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bekacrook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
It took time to build a clear picture of the events that occured in the very first chapter (prologue) but this was done well, it was drip fed to us so that we made the same assumptions as Evan. Some characters really grew, Ruth in particular around her confidence and self-belief, and some showed the beginnings of change like Mr Burne and Laura which felt honest and realistic - people don't change completely overnight after all.
Although some bits were difficult to read, I felt like the content was all handled well and respectfully while still being inkeeping with how the characters would speak about/handle different situations.
The epilogue was so well done, so realistic for the amount of time that had passed and again showed the progression of Ruth and Evan's relationship.
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Death of parent
nenaveenstra's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Ableism, Violence, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
30something_reads's review against another edition
- 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
She scowled. “Shut up.”
“Make me.”
Is this your love language? Then this book is for you.
Ruth Kabbah is autistic and the standoffish, loner/pariah of her small town. Evan Miller is new to town and her newest neighbor. Charmed by her prickly personality, he cannot help but bring her homemade meals every evening in a chance to get to know her a little better.
If there's three thing Talia's going to do, it's:
1. Give us an absolutely well-crafted, relatable MC (with some phenomenal disability rep)
2. Give that MC a love interest who is utterly irresistible, kind, and completely obsessed with them
3. Slip in some spine-tingling steamy moments that make you blush
*siiiiigghhhhhhh* I simply love them, your honor.
CW: ableism, racism, explicit sexual content, reference to sexual assault, toxic/abusive romantic relationship, slut-shaming, stalking, gaslighting, mentions of past death of a parent (cancer), terminal illness
Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cancer, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
megnut's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
Minor: Death of parent
emtees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Ruth is the town pariah. After her last (and only) relationship blew up spectacularly in front of her entire town, Ruth has retreated into her small apartment, where she makes a living publishing a successful webcomic and spends the rest of her time immersed in comic books and online fan culture. Her only regular contact is with her mother and sister, who are about the only people Ruth leaves home to see. And she is content with that. Ruth is autistic, and has built a life that works for her needs. But then she meets Evan, the do-gooder who moves in next door. Evan is a nurturer by nature - he’s dealt with his own tragic past by becoming the guy who steps up for any friend, neighbor or prickly acquaintance who needs it. When he discovers that Ruth subsists on microwave dinners, he insists on cooking for her. The proud Ruth agrees only if Evan will let her lend him a comic book. Pretty soon they are meeting up regularly for home-cooked meals and extensive discussions about the MCU. It’s Ruth’s ideal relationship - but there is always the threat that her reputation will push Evan away eventually.
Like I said, this book leans in heavily to the fantasy element of romance. Ruth is a hermit who dresses only in pajamas, has a blunt (some might say rude) way of addressing strangers, is rarely interested in talking about subjects beyond her special interests - and the hunky, sweet, good cook next door falls for her pretty much instantly. Hibbert does a good job with depicting the attraction between them, physical and otherwise, but she doesn’t waste too much time before getting into it. Once the relationship gets going, there are only two barriers for the couple to overcome before their happily ever after. One is the question of Ruth’s reputation, but Evan was such an obviously good guy that I never really worried that he would take issue with the things said around town about Ruth’s supposed promiscuity. The mystery of what really happened between Ruth and her ex is spooled out slowly and has a few twists I wasn’t expecting, though they were set up well, and I was more interested in finding out what it was all about than worried that Evan would react badly to the revelations. The other barrier comes from the characters’ own inner hang ups. Ruth has a lot of trauma from her past, and like many autistic people has had the experience of being told that she’s too much for others to deal with. So it was very satisfying to see her end up with a guy who was very willing to take her exactly as she was. I loved that while Ruth grew throughout the book and ended up happier and more confident in the end, the narrative didn’t force her to give up anything that worked for her, whether it was her unique fashion sense or her refusal to let anyone in her real life read her webcomic. Hibbert made it very clear that Ruth didn’t need to be “fixed” to find love and that was so nice to see.
There were other elements of the story I liked a lot. The secondary characters, especially Ruth’s family, were all very specific and carefully drawn, which made sense when I realized this is a series and some of them will probably get their own books. The only one who I might say was a little underdeveloped was Evan himself, but that’s part of the fantasy - Evan was pretty much perfect. The depiction of online nerd culture was fun and felt realistic. And the diversity was very natural and wasn’t underplayed - Ruth’s Blackness shaped her as much as her autism.
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
A main character is subject to some ableist bullying. There is an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship described in a character’s backstory.decameters's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Sexual assault
chronicacademia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
livreads16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
weelasswithabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
⭐ Friends to lovers
⭐ Cinnamon roll hero
⭐ Interracial romance
🌈 Black FMC
🌈 ASD representation
Oh. My. God. I absolutely adored this 😭 Cinnamon roll heroes and prickly heroines are like catnip. I couldn't get enough of this, genuinely.
This was just so wholesome to watch unfold, although the darker aspects came as a surprise. Ruth is recovering from an abusive relationship, which has led to struggles with trust and the ability to make herself vulnerable.
We see through her flashbacks, racial microaggressions and ableism from others, so people around her (aside from her sister and her mum) have had a hugely negative impact on her sense of self and her self esteem. This is slowly chipped away at throughout the course of the book and we see her defense mechanisms start to falter as she realises that she's actually managed to meet a good person who wants to spend time with her as a person, as opposed to just a potential sexual partner.
Evan is struggling with grief and trauma from his mum passing away, this manifests itself as him wanting to do everything for everyone else, and just being a pure and wholesome angel. We get to see the impact that palliative care can have on the loved ones of those in palliative care and how it can affect their future interpersonal relationships.
I was 100% invested in these two, adored them both. I loved the sisterly bond between Ruth and her sister, especially the protectiveness from her sister which doesn't veer onto controlling, but remains solidly at concern.
I genuinely believe, if you're looking for something sweet, with a sprinkling of spice, then this is 100% the book for you. As far as my experience goes up until this point, Talia Hibbert has never missed yet, so yeah, pick this up.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
jourdanicus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Stalking
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy