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teeclecticreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
CW: endometriosis, dismissive doctors, chronic illness symptoms, injury, blood
Thank you so much to BookFunnel and Torie Jean for trusting me with an eARC of this beautiful piece of work.
The first and most important thing to note is that while it was so difficult to see Aurelie be dismissed and gaslit by her doctors and bear the symptoms of her undiagnosed endometriosis alone, it’s a super important conversation to be had and Torie, being an own voices writer, portrayed this perfectly.
As a chronically ill person, I know all too well that this is unfortunately very common across our community. Please, you know your body best and no degree can overshadow the experience you’ve had in it. If something feels wrong and you aren’t being listened to, get a second (or third or fourth or…) opinion. Early detection could save your life.
I really enjoyed the writing style. The dual POV was great and having both Aurelie and Jack get a couple chapters before switching really helped me connect to them better. It was also laced with funny banter and references to old romance films and literature. Very sweet.
Aurelie’s character was complex. It made me so sad to see her so dismissive of herself and insecure, but of course I couldn’t blame her given the reasons presented. Still, she was beautiful, strong, and had a great sense of humour despite it all.
Jack was complex too. He was also dealing with grief but in a completely different way, but remaining kind and compassionate to the people who mattered. Also can we talk about romantic??? Oh my gosh. New book boyfriend for sure.
The oooonnllyyy thing that doesn’t make this 5 stars is the lack of communication oh my goosshhh. It drove me crazy! They’re both feeling things but both too afraid to say things out loud and assuming things about the other that are sooooo far from the actual truth. Waaaaay too in their heads and I just wanted to scream “TALK IT OUT ALREADY!!”
Dukes and Dekes comes out on November 7 and I would 1000% recommend you all read it. Especially my able-bodied people. It gives you just a glimpse into how painful, ridiculous and hard that being chronically ill can
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
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