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amberinpieces'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? Yes
4.5
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
elarkysavin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Rape
Minor: Fatphobia
stayathomereader's review against another edition
- 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
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
hcgambrell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
callidoralblack's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
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
- 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
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide
Minor: Cancer
a_ab's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jackiepreston's review
- 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
Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Death of parent
eicart_reads's review
3.5
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.
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and War
aishoka's review
- 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
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Minor: Cancer, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent