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kenna92005's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I’ve honestly debated the star ratings because I was so back and forth. I think I’m finally settling on a 2.5 rating.
I’ll start with the things I did like. I enjoyed how there was representation of a minority group in this book (and a minority group that is not typically included). I liked the characters (except Sydney) I enjoyed the musical aspect and I enjoyed the character interactions.
Things I wish there were more of: I wish Brennan had played a more prominent role. I wish we had actually been able to read his first encounter with Sydney. I just feel like he had a lot to contribute. I also wish there were more interactions amongst the roommates and not just Sydney and Ridge. I think Bridgette could’ve been more fun and I think it would’ve been cool to see her fleshed out more.
What I did not like: Sydney. She was so emotional. Some of it was understandable, but she cried way too much. I get that there are people out there that cry at everything, but it got to the point where if the paragraph read tears welling up or sliding down her cheeks I just skimmed it or skipped it. I was so tired of reading about her crying. Maybe that makes me sound heartless, but she was just too emotional for me. I also didn’t really like how fast their attraction grew. I feel like there should’ve been more build up and getting to them one another.
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
tbrnichols's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
These people... Suck? Honestly entirely unclear why I would want them to be happy or together. Why are they friends with Warren when he seems to have no redeeming qualities (it's constantly mentioned that he has a job but refuses to pay rent, he exclusively treats women as sex objects, he has no sense of boundaries)? Why are they all regularly casually transphobic? Why can't anyone handle their feelings without resorting to physical violence or property destruction? Why is she so into him speaking out loud? I think I would have felt a lot more comfortable with the non-Deaf person being the one going outside their comfort zone to communicate, rather than her being extremely into him having to confront his childhood trauma to communicate with her. Like not saying he can't grow and overcome it, but it didn't feel like he had much of a choice since she hadn't learned ASL at all. The only personal growth either of them seem to do at all is Ridge realizing that basing a relationship off of a year of pining and fantasy is not great. But never does he seem to address his ability to fall in love with a girl when he's already partnered. Shouldn't he address that with Sydney before they sleep together if he's not going to be able to be monogamous? And I didn't really feel like Sydney did any personal growth whatsoever. Even with Maggie's understanding attitude, they still ended a relationship that seemed plausible to be a forever situation and that felt really unfair to her. (But she also sucks like why does she parade Sydney around in her underwear when she's blackout drunk at a party??)
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexism, Transphobia, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Dementia
mollydollydoodah's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
4.25
This book was really interesting. I loved the deaf perspective of the whole thing, as it’s not something I’ve really read about before. I thought that the way they fell in love was also very interesting, seeing as the situation they found themselves in was not an ideal romantic scenario. It was cool to see how honest they were to each other about their feelings, because most conflicts in romance novels come from not voicing their feelings, and this did a good job of breaking that mold. I enjoyed it, but it was kind of hard for me with the lyrics and everything because I’m such a not musical kind of person, but the book was good!
Moderate: Drug abuse and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content