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luffy79's review
5.0
That's more like it! A return to form, indeed. Most books in the series are scarily consistent. I'm surprised these small little books are not more popular.
Here, the journey was more interesting than the destination, but by only a little margin. The Cassidy character was so endearing that I wanted her to be a recurring one. She is a psychic wannabe and does her best to help.
Heather returns to Hillside to solve a crime. That fact wasn't intended. Her first intent was to confront a woman who had left negative reviews of her donuts on the internet. That woman becomes the victim. So it's a pretty complex plot and it all ends well.
Here, the journey was more interesting than the destination, but by only a little margin. The Cassidy character was so endearing that I wanted her to be a recurring one. She is a psychic wannabe and does her best to help.
Heather returns to Hillside to solve a crime. That fact wasn't intended. Her first intent was to confront a woman who had left negative reviews of her donuts on the internet. That woman becomes the victim. So it's a pretty complex plot and it all ends well.
bfdbookblog's review against another edition
4.0
i really liked this book. i can't speak to bran's asexuality because i know nothing about it. i could probably do some research about it and form an opinion but i don't think it's necessary for the enjoyment of the book.
yes it was simple. the mystery in the book was a bit predictable but when you read as many books as i do, most books are predictable. i can't even remember the last book that i couldn't predict and that actually surprised me with the outcome.
yes the kids were a bit immature. one is socially awkward because he feels like he never fits in anywhere and held himself away from everyone. the other is a rich kid that had an a$$hole of a father that made him feel worthless. they both have some growing up to do - in fact it's in this story that bran finally decides what he really enjoys doing with his life. malachi needs to and is working towards repairing his relationship with his brother and father before he can figure out what he wants to do with his life.
i liked their banter even though some of it was a bit immature - they're college boys, that's to be expected. i really liked callan and tristan and hope we see more of them in the next books.
yes it was simple. the mystery in the book was a bit predictable but when you read as many books as i do, most books are predictable. i can't even remember the last book that i couldn't predict and that actually surprised me with the outcome.
yes the kids were a bit immature. one is socially awkward because he feels like he never fits in anywhere and held himself away from everyone. the other is a rich kid that had an a$$hole of a father that made him feel worthless. they both have some growing up to do - in fact it's in this story that bran finally decides what he really enjoys doing with his life. malachi needs to and is working towards repairing his relationship with his brother and father before he can figure out what he wants to do with his life.
i liked their banter even though some of it was a bit immature - they're college boys, that's to be expected. i really liked callan and tristan and hope we see more of them in the next books.
jupanuma's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to read this because of a Fanfiction that Michaela Grey wrote with Bran and Mal. The fanfiction was amazing, I thought the book would be too. I thought it would be cute fluffy guys getting together. Instead Bran and Mal fall in love unrealistic fast, had way more sex then I thought a story with asexual character should have (a few scene is fine, as not everyone who is asexual does not have sex), and just over all badly written. I dont know how Michaela Grey could write a great fanfiction but a horrible story with the same characters. I was very disappointed in this story. I would not recommend it to anyone.
hummelhimmel's review against another edition
1.0
Stopped reading after chapter seven.
I was so exited to have an asexual MC and a story about finding and navigating a relationship. I wanted to read about the ups and downs, the doubts, the discovering about what everyone is comfortable with...but there is none of that. They get together in (approximately) chapter three and before that, we have the one paragraph (that is also on the blurb) about Bran's doubts. That's it. There is no tension at all. They both fall in love with each other at first sight and as soon as Malachi makes a move on Bran, *poof* they are now boyfriends and everthing goes smothly, immediately.
I continued reading past that because I waited for the (hopefully) exiting story about Mal's accidents and I thought, okay maybe I understood the premis wrong. Maybe this is not supposed to be focused on the ups and downs of an asexual relationship but on a thriller-like plot. So I read a few chapters about how perfect their relationship is and finally something happens. But it just gets worse from this point. The story feels so constructed, so unnatural. I couldn't empathize with any of the characters enough to care what happend to them. I don't even want to know who wants to murder a college student. So I stopped.
TL;DR: Characters and story are boring, the writing feels flat and maybe I've had too high hopes for this book. They were crushed. I seriously regret spending money on this book.
I was so exited to have an asexual MC and a story about finding and navigating a relationship. I wanted to read about the ups and downs, the doubts, the discovering about what everyone is comfortable with...but there is none of that. They get together in (approximately) chapter three and before that, we have the one paragraph (that is also on the blurb) about Bran's doubts. That's it. There is no tension at all. They both fall in love with each other at first sight and as soon as Malachi makes a move on Bran, *poof* they are now boyfriends and everthing goes smothly, immediately.
