Scan barcode
thesawyerbean'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
4.25
Am I a convert to the romance genre? Maybe so. This was so fun, flirty, steamy, tense and heart-warming. It was compulsively readable: reading it on my commute was a dangerous game, I simply didn’t want to get off at my stop so I could keep reading.
It was pretty predictable in many parts, but frankly it doesn’t matter. It was such an enjoyable read, and I got goosebumps at the end which very rarely happens when I read. Even amongst the overall humorous tone of the novel, there were moments of sheer beauty. The later emails between Henry and Alex were stunning and poetic, bursting with metaphors and emotion.
Highly highly recommend this!
If Henry’s voice on the phone was a tether, his body is the gravity that makes it possible, his hand gripping the back of Alex’s neck a magnetic force, a permanent compass north.
Graphic: Biphobia, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Outing, and Alcohol
lunep'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
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Biphobia, Genocide, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation
luluslittlelibrary'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
3.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Outing, and Alcohol
crystallis'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? No
4.0
I had heard incredible things of this book and after I finished it I shared most of them.
Alex and Henry are amazing, their relationship is gorgeous and I loved every detail about them.
The rivals to lovers trope is one of the best and most underrated tropes out there.
The way they had such a high mutual respect (when they weren’t even friends) despite everything they disliked about each other talks worlds about how wholesome their relationship is.
Also their chemistry is wonderful.
All the other characters are very good and entertaining.
The pacing is great and the characters are quite rational with their decisions.
However, I think there are a bit too much politic talk around this book. The author clearly has a strong political point of view (which is completely fine and deserves to be respected) but I think it really demonizes the Republicans and tries to get the readers to believe that the democrats are the best people in the world. I think that bringing such confusing and complicated themes to a contemporary romance book is not needed.
And I know what you’re all thinking right now:
“oh, you really thought there was not going to be a political conversation in this book?, what were you expecting?”
I was expecting the author to use politics as an mean to an end (the start of this relationship) not to use this whole book to make a point about politics.
Besides all of this I’m really excited to read more about this author.
Read you all later.
Graphic: Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
drp_moonlight'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? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Cancer, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
readandfindout's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 4.5 stars
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Xenophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Stalking, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation