The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
mynameisprerna's review against another edition
4.5
If there’s anything I know about myself as a reader, it’s that as much as I love a good cheesy romcom, I really really love an angsty romance. This one does not disappoint!
The characters are endearing, not despite their flaws but because of them. Their struggles, while so disparate from the average person’s, manage to feel relatable. I was rooting for them all along!
Caleb liveson a farm upstate, and I really liked the metaphor of farming, growing things, rooting, harvesting, etc. as he comes out of rehab.
- “And I tried hard not to write songs that used what I saw as metaphors for my own rebirth. I tried not to identify too strongly with the weak, twisted things slumbering underground, that burst into slow and glorious bloom as they awoke. Not because I didn’t hope desperately to be tickled awake gently by the sun, or because I hadn’t been a weak and twisted thing. But because I knew the danger of waiting for some outside force to bend a gentle knee and change my life. I knew that if anything was going to bring me back to life, it would have to be me.”
- “The weather-beaten old man who owned the shop watched me stumble around for a while and stare at signs without processing their meanings, then he ambled over and tucked a packet of radish seeds in my pocket. Told me that I could plant them now, and I would be able to see them grow in only three weeks. I wasn’t sure I’d ever even eaten radishes, but he had understood what I needed: to see that my actions had consequences. To see that I could support myself, sustain myself. To see that I could create something again.”
This book is full of broken people trying to put themselves back together. I appreciate that they are messy, that this isn’t avoided or glossed over, but their messiness is celebrated with these pearls of wisdom they share as they support with each other.
- ““If you’re looking for a prize, you ain’t lookin’ for love. Love isn’t a reward. It’s not something you deserve or don’t deserve.”
- “How strong the stories we told ourselves were. What power they had to shape how we saw the world, even when confronted with evidence to the contrary. Caleb told himself the story that no one could depend on him because he’d break their trust. Clearly based in some truth, it was a story he told so many times he’d finally taken it as unassailable. It hurt me to think that part of his recovery, part of taking responsibility for the very real pain he’d caused, was carving deep the groove of that story. And what stories had I told myself? That I was unlovable. That I had to earn the right to be cared for. That unless I made myself indispensable, I would be tossed away.”
The characters are endearing, not despite their flaws but because of them. Their struggles, while so disparate from the average person’s, manage to feel relatable. I was rooting for them all along!
Caleb lives
- “And I tried hard not to write songs that used what I saw as metaphors for my own rebirth. I tried not to identify too strongly with the weak, twisted things slumbering underground, that burst into slow and glorious bloom as they awoke. Not because I didn’t hope desperately to be tickled awake gently by the sun, or because I hadn’t been a weak and twisted thing. But because I knew the danger of waiting for some outside force to bend a gentle knee and change my life. I knew that if anything was going to bring me back to life, it would have to be me.”
- “The weather-beaten old man who owned the shop watched me stumble around for a while and stare at signs without processing their meanings, then he ambled over and tucked a packet of radish seeds in my pocket. Told me that I could plant them now, and I would be able to see them grow in only three weeks. I wasn’t sure I’d ever even eaten radishes, but he had understood what I needed: to see that my actions had consequences. To see that I could support myself, sustain myself. To see that I could create something again.”
This book is full of broken people trying to put themselves back together. I appreciate that they are messy, that this isn’t avoided or glossed over, but their messiness is celebrated with these pearls of wisdom they share as they support with each other.
- “How strong the stories we told ourselves were. What power they had to shape how we saw the world, even when confronted with evidence to the contrary. Caleb told himself the story that no one could depend on him because he’d break their trust. Clearly based in some truth, it was a story he told so many times he’d finally taken it as unassailable. It hurt me to think that part of his recovery, part of taking responsibility for the very real pain he’d caused, was carving deep the groove of that story. And what stories had I told myself? That I was unlovable. That I had to earn the right to be cared for. That unless I made myself indispensable, I would be tossed away.”
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Sigh. You know those books that suck you in, with love stories so epic and lovely and all the things with all the feelings? The ones where you get to the last page and you disbelievingly keep trying to find MORE of the story because how could this ever end? And you look up and realize you've been so deep into another world you've forgotten about reality? That was Riven for me.
.
Caleb and Theo are so tender. So tortured. So gorgeous. As people and as physical specimens, from the descriptions in the book! The story is deeply tied to music and the writing itself was lyrical and touching. I'm still not quite believing that I can't buy a Theo Decker and Caleb Blake Whitman album because I so desperately want to.
.
I'm so happy that my library had a copy of Riven in their digital catalog, and I waited months to get my hold. It was worth it. Luckily they also have the next in the series so hopefully I'll get my eyes on Rend SOON! Also, Riven was NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR in 2018 BY LIBRARY JOURNAL - NBD.
.
This romance novel is a contemporary male/male and very steamy. It's not a coming out story. Older/younger dynamic. Storyline of addiction recovery. I loved it. If I could give it 20 stars I would, but I'll settle for the measly 5 that society has deemed the limit for book ratings.
.
Caleb and Theo are so tender. So tortured. So gorgeous. As people and as physical specimens, from the descriptions in the book! The story is deeply tied to music and the writing itself was lyrical and touching. I'm still not quite believing that I can't buy a Theo Decker and Caleb Blake Whitman album because I so desperately want to.
.
I'm so happy that my library had a copy of Riven in their digital catalog, and I waited months to get my hold. It was worth it. Luckily they also have the next in the series so hopefully I'll get my eyes on Rend SOON! Also, Riven was NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR in 2018 BY LIBRARY JOURNAL - NBD.
.
This romance novel is a contemporary male/male and very steamy. It's not a coming out story. Older/younger dynamic. Storyline of addiction recovery. I loved it. If I could give it 20 stars I would, but I'll settle for the measly 5 that society has deemed the limit for book ratings.
susanw's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
littlebit2991's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
claire_melanie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
runningonbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
myzanm's review against another edition
4.0
A really, really good book.
I loved most parts of it. There was this genuine feeling to it that didn’t try to sugarcoat things. Still it could have been even grittier as it was a bit on the tame side.
What I had a problem with was some of the secondary characters. Now knowing then the way I did through Riven does not inspire me to read about them in coming books. This might be a rare instance where I don’t at least read the next book where the first was soooo good.
I loved most parts of it. There was this genuine feeling to it that didn’t try to sugarcoat things. Still it could have been even grittier as it was a bit on the tame side.
What I had a problem with was some of the secondary characters. Now knowing then the way I did through Riven does not inspire me to read about them in coming books. This might be a rare instance where I don’t at least read the next book where the first was soooo good.
tacoshark's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Smut. But highly readable smut.
babytloves2read's review against another edition
4.0
OKAY. Lots of feelings. I think at times Theo was too pushy about the music. I think at times Caleb was lashing out for absolutely no reason, and the fact that Theo had to get used to it and expect that it would happen? I don’t like that shit at all. I think they both need to get out of their own heads and listen to each other?? Other than that, this was a very different story to what I’m used to. A lot of MM romances are about sports or some shit but this was interesting. Loved the dynamics of Caleb and Rhys’s relationship, it was so sweet and exactly what the story needed. Good read overall, but not perfect !
cheri_champagne's review against another edition
DNF. I got about a third of the way through the book, and it still didn't grip me. I also wasn't pleased with the use of description; scene-setting could use some work. The author mentions scents being smelled and flavours being tasted, but doesn't describe them. Were they sweet, spicy, musky? I have no idea. It was that inattention to detail that put me off.