I continued reading past that because I waited for the (hopefully) exiting story about Mal's accidents and I thought, okay maybe I understood the premis wrong. Maybe this is not supposed to be focused on the ups and downs of an asexual relationship but on a thriller-like plot. So I read a few chapters about how perfect their relationship is and finally something happens. But it just gets worse from this point. The story feels so constructed, so unnatural. I couldn't empathize with any of the characters enough to care what happend to them. I don't even want to know who wants to murder a college student. So I stopped.
TL;DR: Characters and story are boring, the writing feels flat and maybe I've had too high hopes for this book. They were crushed. I seriously regret spending money on this book.
frothy's review against another edition
4.0
Delighted to read a book with an asexual character. Seemed like a first book to me, but I kept reading, and grew attached to the characters. Writing a bit clumsy and amateurish - that is to say I was thrown a bit out of the story here and there by the clunky prose. I ended up being suced in anyway - although I picked up on who the baddie was very quickly...
By sheer luck, I finished the book the same day the sequel I didn't know about was released. Got it immediately.
Was a bit surprised that the editing process did not pick up on the author's references to each MC as a "young man" throughout the text. Seems to presuppose a readership who regards 20ish year old guys as "young men". Hmmmm.
By sheer luck, I finished the book the same day the sequel I didn't know about was released. Got it immediately.
Was a bit surprised that the editing process did not pick up on the author's references to each MC as a "young man" throughout the text. Seems to presuppose a readership who regards 20ish year old guys as "young men". Hmmmm.
toobendy's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
bookishtothebone's review against another edition
4.0
it was good...even though it was a little erotic
shelbanuadh's review against another edition
1.0
This book was garbage. I didn't like one single character, though I may have liked the attempted murderer if he wasn't so incompetent and had actually killed the MCs. For someone who spends the first few chapters whining about how no one would ever want to date him because he is ace and could never give them sex (which is what relationships are clearly all about), he goes on to participate in a whole slew of sexual activities in the short time he and Mal have been dating....at least 1/2 of it during the multitude of times Mal ends up in the hospital. I also found it funny that considering Bran and Mal respect each others feelings on sex, it irked me that Bran was like, "PDA makes my brother uncomfortable, so don't mind him and just keep grinding up on me and swallowing my face."
Not only is this just written poorly, it clearly wasn't overly well thought out. Mal was so in love with his deceased ex that he was going to propose to her; yet, he hadn't so much as seen a picture of her brother, that she was so very close to that it drove her brother to attempt homicide, so that when he popped into Mal's life, Mal didn't know who he was? Really? Not that that is actually addressed by the author....I mean, I guess he could have gotten a bunch of plastic surgery to disguise himself....
And Bran's whole coming-out scene to his brother bothered me too. First he says he isn't interested in dating (isn't that what he is doing with Malachi). Then he goes on to say asexuals don't feel sexual desire, which isn't really accurate, they don't feel asexual attraction, which I feel is different. He describes himself as a textbook ace....the asexual spectrum is so large that one can hardly call anyone a "textbook asexual". I feel like calling him a textbook misrepresent asexuals so much, and we already have enough of that going on as is.
This book just disappointed me on so many different levels. I'm glad I'm finally done it, as I'm done with it.
Not only is this just written poorly, it clearly wasn't overly well thought out. Mal was so in love with his deceased ex that he was going to propose to her; yet, he hadn't so much as seen a picture of her brother, that she was so very close to that it drove her brother to attempt homicide, so that when he popped into Mal's life, Mal didn't know who he was? Really? Not that that is actually addressed by the author....I mean, I guess he could have gotten a bunch of plastic surgery to disguise himself....
And Bran's whole coming-out scene to his brother bothered me too. First he says he isn't interested in dating (isn't that what he is doing with Malachi). Then he goes on to say asexuals don't feel sexual desire, which isn't really accurate, they don't feel asexual attraction, which I feel is different. He describes himself as a textbook ace....the asexual spectrum is so large that one can hardly call anyone a "textbook asexual". I feel like calling him a textbook misrepresent asexuals so much, and we already have enough of that going on as is.
This book just disappointed me on so many different levels. I'm glad I'm finally done it, as I'm done with it.
mindforbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Cute and sweet.
I really did enjoy this but it got a little repetitive in places (as in they spend about 80% of the book in and out of hospital) and Mal, who started out as this lovely sweet guy, started to grate on me by being a bit of a brat.
Bran and Mal are very lovely together and I like how their relationship worked. I will absolutely read the next book but I do get the feeling we've not seen the last of bratty Mal.
