Scan barcode
idesofjaim'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? Yes
3.75
Ashna and Rico have such complicated backstories, and I think the addition of chapters about Ashna’s mom really lends to a successful story. I am not as intimately familiar with Persuasion as I am P&P, but I would say this is a very loose retelling from what I do know. If you’re going into this wanting a true Persuasion retelling, you may leave disappointed.
Where I knock this one down is, from what I’ve seen, I feel like this series has been marketed as chicklit/romcom? And I could not disagree more, especially with this book. This one is H E A V Y. It deals with some very, very difficult themes, and while I found Dev to have written a good book here, this is not a light beach read. Definitely review trigger warnings before picking this one up.
Graphic: Addiction and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Minor: Car accident
mizz_destiny'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Abortion
gillenwaaah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Rape, and Death of parent
thaliareads'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? Yes
5.0
I loved the idea of the celebrity and pro cooking contest and I enjoyed seeing Ashna work through the trauma she's grown into with the death of her father and the absence of her mother.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
This book does have a very high amount of content warnings. Ashna's mother has had a very hard life dealing with bigotry, classism, and sexism from her father first and then the man she was forced to marry. He was emotionally abusive as well as physically abusive leading to domestic abuse and even marital rape. Ashna's father struggled with alcoholism his entire life and eventually that compounded and led to his eventual suicide leaving Ashna feeling the grief of the loss as well as the blame for not being able to prevent it, leading to the panic attacks she sometimes suffers when trying to cook. There are some mentions and discussions of how Rico lost his parents in a car accident when he was young.harperhoney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
jessjess125'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Rape
the_wistful_word_witch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You don't see a ton of Ashna in the first book, so I was glad to get this deeper look at her life as a Raje cousin determined to save her father's failing restaurant while avoiding her estranged mother. So determined in fact that she makes the wild decision to participate in a reality TV show about cooking.
Which is where her old flame, Rico, comes into play. He's still not over Ashna, and it's clear she's still not over him. But life red-carded them. And they were both so young and so scared to share their secrets that they let those fears rip them apart and send them down completely unexpected paths. But now, he's stepping off the pitch and back into Ashna's life.
I also loved getting peeks into Ashna's and her mother Shoban's pasts, despite how tragic it all was. There are more secrets there, which just reinforces the message about open, honest, clear communication from the first book. Their estrangement really tugged on my heart strings as I am going though something similar, although for vastly different reasons. It helped me connect with Ashna even more.
Of course, my heart melted at the happily-ever-after ending, my tears of sorrow turning to tears of joy. This series just keeps getting better and better...
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
hngisreading'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Car accident and Abandonment
Minor: Abortion
jessiemenk'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? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
thosemedalingkids's review against another edition
2.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism