wellreadmegs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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
This book had the makings of a beautiful Abby Jimenez book but there were a few things I just really couldn't get past while reading this one. First of all - Kristen was extremely annoying to me about halfway through the book. There's one thing about being stubborn and another just being an absolutely insufferable person - she was the latter. The back and forth between her and Josh was giving me whiplash and I felt the book could have been shorter if we just cut some of that out.
Also I didn't really like how they used the big twist at the end to move the plot along and a device to get Josh and Kristen back together. It really felt like Sloan got the shit end of the stick & it was unnecessary. I was hoping Josh and Kristen would have a more non-traditional ending and was slightly disappointed to find out they didn't. Everything wrapped up a little too nicely in the last 30 pages despite an absolute mess of a situation that was happening beforehand.
Looking forward to reading Book No. 2 but glad the author has grown from this one.
Also I didn't really like how they used the big twist at the end to move the plot along and a device to get Josh and Kristen back together. It really felt like Sloan got the shit end of the stick & it was unnecessary. I was hoping Josh and Kristen would have a more non-traditional ending and was slightly disappointed to find out they didn't. Everything wrapped up a little too nicely in the last 30 pages despite an absolute mess of a situation that was happening beforehand.
Looking forward to reading Book No. 2 but glad the author has grown from this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Medical trauma
Minor: Pregnancy and Miscarriage
lrector's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
Kristen and Josh's story is real. There are so many trigger warnings that come with this read, but it made the characters stand out to me. There are health issues, death, motor accident, and one horrible mother. There are also best friends and love and real talk. Not silly miscommunication but real relationship discussions.
I have not had the fertility issues, fibroid tumors, or debilitating periods that others fight. This may be a hard read for women with this battle or it may be nice to see those struggles acknowledged. Abby Jimenez handled it well. This read is not the typical rom-com and I liked it even more for it.
I have not had the fertility issues, fibroid tumors, or debilitating periods that others fight. This may be a hard read for women with this battle or it may be nice to see those struggles acknowledged. Abby Jimenez handled it well. This read is not the typical rom-com and I liked it even more for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Death
Moderate: Grief
syvanna's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
I loved the angst, the build up, the drama, and the unexpected emotion. Kristen’s infertility plot was handled sensitively and authentically. The miscommunication trope worked for the story, and added to the angst. I wish there had been a little more depth to Kristen’s “OCD” than just ‘I need it to be clean.’ I think that really could have added depth to her character, by exploring her insecurities as obsessions. I also think this could have added a lot to the conversation regarding her confusion between Tyler and Josh. Overall I really enjoyed the romance, and found the plot twist at the end to be an unexpected emotional journey that added a lot to the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Death
pondquinn's review against another edition
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Death, Chronic illness, Infertility, Medical content, and Car accident
Moderate: Mental illness
sarahflanders's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Car accident, Gore, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual content, Death, and Infertility
tarabeyer's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, and Infertility
megbert581's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I just kept getting annoyed at these characters. So much angst could have been avoided if they just TALKED to each other and stopped being a martyr for no reason. I kept saying UGH while reading this. Woman are so much more than their ability to have children; I wanted to see more of that in this book, but it felt like there was barely any progress in this line of thought throughout the story and was just the same thoughts over and over. I strongly disliked the ending . I also expected more growth from the main character throughout the book, it felt like she only had a smidge of progress and it was in the last few pages. Generally, I love any book Abby Jimenez writes, but this was a miss for me.
Spoiler
where she gets pregnant. It felt too easy and disregarded a bit of the struggle and growth the main character Kristen had gone through. I have not struggled with infertility, but if I was, I think I would have thrown the book across the room at that ending. Not everything works out like you want it to and I felt it would have been better with just Josh as her “happily ever after” and maybe they adopt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Infidelity
Emotional cheating, heteronormative, stereotypical gender rolesbetsymays's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Infertility
londibie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
1.0
This book should be ashamed of itself. How dare you not have CW at the beginning for death of a spouse. Brandon dies and it's unexpected and it wrecked me. I would NEVER have read this if I knew that was coming. Screw you Abby Jimenez!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Death
yankeegirl22's review against another edition
challenging
funny
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Infertility