itismemaggie's review against another edition
1.0
i kept eyerolling and screaming "UGH PLEASE NO" and "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" for like the last 10 chapters and that's the only review you'll get from me. never been so enraged at fictional characters and writing choices in my LIFE. BURN THIS.
btw i take the fact that this has 0.01 better rating than red, white and royal blue as a personal insult. i shall never trust good reads rating again.
btw i take the fact that this has 0.01 better rating than red, white and royal blue as a personal insult. i shall never trust good reads rating again.
simon_reads03's review against another edition
2.0
I waited about almost 4 years for this sequel and I am saddened to say that I was really disappointed. I wasn't expecting anything major to happen, but I also wasn't expecting absolutely nothing to happen! This book could've been way shorter. The epilogue is the only thing out of the entire book that I actually cared about. The plot is basically Arthur and Ben being confused for 400 pages, running in circles and, therefore, making people around them suffer with them.
A. Mess. But let's break it down:
The thing that bothered me the most about this book was the lack of development in general: plot-wise, character-wise, story-wise... Everything felt very dream-like. The struggles and obstacles were barely that and the book itself never had moments of roller coaster emotion. It felt flat. All characters were flat and I couldn't quite picture them in my mind the way I wanted to; even Arthur and Ben! The new love interests, Mario and Mikey, were sometimes (most of the time) more likable than the main two guys, and that says a lot especially when you're trying to get your readers to root for the main characters.
I liked Ben in the first book quite a lot - he was reasonable and calm - this time he feels disconnected and less real. I never liked Arthur and I disliked him even more in this book. He's extremely whiny and has some serious attachment issues. By page 380 it dawned on me that Arthur could not be happy - or never appeared to be happy - unless he was with someone. And this never gets explored... he is literally never single (or at least never we get to see) and therefore I can't imagine him being able to live with himself. Mario was a character I thought I'd hate at the beginning but ended up liking him quite a bit. He did seem a bit cookie-cutter, always nice (literally ALWAYS), perfect guy. This distracted me sometimes, but it was never something too negative, so it was fine. Mikey was interesting because I didn't really care for him until halfway through the book. By the climax, I felt for him more than I felt for any other character and I was surprised because this book was basically rooting against him (unfairly, I think). Dylan and Samantha... boring. I wanted solid characters, with motivations and goals, but Dylan and Samantha were literally the flattest of them all. They were clearly designed to be the palate-cleanser of the story; when things got tough, there they were to have a comedic moment. Dylan was straight-up annoying. I know what the authors were going for, I can see what the intent was. But it just came out weird and repetitive. Dylan was like one of those ice cream deserts for children that have whipped cream, and gummy bears, and they're covered in caramel and you just wanna throw up. He was overwhelming. Samantha was, unfortunately, the flattest character of them all, which makes me sad because she could have been really cool. I knew nothing about her, she was just there, always trying to calm Dylan down and by the end of the book, we get a special moment between her and Dylan and I felt nothing. I felt nothing because I didn't care for them throughout the whole book!
There isn't much more to say without spoilers. The ending was expected and underwhelming because the buildup was weak. The characters didn't seem to ever grow much. The whole plot of the book is like drawing different circles and always reaching the same beginning.
***SPOILERS***
We jump 2 years since the first book, then we spend a whole summer during this book (in which basically not much happens), and then we jump 4 years, AND THEN 2 more years to reach the very end of the book. I just got very lost by the end. Did I see the wedding coming? Eh, I didn't rule it out, but was it surprising? No. Also two weddings? Everything felt out of place, one which I did not care about whatsoever. The third act felt rushed and when Ben and Arthur were saying their vows I was unfortunately so disconnected already. I was sad about this! I wanted to be happy for them, and I was to an extent, but because this book made me more annoyed at both characters and made me realize how flat they are, it was hard to focus.
Mario was always so understanding and always wore the same attitude that he became pretty unbelievable. Mikey was in the right to feel the way he did after Arthur broke up with him, and it was honestly pretty heartbreaking. Like I mentioned before, I didn't care much for Mikey, but when he started showing realistic negative feelings about Ben and Arthur being so in tune with each other, I was more on board with his storyline. Mikey has it pretty hard! He not only endures Arthur's idiocy but also goes above and beyond for him, only to get dumped the way he did. That breakup was probably the only moment in the whole book where I actually felt something, and where I kinda teared up. But it's funny because I was feeling so bad for someone who wasn't even the main character and kinda hating Arthur at the same time. Mikey just deserved better, and I see his persona to be the most realistic one out of all characters. I wish we could've had more of him.
Arthur and Ben don't learn anything. They hurt others, really can't take hints from each other nor their own brains, and spend the whole book repeating their confusion over and over again. Mikey deserved better. Mario was just a crutch for the story. Dylan and Samantha were filler. I was just underwhelmed. I will continue to check out both authors' books for sure, especially because I have really liked what they've created before, but this sequel was simply not for me.
A. Mess. But let's break it down:
The thing that bothered me the most about this book was the lack of development in general: plot-wise, character-wise, story-wise... Everything felt very dream-like. The struggles and obstacles were barely that and the book itself never had moments of roller coaster emotion. It felt flat. All characters were flat and I couldn't quite picture them in my mind the way I wanted to; even Arthur and Ben! The new love interests, Mario and Mikey, were sometimes (most of the time) more likable than the main two guys, and that says a lot especially when you're trying to get your readers to root for the main characters.
I liked Ben in the first book quite a lot - he was reasonable and calm - this time he feels disconnected and less real. I never liked Arthur and I disliked him even more in this book. He's extremely whiny and has some serious attachment issues. By page 380 it dawned on me that Arthur could not be happy - or never appeared to be happy - unless he was with someone. And this never gets explored... he is literally never single (or at least never we get to see) and therefore I can't imagine him being able to live with himself. Mario was a character I thought I'd hate at the beginning but ended up liking him quite a bit. He did seem a bit cookie-cutter, always nice (literally ALWAYS), perfect guy. This distracted me sometimes, but it was never something too negative, so it was fine. Mikey was interesting because I didn't really care for him until halfway through the book. By the climax, I felt for him more than I felt for any other character and I was surprised because this book was basically rooting against him (unfairly, I think). Dylan and Samantha... boring. I wanted solid characters, with motivations and goals, but Dylan and Samantha were literally the flattest of them all. They were clearly designed to be the palate-cleanser of the story; when things got tough, there they were to have a comedic moment. Dylan was straight-up annoying. I know what the authors were going for, I can see what the intent was. But it just came out weird and repetitive. Dylan was like one of those ice cream deserts for children that have whipped cream, and gummy bears, and they're covered in caramel and you just wanna throw up. He was overwhelming. Samantha was, unfortunately, the flattest character of them all, which makes me sad because she could have been really cool. I knew nothing about her, she was just there, always trying to calm Dylan down and by the end of the book, we get a special moment between her and Dylan and I felt nothing. I felt nothing because I didn't care for them throughout the whole book!
There isn't much more to say without spoilers. The ending was expected and underwhelming because the buildup was weak. The characters didn't seem to ever grow much. The whole plot of the book is like drawing different circles and always reaching the same beginning.
***SPOILERS***
We jump 2 years since the first book, then we spend a whole summer during this book (in which basically not much happens), and then we jump 4 years, AND THEN 2 more years to reach the very end of the book. I just got very lost by the end. Did I see the wedding coming? Eh, I didn't rule it out, but was it surprising? No. Also two weddings? Everything felt out of place, one which I did not care about whatsoever. The third act felt rushed and when Ben and Arthur were saying their vows I was unfortunately so disconnected already. I was sad about this! I wanted to be happy for them, and I was to an extent, but because this book made me more annoyed at both characters and made me realize how flat they are, it was hard to focus.
Mario was always so understanding and always wore the same attitude that he became pretty unbelievable. Mikey was in the right to feel the way he did after Arthur broke up with him, and it was honestly pretty heartbreaking. Like I mentioned before, I didn't care much for Mikey, but when he started showing realistic negative feelings about Ben and Arthur being so in tune with each other, I was more on board with his storyline. Mikey has it pretty hard! He not only endures Arthur's idiocy but also goes above and beyond for him, only to get dumped the way he did. That breakup was probably the only moment in the whole book where I actually felt something, and where I kinda teared up. But it's funny because I was feeling so bad for someone who wasn't even the main character and kinda hating Arthur at the same time. Mikey just deserved better, and I see his persona to be the most realistic one out of all characters. I wish we could've had more of him.
Arthur and Ben don't learn anything. They hurt others, really can't take hints from each other nor their own brains, and spend the whole book repeating their confusion over and over again. Mikey deserved better. Mario was just a crutch for the story. Dylan and Samantha were filler. I was just underwhelmed. I will continue to check out both authors' books for sure, especially because I have really liked what they've created before, but this sequel was simply not for me.
searobin's review against another edition
1.5
Based on my opinion of the first one, I should have skipped this one, but I already had it checked out and then couldn't sleep so it was the easiest thing to listen to. The whinyness continued, but somehow got even worse. Not somehow, miscommunication, which I absolutely hate.
This book was incredibly frustrating, mostly because of the long and repetitive monologues from the two POV characters. They were exhausting and drove me nuts (and not in a good way like Dylan would, he and Sam were still the best part of this book). Mario and Mikey did not deserve that. At least there weren't a million HP and JKR references in this one...? So much of the book was just tortured repetition.
I should have DNFed it, but since I was still awake, I stuck with it... Though maybe it and my annoyance with everyone in it was part of the reason I couldn't sleep.
Definitely not a book for me.
This book was incredibly frustrating, mostly because of the long and repetitive monologues from the two POV characters. They were exhausting and drove me nuts (and not in a good way like Dylan would, he and Sam were still the best part of this book). Mario and Mikey did not deserve that. At least there weren't a million HP and JKR references in this one...? So much of the book was just tortured repetition.
I should have DNFed it, but since I was still awake, I stuck with it... Though maybe it and my annoyance with everyone in it was part of the reason I couldn't sleep.
Definitely not a book for me.
rochreau's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
annika_katharina's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
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? No
4.0
sofiathefirst_28's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
4.25
meganpinkerton's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
simobae's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.5
eparris's review against another edition
Felt like we were repeating the first book all over again, just with Ben and Arthur switching roles.