Scan barcode
proudtobeabookaholic's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Willa Sutter is a soccer star at college and used to getting notes from the lectures she misses when she's away for games. But one professor tells her that Ryder Bergman has his notes and that she should ask him for them. When Willa tries to talk to this flannel-wearing neanderthal he completely ignores her. Ryder doesn't understand why Willa seems to hate his guts and they both get chocked when the professor pairs them together on a school project for the rest of the semester.
This is a frenemies-to-lovers, where both are stubborn and enjoy teasing each other; their banter is pure gold! Willa also has a short fuse, which sometimes leads to awkward moments. There's a clear s*xual attraction between them from the start, but neither are interested in a relationship. Willa's got her soccer career to think about, as well as a very sick mom. Ryder became deaf 2 years ago and hasn't spoken out loud since then; he only communicates by texts. I like how Liese depicts Ryder's hearing impairment, what obstacles he faces and how it has made him avoid interactions with most people. I haven't read that many books with a deaf main character and I appriciate to get that perspective.
Ryder's got a Swedish mom and the classic Swedish meatballs appear more than once. Since the narrators are American the few Swedish words that are tucked in sound very off (to a Swede like me), but that's really my only complaint and I can't blame the narrators for that!
This is a frenemies-to-lovers, where both are stubborn and enjoy teasing each other; their banter is pure gold! Willa also has a short fuse, which sometimes leads to awkward moments. There's a clear s*xual attraction between them from the start, but neither are interested in a relationship. Willa's got her soccer career to think about, as well as a very sick mom. Ryder became deaf 2 years ago and hasn't spoken out loud since then; he only communicates by texts. I like how Liese depicts Ryder's hearing impairment, what obstacles he faces and how it has made him avoid interactions with most people. I haven't read that many books with a deaf main character and I appriciate to get that perspective.
Ryder's got a Swedish mom and the classic Swedish meatballs appear more than once. Since the narrators are American the few Swedish words that are tucked in sound very off (to a Swede like me), but that's really my only complaint and I can't blame the narrators for that!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness
levilore_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
I really enjoyed this story and loved the way this author explored disability along with grief. The characters were awesome and the complexity of relationships were explored really well.
In particular, the fact that Ryder had such complex feelings about being deaf and that the author explored the different ways he communicates was really cool. I was worriedwhen he started speaking that it would erase his other forms of communication, but I loved that he still used sign language and that throughout the book characters asked him about whether speaking or texting was better. The scene when he speaks again made me cry, along with when he first heard Willa's voice and she first hears his. I liked that despite being a hearing character, Willa had a similar reaction to hearing Ryder's voice for the first time.
I thought the author dealt with grief, trauma, and death in a beautiful way, especially the idea of gaining and losing family.
The only issues I had were that it kinda dragged on in the middle, beating you over the head with the Pride and Prejudice stuff (I say as a P + P lover) and sometimes the phrasing made me roll my eyes. Although overall, it was a really good story and I'm excited to read the rest of the story.
In particular, the fact that Ryder had such complex feelings about being deaf and that the author explored the different ways he communicates was really cool. I was worried
I thought the author dealt with grief, trauma, and death in a beautiful way, especially the idea of gaining and losing family.
The only issues I had were that it kinda dragged on in the middle, beating you over the head with the Pride and Prejudice stuff (I say as a P + P lover) and sometimes the phrasing made me roll my eyes. Although overall, it was a really good story and I'm excited to read the rest of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pedophilia, Sexism, Violence, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
hjb_128's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexism
nglidk's review
3.0
Negative points for this turning into a Christmas book boooo 🍅🍅🍅
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
cheerful_bursts's review
3.25
Started off as a 5 but half way through it felt too forced. Overall a fun read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
one of the main characters is newly deaf and the book includes a lot of his journey in copingsringdahl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Mental illness, and Death of parent
decklededgess's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
trigger warning: audism, meningitis leading to loss of hearing/deafness, cancer, death of parent, sexual content, alcohol, sexual content
This was such a spectacular start to the series. It's one of the few genuine hate to love/enemies to lovers I've read that has actually pulled off a short "enemies" period without compromising the trope at all.
Willa and Ryder were such spectacular leads. I loved the learning curve for both of them as they start to like each other as people but are still so confused that they're on the verge of murder every time they have a conversation. It's chefs kiss.
Aiden's meddling ass got a great intro here too because I was ready to kill him. It sets him up really well for the third book because Aiden and Freya's marriage problems bleed through a bit here too.
LOVEEEEE
This was such a spectacular start to the series. It's one of the few genuine hate to love/enemies to lovers I've read that has actually pulled off a short "enemies" period without compromising the trope at all.
Willa and Ryder were such spectacular leads. I loved the learning curve for both of them as they start to like each other as people but are still so confused that they're on the verge of murder every time they have a conversation. It's chefs kiss.
Aiden's meddling ass got a great intro here too because I was ready to kill him. It sets him up really well for the third book because Aiden and Freya's marriage problems bleed through a bit here too.
LOVEEEEE
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
More...