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rosieryel's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
this is the ideal contemporary romance novel to me it avoids so many of the things that often turn me off of the genre and creates such good characters and arcs that even when it does fall into some cliche tropes (the main romance is pretty instalove-y) it doesn’t bother me because it feels so much more real and integrated with a full story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual assault
daralexandria's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
seventhswan's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.25
I loved both of the main characters in this book. From their first introduction, Sara and Emilie felt extremely real and multifaceted, as did their family members (I also particularly liked Colette and Spencer, and think the exploration of sibling relationships throughout the book was strong). I also enjoyed the plot, once the first few chapters were out the way. I wish the story would have started with Sara and Emilie as adults, and delved into their backstories later on, rather than opening with lengthy infodumps about their traumatic childhoods. These were so dark, particularly in Sara's case, that the amount of detailed telling didn't match the rest of the story and had a Jacqueline Wilson-esque feel about them.
I'm glad I pushed through the opening chapters because I did like the rest of the story - I found the central romance enticing and believable, thought the setting really came to life, and was pleased by the ending, which was conclusive without being too neat. Unfortunately, I *hated* the writing style. I can't explain exactly what was so off-putting about it, and I suspect it's a matter of personal preference rather than anything technically wrong with it, but it has made me not want to read another of LaCour's novels despite enjoying the storyline.
I would recommend this book to fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid; it reminded me of Malibu Rising especially. If it weren't for the opening, this would be a fun summer-book-club style read.
I'm glad I pushed through the opening chapters because I did like the rest of the story - I found the central romance enticing and believable, thought the setting really came to life, and was pleased by the ending, which was conclusive without being too neat. Unfortunately, I *hated* the writing style. I can't explain exactly what was so off-putting about it, and I suspect it's a matter of personal preference rather than anything technically wrong with it, but it has made me not want to read another of LaCour's novels despite enjoying the storyline.
I would recommend this book to fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid; it reminded me of Malibu Rising especially. If it weren't for the opening, this would be a fun summer-book-club style read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Alcohol
madysen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
juliamakena's review against another edition
Disturbing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit
ameliesbookshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
The beginning of the book tackles many difficult and triggering topics, it was quite a lotsiobhanward's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
This was one of those books that definitely had potential but the execution just fell flat. The connection between the past and present-day plots felt really disjointed for most of the book, and I just didn't get the Emilie/Sara relationship. There was no build up, and in a book with so much background, insta-love made no sense. I just don't quite get what LaCour was going for with this one - it seemed like she had great ideas for her characters and then just kind of plopped them into a romance plot and hoped she could make it work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent
girasoleille's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
not bad overall, the story is just not my thing. i am starting to realize i just don't like contemporary settings with no fantastical or magical realism elements. also, extremely peeved that yerba buena was mentioned/alluded to all the time, it made it feel too much like the author was yelling HEY DID YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE HAHAHA
yeah not for me lol
yeah not for me lol
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Suicide
angiealexa27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
A read for the queer women! My only ugh about it is i wish there was more to the love story but i think the author did it on purpose, so i respect it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
emily98griffin's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Death of parent