Scan barcode
ashleycmms's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, and Cancer
Minor: Sexual harassment and Miscarriage
takarakei's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.5
This was veryyyyy long, longer than it needed to be. A lot of spice, as in frequency. It is dual pov but I felt it was a little off balance as we got mostly Sloane's POV and I would've liked to get more of Dominic. The ending was cute but just took too long to get there the middle dragged a lot.
5/5🌶️
5/5🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, Violence, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Car accident and Alcoholism
bookishplantmom's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was really disappointing so buckle up because I have thoughts. The book started out well and the premise was interesting. Two people with a complicated and conflict filled past start seeing each other romantically while trying to grapple with the death of someone they both loved very deeply. Ok fine, good. I am not a widow and can’t know how realistic the grief portrayed in the book actually was. For me, it felt like it took too much space in the story especially given that Sloan is apparently ready to get out there and date again. It felt like her internal conflict and constant referring to her husband as though he was still living and she was cheating on him was contradictory to me because it has been YEARS and she is trying to move on. Though grief can be that way, I’ve heard, so again maybe it’s realistic. My struggle with this aspect wasn’t so much that she was conflicted, it’s more that the conflict and her perspective on it never actually evolved or shifted in a meaningful and understandable way to me. It was as if there were two Sloans in the story and at no point did they connect really.Â
Dom’s grief was similar in that he was deep in his self loathing and we never really get to see him work through that. His secret pining for Sloan and his whole “I hate you” act for over a decade needed wayyyy more unpacking than what it got. He was an ASS to her for a DECADE and we’re just not going to talk about it?! Because…he was…secretly in love???!?! I needed to see more atoning for that for sure.Â
My other major difficulty with this book is that Dom’s authoritative/possessive tendencies while fun in some sexy instances were concerning in other moments especially after “the incident” happened that he had to help with (iykyk) I found the dubious consent between them so soon after what happened was not believable/ok given how the incident affected Sloan. Even though it was clear that she was into what Dom was doing it was icky to me. I also always feel annoyed when a book equates an STI conversation with “being clean” because it perpetuates stigma.Â
My next and biggest problem which really pulled me out of the story at about 60% and grated on me until the very end of the book was that the whole premise of this romance is based on miscommunication which continues nonstop and made me increasingly frustrated. I was so annoyed with their ridiculous refusal to have adult conversations left me unable to root for them at all. Because of this constant inability they had to just bffr with each other I basically hated them as a couple by the end of the book. And the fact that this same refusal to have mature conversations extended to the whole family?! I just… I enjoyed the book at the beginning but after the halfway point it was a steady decline until the bitter end. The one saving grace is that there is plenty of decent steam though even that got dull after a while. Idk I’m bummed this was not for me.Â
Dom’s grief was similar in that he was deep in his self loathing and we never really get to see him work through that. His secret pining for Sloan and his whole “I hate you” act for over a decade needed wayyyy more unpacking than what it got. He was an ASS to her for a DECADE and we’re just not going to talk about it?! Because…he was…secretly in love???!?! I needed to see more atoning for that for sure.Â
My other major difficulty with this book is that Dom’s authoritative/possessive tendencies while fun in some sexy instances were concerning in other moments especially after “the incident” happened that he had to help with (iykyk) I found the dubious consent between them so soon after what happened was not believable/ok given how the incident affected Sloan. Even though it was clear that she was into what Dom was doing it was icky to me. I also always feel annoyed when a book equates an STI conversation with “being clean” because it perpetuates stigma.Â
My next and biggest problem which really pulled me out of the story at about 60% and grated on me until the very end of the book was that the whole premise of this romance is based on miscommunication which continues nonstop and made me increasingly frustrated. I was so annoyed with their ridiculous refusal to have adult conversations left me unable to root for them at all. Because of this constant inability they had to just bffr with each other I basically hated them as a couple by the end of the book. And the fact that this same refusal to have mature conversations extended to the whole family?! I just… I enjoyed the book at the beginning but after the halfway point it was a steady decline until the bitter end. The one saving grace is that there is plenty of decent steam though even that got dull after a while. Idk I’m bummed this was not for me.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Alcoholism
arireadsitall's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
a beautiful story of love and loss that specifically celebrates black love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Child abuse, and Miscarriage
Minor: Car accident
sarafinley's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Alcoholism
Minor: Death and Suicidal thoughts
shaipanda's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
5.0
BRUHHH - omg this might literally be joining the list of some of my all time favorite romances like wtff this was so gooddd I love Sloane and Dom so fucking muchhhhÂ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent
btchqueen's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Car accident
deereadstoo'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
2 for 2! First I get Canon, my favorite grump, and now I get Dominic, my favorite possessive man?! Call me spoiled.Â
J L Seegars knows how to write a possessive man without making him verbally abusive that's for sure. As soon as the club scene happened, Dominic had me (and Sloane) wrapped around his finger like a bandaid. We follow this second chance romance through both Sloane and Dominic's lenses and even travel back to the past from time to time to get a glimpse of what exactly went on during those years when Dominic didn't have Sloane. Dominic took such great care of Sloane from beginning to end (minus the third act conflict *boooooo*). I loved watching their relationship develop and I loved that Sloane could hold her own with him but also swoon at all the sweet things he said to her (there were a lot and I swooned right along with her). I also appreciated his respect for her life with Eric and what that meant to her. That literally made me want to pull him from the pages and love him myself.Â
Now, I don't think I'm a fan of flashbacks (even if they are necessary to the movement of the plot which most of the time I feel they aren't); however, I feel like some of them were necessary to get an idea of why what happened happened. Others I felt we could've definitely been left without. Also, that third conflict...I was going to throw my iPad at the wall because why? Why must authors cause us frustration and angst and anxiety when this happens. It's always some form of miscommunication that can be easily avoided and I'm so over it. It was even weirder because the ending itself felt rushed. So many big steps immediately after such an intense conflict. Also, I wasn't super clear on Sloane's appearance (this is why we do self-inserts). I felt it was kind of vague when the author used the descriptor "bronze skin" because what even is that? If they are both Black, I wouldn't think the phrase "bronze skin" would be an accurate descriptor. This definitely had me a little confused but overall I loved the characters. Lauren Carson can go to the deepest parts of hell.Â
J L Seegars knows how to write a possessive man without making him verbally abusive that's for sure. As soon as the club scene happened, Dominic had me (and Sloane) wrapped around his finger like a bandaid. We follow this second chance romance through both Sloane and Dominic's lenses and even travel back to the past from time to time to get a glimpse of what exactly went on during those years when Dominic didn't have Sloane. Dominic took such great care of Sloane from beginning to end (minus the third act conflict *boooooo*). I loved watching their relationship develop and I loved that Sloane could hold her own with him but also swoon at all the sweet things he said to her (there were a lot and I swooned right along with her). I also appreciated his respect for her life with Eric and what that meant to her. That literally made me want to pull him from the pages and love him myself.Â
Now, I don't think I'm a fan of flashbacks (even if they are necessary to the movement of the plot which most of the time I feel they aren't); however, I feel like some of them were necessary to get an idea of why what happened happened. Others I felt we could've definitely been left without. Also, that third conflict...I was going to throw my iPad at the wall because why? Why must authors cause us frustration and angst and anxiety when this happens. It's always some form of miscommunication that can be easily avoided and I'm so over it. It was even weirder because the ending itself felt rushed. So many big steps immediately after such an intense conflict. Also, I wasn't super clear on Sloane's appearance (this is why we do self-inserts). I felt it was kind of vague when the author used the descriptor "bronze skin" because what even is that? If they are both Black, I wouldn't think the phrase "bronze skin" would be an accurate descriptor. This definitely had me a little confused but overall I loved the characters. Lauren Carson can go to the deepest parts of hell.Â
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage
sarahagna's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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: Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
twilmore's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Minor: Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting