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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I was so pleasantly surprised by this contemporary romance. It is told in dual-first person, present-tense POV of the love interests and set in Cobh, Ireland. It’s set within the same universe as the author’s books “Luck & Last Resorts”, & “Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships”.
The main characters & their journeys with mental health/neurodivergence are so beautifully written & fleshed out. I have ADHD so I felt incredibly seen by Raine’s journey & inner thoughts. Jack navigates OCD & both of these portrayals are so incredibly tender. Thank you to SGR for these perfectly imperfect humans, who are just as worthy & deserving of love, connection, community, dreams, and hope.
The side characters (who I am guessing are from the previous books) were just darling too. I’d absolutely watch a tv series based on this group of friends & found family. Nina & Ollie were so stern yet unserious, we met a nonbinary character Roîsin (they/them), & the group dynamic was just so precious. I loved the snark & banter between all of them — they felt authentic & representative of gen x/millennial friend groups today.
The premise of Raine & Jack’s meet-cute & romance was so fun! Raine is a street performer who just lost her grandpa’s guitar (it was stolen, along with the rest of her belongings in her 40-pound backpack), and stumbles upon Jack’s bar. She notices he has “LAST CALL” tattooed across his knuckles and he asks her what she would do to liven the pub up; Raine answers honestly, and Jack offers her the job of entertainment coordinator in hopes of revamping the pub and bringing more consistent business in. Since Raine has no money and no plans for the near future, she agrees to stay and work for the next 3 months.
All the while, she is grappling with the expectations and family she left behind in Boston, including her sister Clara (which I am wondering now if we will get her romance next👀) and Jack is missing his days as a tattoo artist and ruminating over his family trauma. Though this had some heavier content, the light and hope of Jack and Raine’s love was the glue of the story & I used my Kobo credits to buy the audiobooks of SGR’s other two books in this series of standalone romances.
Overall, I had a delightful time & I highly recommend this!
steam rating: 2/5
cw: child abuse, ableism, depictions of OCD, intrusive thoughts, and ADHD, death of a parent
I was so pleasantly surprised by this contemporary romance. It is told in dual-first person, present-tense POV of the love interests and set in Cobh, Ireland. It’s set within the same universe as the author’s books “Luck & Last Resorts”, & “Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships”.
The main characters & their journeys with mental health/neurodivergence are so beautifully written & fleshed out. I have ADHD so I felt incredibly seen by Raine’s journey & inner thoughts. Jack navigates OCD & both of these portrayals are so incredibly tender. Thank you to SGR for these perfectly imperfect humans, who are just as worthy & deserving of love, connection, community, dreams, and hope.
The side characters (who I am guessing are from the previous books) were just darling too. I’d absolutely watch a tv series based on this group of friends & found family. Nina & Ollie were so stern yet unserious, we met a nonbinary character Roîsin (they/them), & the group dynamic was just so precious. I loved the snark & banter between all of them — they felt authentic & representative of gen x/millennial friend groups today.
The premise of Raine & Jack’s meet-cute & romance was so fun! Raine is a street performer who just lost her grandpa’s guitar (it was stolen, along with the rest of her belongings in her 40-pound backpack), and stumbles upon Jack’s bar. She notices he has “LAST CALL” tattooed across his knuckles and he asks her what she would do to liven the pub up; Raine answers honestly, and Jack offers her the job of entertainment coordinator in hopes of revamping the pub and bringing more consistent business in. Since Raine has no money and no plans for the near future, she agrees to stay and work for the next 3 months.
All the while, she is grappling with the expectations and family she left behind in Boston, including her sister Clara (which I am wondering now if we will get her romance next👀) and Jack is missing his days as a tattoo artist and ruminating over his family trauma. Though this had some heavier content, the light and hope of Jack and Raine’s love was the glue of the story & I used my Kobo credits to buy the audiobooks of SGR’s other two books in this series of standalone romances.
Overall, I had a delightful time & I highly recommend this!
steam rating: 2/5
cw: child abuse, ableism, depictions of OCD, intrusive thoughts, and ADHD, death of a parent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent
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