Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata

22 reviews

averyconfusedhomosapiensbooks's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad 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? No

3.0

The slowest of slow burns!

I hate to say this, because I love me a slow-burn romance, but it possibly could have been a little quicker. Near the three-quarter mark, it began to feel like we'd make romantic progress and then back track again and again. But it was still believable and enjoyable. All of the characters have such a great fleshed out back story that you can tell this was a loved book by Zapata. While I don't think that I loved Aurora as much as I was supposed to, it was because she acts like a real person. She's messy and sometimes a little too selfish, but so are a lot of people. And Amos and Rhodes's family situation? Gosh, I wish I had Zapata's skill. Wonderfully created and I will be looking out for other works of hers in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent and Pregnancy

Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

rainydaysinautumn's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

Slow pace hindered by author's cobstant repetition of the same idea multiple ways and by a "not a whole hell of a lot happens plotline" The first 4 or so pages was the repeating of "I am back home for a new start". I find that MZ's books need an editor like I need air to breathe. The 600 page tome could be cut down to maybe 400ish with proper editing. I read the HarperCollins edition so there was no real excuse for the spelling, grammar, and repition issues. I gave up as not a whole hell of a lot had happened but then got stuck in a 3 hour roadblock with just this book so finished it. Also Amos' messy paternity just felt unnecessary.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Death of parent

Moderate: Mental illness

2busyreading's review against another edition

slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Child abuse and Mental illness

kerrcas's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Not for me! This was recommended to me as an outdoorsy hiking romance, but I did not find that to be true. The narrator is terrified of outdoor activities, so the descriptions when the narrator went hiking focused on her struggle rather than the landscape or the experience. Overall, the plot was too slow-paced for me.

Also, the author did not handle mental illness appropriately. The MMC repeatedly references the idea that the FMC’s mother, who lived with depression, could not have chosen self-harm because the FMC was somehow “too good to leave”. This implies that people who die by suicide are making a conscious decision about the quality of their loved ones. It demonstrates the author’s lack of understanding of depression and suicide, despite the fact that she chose to include these themes in the book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

marisabenn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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? No

5.0

Love me a grumpy zaddy 🥰

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and Grief

Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent

Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

instalovewithbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I absolutely enjoyed it. These are the kind of romance books I'm craving now. I need romance and a HEA, but I want more tougher subjects. I also loooove the slow burn. I love smut, but having a romance book with the slow burn and just surrounded by everything else is perfect too. 

Highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Mental illness

garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition

emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This felt more like women's fiction than romance? There was a lot about the fmc's journey and the romance felt kind of secondary

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, and Medical content

Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, and Pregnancy

avery_hutchinson's review against another edition

emotional funny 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? Yes

4.75

This book had me literally annoyed when I had to put it down. The only reason that it is not 5⭐️ is because of the third act conflict, as it felt like a mildly stupid argument which did get resolved in a cute way. Very good main characters with strong backstories and motives, and side characters were very lovable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail

marianaribeiro's review against another edition

funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, and Death of parent

chelseazhao's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Mariana Zapata is really the Queen of Slowburn Romance, and I've missed reading her books.

I loved the characters that we got to follow in this book. Both Aurora and Rhodes felt like real people. And because of that, I still really enjoyed it even though the romance didn't feel as prevalent as I would have liked it. I did like that it felt realistic and you could see their feelings grow. 

However, this felt more like a plain contemporary story or a character study for at least two-thirds of the book.

I did really like the exploration of grief and unconventional families. 

But I think I just wish that I liked the conclusion more. It felt like it wrapped up too quickly.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Mental illness and Pregnancy