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zadel's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Outing
reniareads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Death of parent
potion96's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
This book was everything I wanted it to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts
snapbea's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book began very slow and it was often difficult to get beyond the cheesiness, but It improved once actual conflict was introduced.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
sad
tense
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
4.25
Kiss me, Ilya wanted to say. Kiss me and hold me in front of all these people. Pull me onstage and do it. I don’t care anymore. Please. I’m dying. “Nothing,” Ilya said, and stepped away. “Nothing.”
This book cover, unfortunately, is not at all representative of how difficult some parts of this book were to read, particularly in the first half of the book. I was expecting to just have a tonne of fun as I did with the first part of Ilya and Shane's love story, but instead, I was greeted with depictions of untreated depression, undiagnosed (and not discussed) orthorexia, and Ilya's heartbreaking and under-appreciated sacrifices for Shane's sake. Many of the discussions in this book were so important, but I found them to be so mentally draining at times.
However, after slightly struggling through the first part of the book, I finally found myself sinking into the story and I couldn't stop reading it. Shane's behaviour in this sequel slightly disappointed me - he didn't quite feel like the same person at times and I thought he was really taking Ilya for granted - but he did get better throughout this novel. Ilya, on the other hand, has to be one of my favourite characters. I absolutely loved him because of how relatable he was to me. His emotions and actions felt very realistic and true to his character; I appreciated the depiction of his mental health struggles and how well he understood his own emotions, and my heart absolutely went out to him.
Overall, I think this was a really great book and it must be one of the best follow-ups to an enemies-to-lovers romance that I have ever read. It didn't feel like Reid was forcing any unnecessary conflict into the book, but there were still lots of high stakes and emotions throughout!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
cluckieduck's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Oh man, I am having a hard time reviewing this one because it is so obviously fan-service - filled with soooo much Rozander smut, but also touching on some really heavy issues surrounding depression, trauma, and stress which would have been better handled (I think) if there was more focus on the plot > porn. So, on the one hand I loved it - inject as much Ilya ❤ Shane content into my veins as possible, please. On the other hand, the writing felt a bit rushed with all the forced conflict to progress the story, which I felt was a disservice.
I loved how the story overlapped with some of the timeline in Role Model, especially surrounding a particular incident.
This go-round is very Ilya-centric and he does a lot of the heavy lifting plot-wise. A lot of the reviews shit on Shane, and yeah, he was a bit oblivious, but stress manifests differently in every one. Shane very obviously exhibited signs of disordered eating, but it was only brought up in a joking manner with an eye-roll at his expense. He also, IMO, showed signs of dissociation. Neither of these were really dealt/written about beyond the surface. Perhaps if he was given as much depth as Ilya was, maybe he could have been a bit more sympathetic of a character.
Before Ilya sought out his therapy, Shane directly asked him if he was ok, and that he would be there for him whether Ilya wanted to talk to him or not. Being in a relationship is hard enough (not even counting the fact that it's a secret one), but being in a relationship with a depressed partner presents it's own challenges. Especially when said partner keeps trying to push you away because they don't think they're good enough and deserving of happiness.
On a lighter note, there were so many cute moments in this one - I mean...Uncle Ilya & painting nails!?! Major swoon. And their talks about a future with children?? I just can't. I feel greedy in saying this, but I think they need another book (at least a novella) without any angst where they can just be settled, grounded, and happy in their relationship.
I have an idea about who the next book will be about (perhaps a certain Centaur rookie), so I look forward to seeing more of our past couples pop up in the future!
I loved how the story overlapped with some of the timeline in Role Model, especially surrounding a particular incident.
This go-round is very Ilya-centric and he does a lot of the heavy lifting plot-wise. A lot of the reviews shit on Shane, and yeah, he was a bit oblivious, but stress manifests differently in every one. Shane very obviously exhibited signs of disordered eating, but it was only brought up in a joking manner with an eye-roll at his expense. He also, IMO, showed signs of dissociation. Neither of these were really dealt/written about beyond the surface. Perhaps if he was given as much depth as Ilya was, maybe he could have been a bit more sympathetic of a character.
Before Ilya sought out his therapy, Shane directly asked him if he was ok, and that he would be there for him whether Ilya wanted to talk to him or not. Being in a relationship is hard enough (not even counting the fact that it's a secret one), but being in a relationship with a depressed partner presents it's own challenges. Especially when said partner keeps trying to push you away because they don't think they're good enough and deserving of happiness.
On a lighter note, there were so many cute moments in this one - I mean...Uncle Ilya & painting nails!?! Major swoon. And their talks about a future with children?? I just can't. I feel greedy in saying this, but I think they need another book (at least a novella) without any angst where they can just be settled, grounded, and happy in their relationship.
I have an idea about who the next book will be about (perhaps a certain Centaur rookie), so I look forward to seeing more of our past couples pop up in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Outing
Moderate: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
angelaocmon's review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Outing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
fraise's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Outing
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Suicide, and Alcohol
lithoerary_atria's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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
god these idiots are gonna make me cry so hard istg.
------------------------------------
god these idiots DID make me cry so hard istg.
ok get ready for this rambly review:
i was so so looking forward to a follow-up on ilya & shane's story because heated rivalry always felt a little incomplete to me and this DID NOT disappont.
ik this book is going to annoy some people who go into this expecting a cute romance but i genuinely like that all the grievances & misunderstandings between shane & ilya came out in this one. imo it's very realistic & i like that they had to work & talk through their issues to get together. and how it wasn't an overnight thing but a constant effort put into work by both of them.
i'm not a fan of the miscommunication trope but this is done VERY well here because the circumstances to create those misunderstandings seemed realistic. also ik many people are gonna get angry at shane (hell, i was too at times) but the book portrays both shane & ilya as so painfully human that it works & you can't help but root for them. i loved how these two characters have matured while still being in love and being absolute sappy idiots with each other.
He had to go to practice. He still felt tired. He always felt tired these days.
also, gonna get a big personal here. i've read plenty of books where the characters have depression and realistically, i KNOWW that depression is very different for different people. but i've NEVER EVER related this much about my experiences as much as i did with ilya — from feeling the bone-deep exhaustion to the frustration of having a downward spiral after having a few good moments — and it made me cry so fucking hard to see a character i care about go through something like this 'cause it's fucking awful.
Are you saying you think about, like—”
“No. Not really. I don’t know. I feel like I could think about it. Okay?”
He was frustrated about the loss, but it was more than that. He wanted to fucking disappear. He didn’t want his teammates to look at him, he didn’t want to talk to anyone. He was exhausted and he couldn’t remember what it felt like to not be exhausted.
He was worried the good vibes would end as soon as he was alone.
istg my notes are just filled with 'i relate to this so much it hurts' and just keysmashes from mushy feelings over how in love shane & ilya are.
this might actually be my favourite book of the series simply because of how particular issues were handled. and if the ending is too sappy or unrealistic, well, fuck it, who cares? queer people deserve to have an escape too and i'm so glad this book exists for that.
------------------------------------
god these idiots DID make me cry so hard istg.
ok get ready for this rambly review:
i was so so looking forward to a follow-up on ilya & shane's story because heated rivalry always felt a little incomplete to me and this DID NOT disappont.
ik this book is going to annoy some people who go into this expecting a cute romance but i genuinely like that all the grievances & misunderstandings between shane & ilya came out in this one. imo it's very realistic & i like that they had to work & talk through their issues to get together. and how it wasn't an overnight thing but a constant effort put into work by both of them.
i'm not a fan of the miscommunication trope but this is done VERY well here because the circumstances to create those misunderstandings seemed realistic. also ik many people are gonna get angry at shane (hell, i was too at times) but the book portrays both shane & ilya as so painfully human that it works & you can't help but root for them. i loved how these two characters have matured while still being in love and being absolute sappy idiots with each other.
He had to go to practice. He still felt tired. He always felt tired these days.
also, gonna get a big personal here. i've read plenty of books where the characters have depression and realistically, i KNOWW that depression is very different for different people. but i've NEVER EVER related this much about my experiences as much as i did with ilya — from feeling the bone-deep exhaustion to the frustration of having a downward spiral after having a few good moments — and it made me cry so fucking hard to see a character i care about go through something like this 'cause it's fucking awful.
Are you saying you think about, like—”
“No. Not really. I don’t know. I feel like I could think about it. Okay?”
He was frustrated about the loss, but it was more than that. He wanted to fucking disappear. He didn’t want his teammates to look at him, he didn’t want to talk to anyone. He was exhausted and he couldn’t remember what it felt like to not be exhausted.
He was worried the good vibes would end as soon as he was alone.
istg my notes are just filled with 'i relate to this so much it hurts' and just keysmashes from mushy feelings over how in love shane & ilya are.
this might actually be my favourite book of the series simply because of how particular issues were handled. and if the ending is too sappy or unrealistic, well, fuck it, who cares? queer people deserve to have an escape too and i'm so glad this book exists for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
kharlan3's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Outing
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Mental illness
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Dementia, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
there is a