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bookwxrmvictoria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization
wilybooklover's review against another edition
5.0
One thing that really stood out to me while I was reading was the absolute total vulnerability that the characters were allowed to feel and showcase. It's quite rare to see in romance, especially in male characters, and I loved it. Georgie and Levi had such depth to them and were written with such care. Kate Clayborn has such a gift for writing characters that feel real. I personally found both characters very relatable — Georgie in all of her impulsive, chaotic mess and not knowing what she wants to do and Levi in his quiet, withdrawn introversion. The characters feel like complete opposites at first (the archetypal grumpy and sunshine) but as the story continues and they communicate with each other (such great communication in this) you begin to see that deep down they are very alike in their strength and softness and worldview. I saw one review compare Levi to Cash Wall from Against a Wall and I am so offended on Levi’s behalf. Cash was a petty bully mired in toxic masculinity and unwilling to take accountability for his actions (please excuse me while I take any chance I can to hate on him). Levi is basically the exact opposite of that, just shy and socially awkward. He categorically refuses to let others make excuses for his past behaviour. Oh, and he's a dog dad and it's just so CUTE.
I also appreciated the lack of drama in the family plot. A lesser author would have created a lot of melodrama out of the situation but instead it felt calm, mature, and just well-suited to the characters.
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use and Injury/Injury detail
oceanwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Georgie finds herself back home and reevaluating her life. Having spent a life of people pleasing, she's ready to start figuring out her own wants and needs after rediscovering a 'friendfic' she wrote as a teenager. An old high school acquaintance, Levi, helps her along on her journey of self-discovery.
The concept of this book is wonderful. I had really high hopes. Unfortunately, it felt like a strange mishmash of genres. The main plot felt like it wanted to be literary, but it was not written in a literary style. The romance plot felt like it wanted to be a romcom, but it wasn't comedic. While I liked the Georgie/Levi pairing, I grew bored of them quickly. I also found some of their romance scenes far too graphic for my taste. Disappointing overall, but ultimately comes down to a matter of preference and wrong assumptions of what the book was going to be.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent
kcbatts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Forced institutionalization
mairead_parade's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Addiction and Forced institutionalization
analenegrace's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I really enjoy the way Clayborn introduced both Georgie and Levi to us, to show the expectations that the world around them has about them. Georgie was a character I immediately felt drawn to because of the way she loves people and places and her home. When we first met Levi paying for her milkshakes, I had a feeling he would be the love interest, and I was very excited for the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, which we got, but Clayborn also made Levi so compelling and more complicated than just "grumpy."
I enjoyed Georgie's perspective of this book, and her, greatly, but I do think I loved Levi's more. I loved the way he talked and thought about Georgie, especially the way his mind worked through his holdups. Even during the third-act breakup, which I usually hate, I enjoyed seeing both of their personal growth over the short period they were apart and how much it was necessary, even if they hated it! His relationship with his siblings was really well-done, and I liked that we got a resolution, but not a perfect one, making the characters feel more real.
Lastly, I loved how fleshed out the side characters were, especially Annabel and Hank... Yes, I mean the dog... I loved that we got details about Hank that made him feel like a real dog and constantly had me laughing or awwing at him. Annabel was a character whose ending I didn't expect, and I really enjoyed it!
I'm not sure why I'm not giving this book 5 stars but I know that while i loved it, it didn't do the thing to my brain that 5 star books do, so there we go!
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy
emmas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Pregnancy
purplepenning's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, and Death of parent