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bookedwithbonnie's review
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Death of parent
samnreader's review
3.5
The surrounding friends are interesting, but other than an exception or two are not fully fleshed other than to support the principals. This is what I found most disappointing, they seemed to be a means to an end for the couple, highly centered on everything having to do with them and not just smaller characters that support the overall story.
So while there is some great stuff here, the bones still felt a little underdeveloped. It's forced proximity with a whole cast, but they aren't really that interesting in their own right. The romance did it's job, for sure, but the rest was filler and a lot of the filler was rough and expositional. This is why I liked when the author wrote from Henry's point of view. He often had to show, because of his anxiety and tendency to freeze with new people and his overall reticence. Other chapters held details but they weren't feeling details always-they were often telling details.
I will say I also enjoyed Lanza's dialogue though. It was a pleasant surprise and why I kept reading after the initial pages-that's where the book seems to hit its stride. It also had good exploration of severe endometriosis, but I hope readers go into this with awareness of the chronic health, mental health and other possible triggers. While it read pretty lighthearted overall, it did get gritty from a few angles.
I recommend this with reservations (and with full content warning awareness), and I'd rate it between a 3&4. It mostly appealed to me for the unique composer spin and a couple of subplot threads that I thought were handled deftly.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse
bookswithca'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Infertility, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Medical content, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity and Child abuse
katebrownreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gaslighting, Ableism, Chronic illness, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Child abuse