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brokenlightdances's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, and War
amberinpieces's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ameliabee33's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.25
The tropes:
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Small, southern town romance
- Fat fmc
- Mental health rep
- Found family
- Winning the lottery??
This is an easy romance to pick up when you're looking for something that doesn't require a lot of brain power. There is romance, the grumpy x sunshine trope, finding oneself in a small town. What isn't to love?
This book leans VERY heavily on the grumpy x sunshine vibes coming from Rose and Angus. I mean, his name is literally Angus and he does home improvement. Rose has always had it rough - in life and in romance - but she remains good to her core, always looking for the best in herself and other people. Angus is a vet wanting to settle the scoreboard with life, needing to do good to make it a better place. But that doesn't mean he has to be smiling all the time. Obviously one thing leads to another and Angus and Rose have a tough start but end up not being able to fight their attraction for one another.
The relationship Angus has with Rose relies heavily on him being a sort of knight in shining armor. He thinks she is has money issues (because she doesn't tell him about her lottery money) and thay he has to protect her. He has to he the man who provides. Lots of kind of misogynistic/male way of thinking for a character that is meant to be progressive. He is CONSTANTLY inner monologuing about how she doesn't handle $$ well and how he can help and be the man and provide and god near the end it just got annoying. It was hard to see a lot of romance around that.
Rose was a character that had some good depth. She has sexual, relationship, and family trauma that all compounds when she wins the lottery. She becomes desirable for her money only. As I said, I feel like her character was the best fleshed out, there was a reason she was the way she was.
Overall u thought the romance and break up/make up was rushed and could have benefited from the two love interests actually getting to know one another. The conflict was all based on Angus thinking he had to be the provider and Rose - validly might I add - not telling anyone about her lottery $$. It was an easy read with a predictable plot, I just kind of wanted more from the romance which was the whole point of the book.
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Small, southern town romance
- Fat fmc
- Mental health rep
- Found family
- Winning the lottery??
This is an easy romance to pick up when you're looking for something that doesn't require a lot of brain power. There is romance, the grumpy x sunshine trope, finding oneself in a small town. What isn't to love?
This book leans VERY heavily on the grumpy x sunshine vibes coming from Rose and Angus. I mean, his name is literally Angus and he does home improvement. Rose has always had it rough - in life and in romance - but she remains good to her core, always looking for the best in herself and other people. Angus is a vet wanting to settle the scoreboard with life, needing to do good to make it a better place. But that doesn't mean he has to be smiling all the time. Obviously one thing leads to another and Angus and Rose have a tough start but end up not being able to fight their attraction for one another.
The relationship Angus has with Rose relies heavily on him being a sort of knight in shining armor. He thinks she is has money issues (because she doesn't tell him about her lottery money) and thay he has to protect her. He has to he the man who provides. Lots of kind of misogynistic/male way of thinking for a character that is meant to be progressive. He is CONSTANTLY inner monologuing about how she doesn't handle $$ well and how he can help and be the man and provide and god near the end it just got annoying. It was hard to see a lot of romance around that.
Rose was a character that had some good depth. She has sexual, relationship, and family trauma that all compounds when she wins the lottery. She becomes desirable for her money only. As I said, I feel like her character was the best fleshed out, there was a reason she was the way she was.
Overall u thought the romance and break up/make up was rushed and could have benefited from the two love interests actually getting to know one another. The conflict was all based on Angus thinking he had to be the provider and Rose - validly might I add - not telling anyone about her lottery $$. It was an easy read with a predictable plot, I just kind of wanted more from the romance which was the whole point of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and War
Minor: Death and Death of parent
rachminick's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.25
I am a sucker for anything set in Western North Carolina. The author captured the magic and character of a small town in Western NC perfectly, I can picture Galway as the town next door.
A book full of helpers and “salt of the earth” kinds of people. More of this!
MMC is a therapist - (and great great representation of the field) and FMC is finding herself after a windfall of money and a hard life up to that point.
The author doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, but weaves real-world problems into this fictional little town nicely.
The side characters make the story and setting a place I want to spend a little more time- please tell me we get to hear July’s story next!
A book full of helpers and “salt of the earth” kinds of people. More of this!
MMC is a therapist - (and great great representation of the field) and FMC is finding herself after a windfall of money and a hard life up to that point.
The author doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, but weaves real-world problems into this fictional little town nicely.
