word & also substance abuse
****
I find books with assault like this super difficult to read. Its quite triggering for myself and so I always put the book down multiple times before I can finish it.
I will add, although there is SA mentioned its not something you read happen. Theres a few flash backs to the night it was said happened but you don't thankfully have to read it happen - hope that makes sense.
***
If I take away the main elephant in the room I will say that even though this is a high school set romance at least the majority of it is. It never felt like it. It had moments where they were immature but it was sprinkled in enough in no way did it detract from their romance.
Knox is a tough guy and at first I thought their father was going to be abusive but that wasn't the case and he was a pretty good character. Knox himself was a bit back and forth. One moment he was into her next he wasn't and it was aggressively so. That did annoy me after a while. It was just loads of bumps.
Ava was easier to read in my opinion. She was sulky moody and closed off at the start and then slowly opened up to Knox and became more relaxed with her friends too. The whole leaving thing just felt odd. I didn't see the point in that but whatever its a happy ending so does it matter? Nope.
The romance was good. It was hot and heavy but I still managed to read this in a night. Would recommend for those that are Ok with the triggers mention and perhaps enjoy a darker romance.
noureenahmed10's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5 ⭐️
I loved this book okay it was so good the plot, the characters, everything about it really was good.
In some parts I had mixed feelings about Ava but I do love her deeply. She’s such an inspiring, loving, caring, sweet, and strong girl. She deserves the best in the world.
And Knox!!!!What a beautiful, thoughtful, caring,and supportive human being he is. Did I mention he is the most thoughtful and sweet and kind person ever? Throughout the whole book I just wanted to hug him tight. I can’t get over all of the things he did for Ava. I can’t get over how supportive and caring he was towards his brother. His love for both his family and Ava are so heart-warming.
And the ending? It might have been one of my top 5 book endings.
I loved this book okay it was so good the plot, the characters, everything about it really was good.
In some parts I had mixed feelings about Ava but I do love her deeply. She’s such an inspiring, loving, caring, sweet, and strong girl. She deserves the best in the world.
And Knox!!!!What a beautiful, thoughtful, caring,and supportive human being he is. Did I mention he is the most thoughtful and sweet and kind person ever? Throughout the whole book I just wanted to hug him tight. I can’t get over all of the things he did for Ava. I can’t get over how supportive and caring he was towards his brother. His love for both his family and Ava are so heart-warming.
And the ending? It might have been one of my top 5 book endings.
tracckgirl's review against another edition
4.0
Ok I seriously loved this book. I really didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did for the simple fact that it’s more in the YA genre. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Knox n Ava’ s story. This was definitely an opposites attraction/ enemies to lovers. Ava was the poor girl, who got a scholarship to this prestigious high school. Knox was a popular guy on the football team. Ava was raped and assaulted the previous year by a member of that football team. Knox was a good guy throughout the book and even a great brother. The family drama also kept me interested in the book. The ending was not what I expected, but better.
kidisitor's review against another edition
5.0
There is much emotional pain in this book. This is sorta a bully romance. (Though the bully wasn't necessarily cruel or vicious.) There are several circumstances that may be triggers for some readers, including sexual assault and suicide. (Neither of those two events take place in the pages, but the aftermath is.) There is also drug use throughout. This story is about one persons drive to survive and another's drive to help others survive. There are heart breaking moments and happy feel good moments. The mental anguish runs high throughout the entire book, up until the very end. (And I mean the VERY end... the Epilogue to be precise.) It's hard to say too much without spoiling the story, but it's beautifully written. The characters are real. The good, the bad and the ugly. It pulls you in from the beginning. You feel truly invested in these characters and their lives. While there are those triggers, the actual sexual content is very limited and not too overly graphic.
*I received an ARC of this book.
Buy now: https://amzn.to/37T4EYl
*I received an ARC of this book.
Buy now: https://amzn.to/37T4EYl
cs_the_librarian's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
bevminnick1's review against another edition
5.0
YES THIS IS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE READ! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!
This book was so perfect. Unexpected! So cute. Great HEA! THIS Book had me from page 1. I didn't think it was my type of book but I Am soo happy I gave it a chance. So original. 10+stars I would give it. Can't recommend it enough. So refreshing!!!
This book was so perfect. Unexpected! So cute. Great HEA! THIS Book had me from page 1. I didn't think it was my type of book but I Am soo happy I gave it a chance. So original. 10+stars I would give it. Can't recommend it enough. So refreshing!!!
aimee_p's review
5.0
absolutely magnificent
I absolutely loved this book. The characters are so good together and although my heart felt like it was being squeezed I absolutely loved it. The storyline was very well written and flowed so beautifully I was taken away into the world of Dear Ava. Recommend so much
I absolutely loved this book. The characters are so good together and although my heart felt like it was being squeezed I absolutely loved it. The storyline was very well written and flowed so beautifully I was taken away into the world of Dear Ava. Recommend so much