Reviews with content warning for Rape - A Love Letter to Whiskey

I give a 5 ⭐️ because I was constantly hooked wondering when the two star lovers would finally get their happily ever after… a constant push and pull… edge of your seat “is it finally time?” and “are they giving up?” Sometimes you get frustrated at them but they are REAL and make very real mistakes. Loved the storyline and how the author built the story up. It wasn’t bam 💥 the end. It was beautifully built and beautifully ended.

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clara01's review against another edition

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The cheating and other woman tropes were not for me.

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bethanyearle's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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kaitays's review

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This cannot be the book that has everyone in a chokehold. The prologue was good, but that was the peak. I got to chapter five and I had to checkout.

Let’s start with the characters. A mixed race woman with grey-blue eyes, a best friend with blonde hair and blue eyes, a black guy with green, brown, (etc.) eyes, a red headed (if i remember correctly) white dad with grey-blue eyes, and then just mom, regular, if you want to call it that. None of it impossible, but when compounded with everything else it’s a valid critique.

Next, the troupes. She put almost every troupe I’ve know into one book. The debate attending, non-athletic being best friends to the irresistible, gorgeous girl who gets every guy ever. Then, the immediate fall for the best friend. Envy on the relationship. The tug of war between the MC and the love interest who’s taken. The love interest looking sexy as ever after a short time apart. They somehow end up at the same college again. Blah blah. Who knows how many more it would’ve been if I kept reading?

Then, the part about the dad r*ping the mother. What??? It’s like, I know this is very possible. However, as a white author seeming to only write about white MCs, you’re gonna give the mixed race girl a story like this? Interesting.

Lastly, I know they’re young in this book. We do stupid things. However, I can’t see when we’d ever think it was ok to treat your best friend like this. You’re flirting, crushing, and fantasizing about her partner. It’s like come on. The people my friends date are just not even in my orbit, so why are you doing this?

It is very wattpad-esque.

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chelseabee17's review

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Ask me later how I feel about this book…I’m still not sure.

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kn711's review

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Cringe, insta love, character annoying

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shaaay's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad 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? No

4.0

“If I was whiskey, then she was the barrel that held me, that helped me age, that made me better.”

I enjoyed this book but Jamie’s POV and the additional epilogues are what saved it for me. Had I read this before they were added for the anniversary edition that lackluster 2 page “epilogue” would have been a huge let down after reading a decades worth of heartbreak between B and Jamie. I will say there were points where the constant “bad timing” made me want to dnf but I stuck it through and I’m not mad about that. I do fully understand why other people dnfed or overall didn’t enjoy this. There’s some miscommunication and cheating so if you don’t like either of those things I’d skip this one. Weirdly enough I don’t feel ready to leave B and Jamie behind, not when they’re finally able to be together and happy.

“Goddamnit, woman. I’ve always chosen you. There has never been another choice for me. You. You, and only you. That’s the choice.”

I do appreciate Jenna always being their to give B a reality check and remind her that Jamie has always been willing to do whatever it took to be with her and that B was the one standing in their way. Everyone needs a best friend who’s willing to call them out.

My biggest issue with this book and what almost made me dnf was Steiner’s choice to make B and her mom- the only POC in the book- a victim and product of rape. While I understand that it had a huge impact on B and how she approached her relationship with Jamie it didn’t feel necessary. It felt unnecessarily cruel/gruesome. Also, for it to have had such a huge impact we don’t really spend much time on it.

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maddyb17's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

2.5

I wanted to love this, and I did at first. And for a while, I actually felt bad for B. But the back and forth and the toxicity was so beyond aggravating. How hard is it to just admit y’all love each other and just be together without all the unnecessary complications? And to have this cat and mouse game for 12 YEARS, cheating on significant others and “breaking up” numerous times, just to get married at the end… it took everything in me to finish this, and I didn’t even bother reading the novella.

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