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sarahsbookstacks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
This book let me down! While there were some elements I did enjoy, overall I did not love.
I struggled to find the premise believable and I found Sadie to be way too cartoony and dynamic at all. Also didn’t appreciate the fatphobia miscommunication phone call thing. Even though Joe wasn’t talking about a person, the implication alone kinda sucked and the plot point could have been made in other ways that didn’t include harmful rhetoric like that. I also cannot believe that her love interest who is actually her vet too would be so ok with her not feeding her dog actual dog food. That was so weird.
Also, as a Houstonian, there’s no way anyone would survive living in a shack on a rooftop…. I can’t with that!!
That said, I did appreciate learning more about face blindness. I also liked how Sadie figured things out with her Dad and stepmom, and the progress she made in therapy. The stepsister plot line didn’t seem necessary to me, I don’t really understand the point of Parker’s character at all. Brb while I try to find a recipe for the coconut bread though!!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an early copy
I struggled to find the premise believable and I found Sadie to be way too cartoony and dynamic at all. Also didn’t appreciate the fatphobia miscommunication phone call thing. Even though Joe wasn’t talking about a person, the implication alone kinda sucked and the plot point could have been made in other ways that didn’t include harmful rhetoric like that. I also cannot believe that her love interest who is actually her vet too would be so ok with her not feeding her dog actual dog food. That was so weird.
Also, as a Houstonian, there’s no way anyone would survive living in a shack on a rooftop…. I can’t with that!!
That said, I did appreciate learning more about face blindness. I also liked how Sadie figured things out with her Dad and stepmom, and the progress she made in therapy. The stepsister plot line didn’t seem necessary to me, I don’t really understand the point of Parker’s character at all. Brb while I try to find a recipe for the coconut bread though!!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an early copy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Medical content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Fatphobia and Gaslighting
dixiecarroll's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.25
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review. This was a solid 3-3.5 read. I’ll start by saying that I will still recommend and with it only taking me a few hours, I think it will be a favorite for many. I really loved The Bodyguard and was expecting something similar, but this was a bit too much of a highly unbelievable teenage fantasy for me.
Let me explain… a woman experiences a very rare brain disorder causing face blindness - that’s not the part I found unbelievable - I found this interesting and refreshing (if not similar to several hallmark movies). The part I found unbelievable and teenage was that she actually has an evil stepsister who supposedly framed her for wild suicide-inducing bullying getting her kicked out of school and shipped away to boarding school… and then that evil stepsister follows her around and continues to make her life miserable (yes she moves into the building she lives in and purposely fucks with her since she can’t recognize her). Anyway that part of the story is forgettable to me so I don’t feel bad sharing it now - she gets her moment at the end with her bully being publicly shamed.
I literally think that entire plot should be removed as it was so insane to read. The high stakes of the main plot are more interesting and very twisty in their own way!
Ultimately a 4 star read, but pushed down to 3 stars because of that insane stepsister. The romance was fun and the facial blindness was very interesting - those parts were very compelling!
Let me explain… a woman experiences a very rare brain disorder causing face blindness - that’s not the part I found unbelievable - I found this interesting and refreshing (if not similar to several hallmark movies). The part I found unbelievable and teenage was that she actually has an evil stepsister who supposedly framed her for wild suicide-inducing bullying getting her kicked out of school and shipped away to boarding school… and then that evil stepsister follows her around and continues to make her life miserable (yes she moves into the building she lives in and purposely fucks with her since she can’t recognize her). Anyway that part of the story is forgettable to me so I don’t feel bad sharing it now - she gets her moment at the end with her bully being publicly shamed.
I literally think that entire plot should be removed as it was so insane to read. The high stakes of the main plot are more interesting and very twisty in their own way!
Ultimately a 4 star read, but pushed down to 3 stars because of that insane stepsister. The romance was fun and the facial blindness was very interesting - those parts were very compelling!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
cc_shelflove's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Oh my gosh. OH MY GOSH! When I tell you that I had ZERO expectations for this novel, that is the truth. Center’s last book, The Bodyguard, was straight trash. We’re just gonna pretend that book isn’t in her catalog, because this book… THIS BOOK!!!!! Wow. I noticed quite a few plot holes throughout but the ending was magnificently glorious. I really did not see it coming at all. This is not a story of strong relationships with others but rather the fact that your relationship with yourself should always come first. Once you reflect, and maybe even start to ask for a little help, things will always get better. I read this early, and I can’t wait for its release so I can talk about it with everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia