Scan barcode
sarahfrances52's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really have a love-hate relationship with this series of books. I think this has the bones of a really great romantic comedy book. Willa and Ryder are very well suited for each other and I enjoyed watching their playful relationship. However, I think the author could have done a much better job of showing instead of telling. Willa’s mistrust of men, Ryder’s stoicism, and their eventual reconciliation of those issues are things that we as the reader just had to accept as true without seeing or understanding the deeper motivations of the characters. I wish this book was longer if only to give the readers a clearer understanding of why Willa and Ryder take so long to get together. Both of them clearly have trauma, but skipping through that work to get to the sweet romantic end does the characters and their relationship a disservice. I would have been much more excited to see Willa find love with Ryder if I could understand why she was so distant and distrustful of men in the first place. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I will definitely continue on with this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent
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
karina_dreamsinwords's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
wildatheart1339's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Cursing, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Medical content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
khonake1's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.75
SO GOOD. This book had me laughing, crying, and squirming in my seat! I loved the banter and pranks between the characters early in the book, but then it was so nice to see how their feelings evolve over the school year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
emilygibbs's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief
errie's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism
abicaro17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I love love loved Ryder and Willa! Ryder is a former soccer star prospect who's career was cut short by a case of bacterial meningitis that caused him to lose his hearing. Willa is a current soccer star who's losing her mom to cancer and struggling to balance sports and school. When her and Ryder are paired up for a school project, frenemies become lovers. I adored the banter and jokes between them and this slow burn was nice and slow just like I like it!! My only issue was the communication. Not literally obviously because Ryder is deaf but emotionally. Willa and Ryder both refused to talk about anything real almost the whole book!! It was so frustrating to read and it kinda dampened the fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
bibliokayla's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
kristannereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent