andycob's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Grief, Miscarriage, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Child death, and Ableism
bmitch21's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
First off, let me start off by saying this book is a 5 ⭐️ read! and what a journey this book was! This was my first book by Megan Brandy, and it didn’t disappoint not one bit. The book starts off so innocent and fun, a group of friends, more like family really, heading off to college together to start their adult lives. They’re all thick as thieves. The story focuses around Arianna, Ari for short, our FMC, and her journey of love and healing. This is told in such a beautifully tragic way. The author rips our hearts out. I stayed up till 2am silent sobbing next to my husband to finish this. I couldn’t put it down and needed to know how this story ended. I cannot emphasize this enough, it is SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN.
Also, there is spice and I give this one 3 🌶️
If you’re on the fence abt this one, just read it. It’s amazing. It’ll be one I’m left thinking abt for a long time and telling all my book besties abt.
Also, there is spice and I give this one 3 🌶️
If you’re on the fence abt this one, just read it. It’s amazing. It’ll be one I’m left thinking abt for a long time and telling all my book besties abt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Car accident, Cursing, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Child death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
culzean's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Blood, Car accident, and Vomit
bookswithbethx's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, Ableism, Child death, Alcoholism, Car accident, Grief, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
margeemay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
2.5
This book at several points had me literally saying “what in the Wattpad?”
At one point she gets nervous and mentions that it’s just like the time she got pulled on stage at a one direction concert and puked on zayns shoes. Literally. That’s almost a direct quote
At another point after a huge blow out fight she goes to tell her love that she loves him and literally gets hit by a car only to wake up with no memory.
This book was good, I liked the characters mostly. I loved Noah, I loved her brother and I loved Brady.
The writing had its moments of cringe dialogue, the twins call each other brother and sister constantly which felt weird. I’ve called my sister versions of sister but never just fully “sister”
I would have given this a higher rating but the the last third of the book is a hot mess express. The writing is fine and the story would have been fine if it was almost the whole plot, but being this final third, i just wanted it to be over.
after finally choosing which boy she wanted (which should not have even been a conversation bc Chase was a walking red flag.) there is a huge fight between Ari (main girl) chase (childhood crush) and her twin brother. All screaming and yelling, the boys get in a physical fight. WHICH WAS FINE I LOVED. but then Noah shows up and just as she’s about to tell him she loves him she gets hit by a car.
She’s put in a medically induced coma and wakes up like 5 days later
WITH NO MEMORY OF THE LAST THREE MONTHS.
On top of that the dr is like “we couldn’t save the baby”
So chase swoops in and is like trying to get her to fall in love with him Noah is taking a step back so she can figure things for herself
AND THIS HIS MOM DIES
Like 4 major traumas happen in less than a hundred pages, and like three weeks book time.
It was too much.
It was way too much.
Also on record. Chase was a creep. He couldn’t take no for an answer and got physically aggressive towards her.
At one point she gets nervous and mentions that it’s just like the time she got pulled on stage at a one direction concert and puked on zayns shoes. Literally. That’s almost a direct quote
At another point
This book was good, I liked the characters mostly. I loved Noah, I loved her brother and I loved Brady.
The writing had its moments of cringe dialogue, the twins call each other brother and sister constantly which felt weird. I’ve called my sister versions of sister but never just fully “sister”
I would have given this a higher rating but the the last third of the book is a hot mess express. The writing is fine and the story would have been fine if it was almost the whole plot, but being this final third, i just wanted it to be over.
She’s put in a medically induced coma and wakes up like 5 days later
WITH NO MEMORY OF THE LAST THREE MONTHS.
On top of that the dr is like “we couldn’t save the baby”
So chase swoops in and is like trying to get her to fall in love with him Noah is taking a step back so she can figure things for herself
AND THIS HIS MOM DIES
Like 4 major traumas happen in less than a hundred pages, and like three weeks book time.
It was too much.
It was way too much.
Also on record. Chase was a creep. He couldn’t take no for an answer and got physically aggressive towards her.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Car accident
Minor: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Violence, and Toxic friendship
*brothers best friend *brothers football captain *miscommunication *accidental pregnancy / miscarriage *memory loss *death of a parenthq_reads'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? No
3.5
I really enjoyed this book. It was an angst, coming of age romance and it certainly delivered the angst! I found the book hard to put down because of this and it takes an emotional turn that I was not expecting.
I really love Noah, he is a great book boyfriend and was the reason I kept reading this book. Arianna was also a good character, I thought her character development was written really well. Mason I found unnecessarily toxic with no real explanation as to why he is so controlling over Ari and Cam. Cameron and Brady were also a bit surface level with Cameron being the token best friend who doesn't really affect the story/character in any way and Brady was the flirty/banterful one. Chase while frustrating as a character, was written really well and the affect he had on Ari/Noah brought the angst that made this book so great.
I felt the author wasn't good at describing the characters or setting the scene in certain moments with the characters. It was too dialogue heavy at times, especially the beginning where I would expect it to be more scene setting/character building. I felt this improved as the book went on, but I found it really hard to follow the first 25% or so. I realised once I finished the book that there is another book about Nate/Lolli etc but while I was reading this I didn't know, so the complex backstory of these random 3-4 characters was confusing for me. This should have been explained better if this was meant to be read as a standalone. But overall, I did like it and from about 35% the book was a lot better.
I really love Noah, he is a great book boyfriend and was the reason I kept reading this book. Arianna was also a good character, I thought her character development was written really well. Mason I found unnecessarily toxic with no real explanation as to why he is so controlling over Ari and Cam. Cameron and Brady were also a bit surface level with Cameron being the token best friend who doesn't really affect the story/character in any way and Brady was the flirty/banterful one. Chase while frustrating as a character, was written really well and the affect he had on Ari/Noah brought the angst that made this book so great.
I felt the author wasn't good at describing the characters or setting the scene in certain moments with the characters. It was too dialogue heavy at times, especially the beginning where I would expect it to be more scene setting/character building. I felt this improved as the book went on, but I found it really hard to follow the first 25% or so. I realised once I finished the book that there is another book about Nate/Lolli etc but while I was reading this I didn't know, so the complex backstory of these random 3-4 characters was confusing for me. This should have been explained better if this was meant to be read as a standalone. But overall, I did like it and from about 35% the book was a lot better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Miscarriage, Car accident, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Alcohol
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Ari is heading to college with her twin brother and 3 best friend. She has been in love with one of her friends forever, but her over protective brother has made it clear that she is off limits. Before heading to their first year in college, the five of them plan to spend a month at their cottage. Things happen that will forever change the dynamic of the group.
This book rocked me. It was a rollercoaster. It broke me then put me back together again.
I loved the dynamic of this group. You could tell how much they loved and supported one another.
Ari loves someone who didn't love her back and he hurt her. Bad. Watching her learn to trust, open herself up, and be vulnerable again was so relatable. Later in the book, what she went through was soul shattering and watching her put the pieces back together was heartbreaking. She grows so much within this book, she becomes so strong and fights so hard to get back to herself.
Noah is everything. He is patient, understanding, empathic, and so in love with Ari. He would literally do anything for her. Though he fell for her fast, he knew she needed time to heal and he gave her that while helping her pick up the pieces. My heart absolutely broke for him. He stayed by Ari even when it absolutely broke him and tore him apart.
Chase is selfish. He treated Ari like crap and threw her away. I hate the way he behaved and the way he treated Ari. She loved him and he just used her. Only after she was finally happy and moving did he realize he wanted her. He was a jealous ass.
I LOVED Ari and Cams relationship. Their friendship was so strong and Cam was such a rock for Ari. You could feel how much they loved each other and how much they supported each other.
I really enjoyed Brady and Mason as well. They were protective (a little too much sometimes) and supportive and they always had Cam and Ari's backs. I would love to read about their stories!
This is a must read!
Tropes: Love triangle, sports romance, found family, he falls first, slow burn
This book rocked me. It was a rollercoaster. It broke me then put me back together again.
I loved the dynamic of this group. You could tell how much they loved and supported one another.
Ari loves someone who didn't love her back and he hurt her. Bad. Watching her learn to trust, open herself up, and be vulnerable again was so relatable. Later in the book, what she went through was soul shattering and watching her put the pieces back together was heartbreaking. She grows so much within this book, she becomes so strong and fights so hard to get back to herself.
Noah is everything. He is patient, understanding, empathic, and so in love with Ari. He would literally do anything for her. Though he fell for her fast, he knew she needed time to heal and he gave her that while helping her pick up the pieces. My heart absolutely broke for him. He stayed by Ari even when it absolutely broke him and tore him apart.
Chase is selfish. He treated Ari like crap and threw her away. I hate the way he behaved and the way he treated Ari. She loved him and he just used her. Only after she was finally happy and moving did he realize he wanted her. He was a jealous ass.
I LOVED Ari and Cams relationship. Their friendship was so strong and Cam was such a rock for Ari. You could feel how much they loved each other and how much they supported each other.
I really enjoyed Brady and Mason as well. They were protective (a little too much sometimes) and supportive and they always had Cam and Ari's backs. I would love to read about their stories!
This is a must read!
Tropes: Love triangle, sports romance, found family, he falls first, slow burn
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Grief, and Sexual content
kfmcf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
Oy. This book.
I don't normally read dark romances specifically because they feel soapy. This one did that too, unfortunately.
The middle section of this book where Ari and Noah are getting together is good. The beginning feels dissonant and the end is an ABSOLUTE train wreck with like 7 tropes shoved in. accidentall pregnancy? Miscarriage? Amnesia?! REALLY!?! </spoile > I almost gave up with like 50 pages left.
There were also a lot of callbacks to previous characters the author had written that I did not know and are not in this series? It was odd.
My biggest disappointment was that I went into this with expectations of a sports romance and it wasn't. The football aspect was totally superfluous. Major bummer.
Also this book is hella white. Eek.
I don't normally read dark romances specifically because they feel soapy. This one did that too, unfortunately.
The middle section of this book where Ari and Noah are getting together is good. The beginning feels dissonant and the end is an ABSOLUTE train wreck with like 7 tropes shoved in.
There were also a lot of callbacks to previous characters the author had written that I did not know and are not in this series? It was odd.
My biggest disappointment was that I went into this with expectations of a sports romance and it wasn't. The football aspect was totally superfluous. Major bummer.
Also this book is hella white. Eek.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Car accident
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Minor: Grief, Miscarriage, and Medical content
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