Reviews with content warning for Medical content - The Match

This book was a kind of shallow, cutesy romance. I really didn’t like or understand the MMC’s attitude changes throughout the book, especially with how mean he was at the beginning. I also felt like both these characters, while 26 (F) and 33 (M) years old, acted much younger- like college age in their first serious relationship. Both were crushing hard and it felt insta-lovey without any substance. I was also frustrated by the miscommunication they exhibited. Lots of “he loves me? He loves me not?”. They kept defining the relationship and then second guessing what the other person wanted even though they already DTRed. The third act conflict with her psycho family, his lack of faith, and her mistrust felt kind of out of character after all the hmmming and haaaing the rest of the book. The same conflict basically played out over and over again. I really liked the disability rep and the service dog rep, and I felt like those aspects were accurate to reality. But this story was a lot of telling and not showing, plus the timeline of the first half of the book was so quick that it didn’t build up the romance enough. I still enjoyed reading it as a shallow, alright romance, but definitely not my favorite by this author.

Content Warnings

edietz22's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-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

5.0

Content Warnings

bookrecsbyjess's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

atamano's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Content Warnings

readingwithmeredith's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

bubblybelle's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this was such a sweet little love story. i’ll be it a little predictable at times, but a total delight to read. as a fellow chronically ill girlie, i really resonated with Evie, and appreciated the way that her illness was presented and discussed.

Content Warnings

fairytalefootnotes's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️

Tropes: Single Dad, Age Gap, Epilepsy Representation, Fade to Black.

3rd Act Breakup?: Yes

The Praise: I enjoyed Evie’s relationship with Sam and how they bonded. I really liked the premise of the book as well.

The Critique: I don’t mind fade to black romance but I don’t like when an adult book veers into almost YA territory with how innocent the MCs’ inner monologues are. At one point Evie says sitting with her leg against Jake’s is “steamy” and that just felt silly. It’s possible to write a romance without sex without making your characters seem almost childish, Sarah has done it in her other books.

Final Thoughts: This was fine. I really liked the concept but the execution just wasn’t there for me.

Content Warnings

abookwormspov's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I liked the storyline, and I really loved the epilepsy representation. Overall though, I found a lot of it really cringey and awkward with a lot of kind of strange moments. The romance felt very rushed, and I felt like there was kind of an imbalance in the character arcs.

Content Warnings

More...