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kimschouwenaar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
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
I devoured this book, finished it within 48 hours. And I am a slow reader.
Oh my god. Oh my god, y'all.
Oh my god. Oh my god, y'all.
You gotta smell him and then tell me why it’s all candy canes and pinecones and epic and awesome.
I never thought TJ Klune would succeed in ripping out my heart and shredding it entirely. Alas, here we are. As a slow reader, I usually take my time to get through books, especially when they're a little chunky (yes, this is 'only' about 450 pages long, but it's longer than books I normally read). However, that wasn't the case with this book. I sprinted through this, couldn't put it down, didn't WANT to put it down (because 'you always have a choice'). It has been a long time since I stayed up until 3 am to read. I think the last book that kept me up all night was The Foxhole Court, which is now one of the books I reread every year. Because, fuck. This book doesn't consist of words, it's predominantly made up of characters, pain, and a rollercoaster of emotions.
People could be cruel. They could be beautiful, but they could be cruel too.
At least the first half of the book is what you read in the synopsis: we briefly follow Ox through his childhood when his father leaves, but it quickly moves on to his teenage years and his first meeting with Joe. Joe, the little tornado. Joe. Ox meets the rest of the Bennett family, befriends them, becomes their family, becomes part of their pack, becomes their pack. Until murder comes to town and three remain.
Sometimes I walked in the woods. Things were clearer there. The trees swayed in the breeze. Birds told me stories. They didn’t judge me.
Klune doesn't take the time to wholly explain the setting, making this a timeless book. He glosses over descriptions of buildings, surroundings, characters. And yet, I saw Greek Creek, Oregon as if I've lived there my entire life. I'm not going to lie, his writing style took some time to get used to. It's a lot of dialogue, and you need to stay focused or risk losing track of who's saying what. But it works because that's who the narrator is. That's who Ox is. He sees the world through his own unique lense, and Klune is a master at depicting that lense through his writing.
On top of that, Ox is hilarious. I had to stop reading the book several times, because I was on public transport and I could not risk bursting out laughing. And then I was reading at night and had to stop reading to I didn't wake up the rest of my family. I was dying. And it's not just Ox. It's Carter, Kelly, Joe, Elizabeth, Thomas, Mark, Gordo, Ox's mum, and everyone at the garage Ox works at.
But hearts are a funny thing; they beat strongly in our chests, even though they can shatter at the slightest pressure.
And then comes the heartbreak. The waiting, and the pining, and the years of trying to work your way through loss. It took me out. I was sobbing.
I think the only criticism I have is the use of the word 'retard'; although it was used in a memory Ox has of when his father calls him that. Kind of. And it took some time getting used to the age gap, but it's only 5/6 years and nothing explicit happens until both of them are adults.
So, yeah. This is easily one of my favourite reads of 2023, and it has been added to my all-time-favourites shelf. It's a romance, yes, but it's also so much more. It's grief, it's family, it's loyalty, it's friendship, and it's love that transcends that on the romantic plain.
That was fine. That was okay. Because we were the goddamn Bennett pack. And our song would always be heard.
If you have come this far, I am very much looking for more book friends! You can find me on:
IG: kimschouwenaar
TT: _kimschouwenaar
Goodreads: Kim Schouwenaar
I am also in the midst of creating an IG account specifically for my reading, writing and art journey, which you will be able to find under the username @shelvesofsanity! And I'm obviously on here, so feel free to send me a friend request! (:
- kim <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death of parent, Gore, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, and Abandonment
Minor: Cursing
thoseoldcrows23's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
4.0
I have never in my life read a book that feels so much like fanfiction. There's a certain type of ridiculousness that is usually reserved for AO3 that I found in abundance her, and I think for many that may be a deal breaker; however, with that absurdity comes the readability also typical of that platform, which for me sort of balanced things out. There is definitely some problematic stuff here (particularly regarding the age gap in the romance), but if you're able to get past that and turn your brain off a little, this is a really fun time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Blood, Torture, Gore, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Vomit, War, and Body horror
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
ctara2123's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Violence, Gun violence, Grief, Animal death, Death, Murder, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, and Vomit
Minor: Child abuse and Rape
20sidedbi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Stalking
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Sexual violence
cassie_happened's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
tigersmurf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Abandonment
17kmcollins's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Death, and Gore
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Bullying
dododenise's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have a hard time summarising the experience I had with this book. I guess that's what a three star experience is: It was fine but not remarkable.
It was hard getting into this world. I hadn't read such a werewolf heavy story before and it was a struggle at first. I grew more into it as I went though. I can see how you would get attached to this series. The found family in this is strong with interesting characters that give space for exploring.
What I struggled with most was the age gap. For most of this book the gap is icky and weird, because Joe is so young. The fact that they met as kids just doesn't sit right with me. The possessiveness of their relationship also wasn't my taste. It was just too much. This book really focuses on their relationship, so that's a big chunk of book that I have uneasy feelings about.
Will I read more? I'm not sure to be honest. While curious I also think there are other books I would rather spend my time on.
It was hard getting into this world. I hadn't read such a werewolf heavy story before and it was a struggle at first. I grew more into it as I went though. I can see how you would get attached to this series. The found family in this is strong with interesting characters that give space for exploring.
What I struggled with most was the age gap. For most of this book the gap is icky and weird, because Joe is so young. The fact that they met as kids just doesn't sit right with me. The possessiveness of their relationship also wasn't my taste. It was just too much. This book really focuses on their relationship, so that's a big chunk of book that I have uneasy feelings about.
Will I read more? I'm not sure to be honest. While curious I also think there are other books I would rather spend my time on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Violence, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Gore, Torture, and Body horror
scout_jones's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, and Torture
negs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Gaslighting, Murder, and Sexual content
Minor: Animal death