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hlinds's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
the last two chapters? wow! how wonderfully chosen!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence
kaelynrae's review
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
5.0
really compelling story told from the perspective of two young women in their first lesbian relationship. includes a lot of complexities and nuance surrounding coming out, and family dynamics. poetically written snippets of time through both characters pov’s really kept me engaged. ending was intentionally confusing, as relationships tend to be
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
smleeth93's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism and Homophobia
Minor: Vomit
jcxjab's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
i read this book in one day. i really related to a lot of the themes here. taylor has a good voice in her writing.
i only wish that at the portions where there was overlap it had been omitted to avoid redundancy.
i thought ash and maya were really well written characters. i still am wondering is ash the girl maya saw on the train ?
anyway, this was one of the most accurate representations of coming to terms with sexuality and experiencing life with anxiety surrounding it. i related to both maya and ash in the sense that, it’s so scary to confront your own issues while being concerned about someone else’s.
i was sad when i saw they just didn’t work but that happens when you’re young and can’t confront problems.
this would’ve been a 5 if some of the overlapping writing didn’t feel repetitive. cant wait to read what else taylor puts out next x
i only wish that at the portions where there was overlap it had been omitted to avoid redundancy.
i thought ash and maya were really well written characters. i still am wondering is ash the girl maya saw on the train ?
anyway, this was one of the most accurate representations of coming to terms with sexuality and experiencing life with anxiety surrounding it. i related to both maya and ash in the sense that, it’s so scary to confront your own issues while being concerned about someone else’s.
this would’ve been a 5 if some of the overlapping writing didn’t feel repetitive. cant wait to read what else taylor puts out next x
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Lesbophobia
vivelelivre's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
kindra_demi's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The story has the potential to be a beautiful coming-of-age story about a WLW relationship and healing from the trauma of one's childhood, but it falls a bit flat. I wanted to like this story, and I think if it had more workshopping, I would. But I struggle with the story because it feels like it's not complete. I am usually fine with having this open-ended ending where it leaves you questioning what could come next for the characters, but this book felt like it just ended in the middle of the ending.
I struggled with a lot of the writing because it would at times feel like there was so much time dedicated to creating the atmosphere and describing details, but for a story so short, there's not the space for that kind of writing. It often made me just kinda gloss over parts of the ending because I wanted to connect more to the characters instead. Yet this character connection remained missing.
I definitely will keep following Clementine Taylor's work as I think there is so much potential.
I struggled with a lot of the writing because it would at times feel like there was so much time dedicated to creating the atmosphere and describing details, but for a story so short, there's not the space for that kind of writing. It often made me just kinda gloss over parts of the ending because I wanted to connect more to the characters instead. Yet this character connection remained missing.
I definitely will keep following Clementine Taylor's work as I think there is so much potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Blood
mothie_girlie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
As always thank you to publishers and Netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review. Please check TW!!
This review contains spoilers, please avoid parenthesis and asterisks if you want to avoid spoilers!!
This book gave me all the feels! I loved the relationship between Aisling and Maya and was rooting so hard for them to get together. The way their story is so real, especially for children of religiously abusive parents. The expression of trauma and grief and how it shows up in even the most wonderful of relationships if you don't take the time to heal was absolutely gorgeous. While not everything was handled the way I wish it would <spoiler >getting absolutely wasted in front of someone that has experienced abuse from an alcoholic is an awful thing for a person to do, partner or otherwise>/spoiler >
I did thoroughly enjoy this book, I would have absolutely rated it higher if it was properly handled. I will absolutely be looking forward to more from Clementine Taylor!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
jazzyjbox's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Aisling and Maya meet at college in Edinburgh and instantly feel a connection. However, Aisling is dealing with her abusive alcoholic mother, and Maya is trying to come to terms with her sexuality. But maybe they can work through things together.
The writing was overall lovely. I liked the way things were framed and the journey Aisling had to go on. But the relationship felt like a lot was told instead of shown, and the ending was abrupt and confusing. The last two chapters were set up in a way where you couldn't tell which POV it was from, and that was frustrating. It does feel like a realistic representation of a college relationship.
The writing was overall lovely. I liked the way things were framed and the journey Aisling had to go on. But the relationship felt like a lot was told instead of shown, and the ending was abrupt and confusing. The last two chapters were set up in a way where you couldn't tell which POV it was from, and that was frustrating. It does feel like a realistic representation of a college relationship.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
thecottoncandyunicorn's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
This is what I imagine a Sally Rooney novel would be like if I actually liked Sally Rooney. Seriously though, I really liked this book. It was beautifully written. The ending twist came a bit out of nowhere, but it in no way ruined the book for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
trussell12's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I absolutely loved this book! It was so hard to put down!! I fell in absolute love with the characters and really like the way in which they were written (especially Maya). The ending took me by surprise. I definitely was not prepared for the plot twist.
I’m thankful that I got approved by Net Galley to read this.
I’m thankful that I got approved by Net Galley to read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Alcoholism and Homophobia
Minor: Gaslighting