Thanks to my GR secret santa for gifting me this.
cheye13's review
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
This book can't decide between being a romance or a mystery/thriller so instead it fails spectacularly at both.
We're set up for a cute college/coffee shop romance, yet we never see the inside of a lecture hall and the romance is all wrapped up in a nice little bow – and three-months in – by the end of the first chapter. I'm a fan of an established relationship but this is apparently intentionally not that?
Past that breakneck intro, things seem to even out into a more typical – if contrived – mystery/thriller plotline, but this soon cycles into a glacial rinse and repeat: murder attempt, hospital, friends and family support and concern, tender couple moments. I hesitate to call any of the "reveals" twists, as we're somehow given both too much and not enough detail to integrate them into the story. There's also a wildly large supporting cast that could have been all one character and I wouldn't have noticed a difference.
I'm very proud of myself for finishing this book (although also a little guilty, since I knew I wouldn't like it), because for some reason it took me forever to read. The actual physical phrasing isn't too bad, it's not intentionally dry or bland, and even makes attempts at humor and grief and general emotion, but there was no foundation below that so I just didn't... care.
This is also just a huge disappointment for me as an asexual reader, because beyond it being just.. not good, I really disliked how it handled discussions of asexuality. I have no qualms with how Bran navigated his sexuality and being intimate with his partner – that's par for the course with asexuality, everyone is going to be their own specific blend of like and don't like, want to and don't. I also don't think every ace story needs to have a monologue explaining what asexuality is in nuanced and excrutiating detail; of course ace characters should have stories that aren't about being ace.
That being said, the explanation that was included was terribly clumsy and resolved way too fast. It also came off as incredibly unbelievable: a character who took the time (years, if I recall) to soul-search and come to terms with their asexuality is unfamiliar with aromanticism? And a pansexual character who has apparently never personally considered asexuality is giving his crush a crash course? But beyond that, the real crux of the matter is that this is – or at least, wants to be – a romance. An adult romance. With sex scenes. This is where an in-depth exploration of asexuality needed to be addressed, boundaries needed to be found and established. Especially as Bran's first relationship, it made no sense for him to simply declare what his boundaries were without having searched for them.
tl:dr; The first chapter could've been a cute af college/coffee shop romance that negotiated a romance between a sexual and asexual person and that's what I wanted to read when I picked this up. After adjusting my expectations, I was able to keep reading, but it just... did not improve.
We're set up for a cute college/coffee shop romance, yet we never see the inside of a lecture hall and the romance is all wrapped up in a nice little bow – and three-months in – by the end of the first chapter. I'm a fan of an established relationship but this is apparently intentionally not that?
Past that breakneck intro, things seem to even out into a more typical – if contrived – mystery/thriller plotline, but this soon cycles into a glacial rinse and repeat: murder attempt, hospital, friends and family support and concern, tender couple moments. I hesitate to call any of the "reveals" twists, as we're somehow given both too much and not enough detail to integrate them into the story. There's also a wildly large supporting cast that could have been all one character and I wouldn't have noticed a difference.
I'm very proud of myself for finishing this book (although also a little guilty, since I knew I wouldn't like it), because for some reason it took me forever to read. The actual physical phrasing isn't too bad, it's not intentionally dry or bland, and even makes attempts at humor and grief and general emotion, but there was no foundation below that so I just didn't... care.
This is also just a huge disappointment for me as an asexual reader, because beyond it being just.. not good, I really disliked how it handled discussions of asexuality. I have no qualms with how Bran navigated his sexuality and being intimate with his partner – that's par for the course with asexuality, everyone is going to be their own specific blend of like and don't like, want to and don't. I also don't think every ace story needs to have a monologue explaining what asexuality is in nuanced and excrutiating detail; of course ace characters should have stories that aren't about being ace.
That being said, the explanation that was included was terribly clumsy and resolved way too fast. It also came off as incredibly unbelievable: a character who took the time (years, if I recall) to soul-search and come to terms with their asexuality is unfamiliar with aromanticism? And a pansexual character who has apparently never personally considered asexuality is giving his crush a crash course? But beyond that, the real crux of the matter is that this is – or at least, wants to be – a romance. An adult romance. With sex scenes. This is where an in-depth exploration of asexuality needed to be addressed, boundaries needed to be found and established. Especially as Bran's first relationship, it made no sense for him to simply declare what his boundaries were without having searched for them.
tl:dr; The first chapter could've been a cute af college/coffee shop romance that negotiated a romance between a sexual and asexual person and that's what I wanted to read when I picked this up. After adjusting my expectations, I was able to keep reading, but it just... did not improve.