The side characters make the story and setting a place I want to spend a little more time- please tell me we get to hear July’s story next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
Sexual Assaultstayathomereader's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and War
callidoralblack's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
sariereads's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide
Minor: Cancer
a_ab's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
2 5*s. I was hoping to like this story more then I did. I did like the plus-sized heroine, although her character was handled with some "poster child" bluntness. But that is probably the best compliment I can give this book.
I didn't enjoy the writing — something about it kept annoying me — not a consistent problem, but a variety of small flaws which could and should have been better. There is too much telling, not showing, but I was also grateful for that when it came to the heroine's past and some other traumatic content.
I also kept wishing to see more of the side characters and to have them better developed at the expense of the main characters' repetitive scenes and internal monologues.
But the worst part of the book is the 'hero' — the guy has his head stuck neck-deep up his a**. He is self-centered, sexist, delusional, psychologically blind/illiterate despite having a graduate-level degree in the field (!), has a savior complex and (!) an inferiority complex, and insists that all relationships and interactions need to happen on his terms and his terms alone. Yes, most of his terms aren't terrible or ill intentioned, but his refusal to accept any alternatives even when his terms are harmful or full of s*** is bordering on bullying and abuse. He doesn't get the chewing out he deserves for his hurtful behavior, and he doesn't do nearly enough damage repair in the end. I wished better for the heroine.
I didn't enjoy the writing — something about it kept annoying me — not a consistent problem, but a variety of small flaws which could and should have been better. There is too much telling, not showing, but I was also grateful for that when it came to the heroine's past and some other traumatic content.
I also kept wishing to see more of the side characters and to have them better developed at the expense of the main characters' repetitive scenes and internal monologues.
But the worst part of the book is the 'hero' — the guy has his head stuck neck-deep up his a**. He is self-centered, sexist, delusional, psychologically blind/illiterate despite having a graduate-level degree in the field (!), has a savior complex and (!) an inferiority complex, and insists that all relationships and interactions need to happen on his terms and his terms alone. Yes, most of his terms aren't terrible or ill intentioned, but his refusal to accept any alternatives even when his terms are harmful or full of s*** is bordering on bullying and abuse. He doesn't get the chewing out he deserves for his hurtful behavior, and he doesn't do nearly enough damage repair in the end. I wished better for the heroine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jackiepreston's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Death of parent
eicart_reads's review
emotional
medium-paced
3.5
I enjoyed this love story between Rose and Angus. It was a fun, quick read that dealt with some really hard topics, so please mind the content warnings, especially around PTSD in military veterans.
Things that worked for me:
• grumpy/sunshine
• strangers to antagonists to lovers
• genuine conflict that was completely understandable from both perspectives
• Rose’s newfound friends in town
• the small town setting
• home renovations
Things that didn’t work for me:
• Angus’s hugeness was over-described. He’s a very tall, broad, large, imposing dude. We didn't need to hear that quite so often!
• Some of the times Rose was trying to help people by giving away money felt a little icky to me.
• It was very white and heteronormative, so I wish it had been more diverse.
I would recommend this for someone who wants a mostly light, straight, romance set in a lovely small town with lots of great friends and neighbors. I look forward to seeing more of the town and neighbors in future books.
Please note, this book includes of a lot of difficult things, including PTSD and suicide in military veterans, an only child caring for a terminally ill parent, poverty, bullying, severe fat-shaming. They all seemed to be handled well, from my perspective. Big caveat that I do not have experience in any of these specific situations, so I could be completely wrong on that.
I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review.
Things that worked for me:
• grumpy/sunshine
• strangers to antagonists to lovers
• genuine conflict that was completely understandable from both perspectives
• Rose’s newfound friends in town
• the small town setting
• home renovations
Things that didn’t work for me:
• Angus’s hugeness was over-described. He’s a very tall, broad, large, imposing dude. We didn't need to hear that quite so often!
• Some of the times Rose was trying to help people by giving away money felt a little icky to me.
• It was very white and heteronormative, so I wish it had been more diverse.
I would recommend this for someone who wants a mostly light, straight, romance set in a lovely small town with lots of great friends and neighbors. I look forward to seeing more of the town and neighbors in future books.
Please note, this book includes of a lot of difficult things, including PTSD and suicide in military veterans, an only child caring for a terminally ill parent, poverty, bullying, severe fat-shaming. They all seemed to be handled well, from my perspective. Big caveat that I do not have experience in any of these specific situations, so I could be completely wrong on that.
I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and War