kdailyreads'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, and Drug use
Minor: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
btwnprintedpgs'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Drug use, Pregnancy, and Panic attacks/disorders
nickoliver's review
- 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
3.5
For some reason, I couldn't really get into the characters and found them a bit boring. Which was weird, because on the surface, they should've worked for me. They treated each other well, both in and out of the bedroom, and I liked their playful interactions. Plus, while this was a friends-to-lovers story and I'm usually not the biggest fan of those, I appreciated that Darias stated early on that they had an almost-sexual encounter as teenagers and had always found each other attractive, because it made me not dislike their immediate attraction to each other. There was nothing inherently wrong with either character. And still, it was very easy for me to dismiss them from their mind the literal moment I put the book down. They didn't excite me. Jasmine and Ashton from the first book also weren't the most explosive couple, but I still ended up wanting to root for them and see them come together, whereas Gabriel and Michelle didn't. And I have no idea why.
Then again, the story did kind of focus a bit too much on sex, which also made it a bit boring for me. Especially because their sexual relationship started very early in the book. And the kind of fake-dating plot line fizzled out at some point, so not even that - my favourite trope in existence - was truly keeping me engaged.
Honestly, my opinion on this book is that it's fine. Fun to read, but also kind of boring. I liked it! I want to read more by the author! But I'll probably also forget about it soon.
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
cemeterygay's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I'm so excited for the next book and I cannot recommend this book enough.
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy
Additional CW: estranged family relationships, anxiety, minor (marijuana use)readwithasherreid's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Pregnancy
caseythereader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
- I loved the way Gabe and Michelle just fell right back in with each other. Both their deep friendship and their attraction to each other felt so real. Plus the sci-fi fanfic they were writing as teens was just so cute.
- I love a romance where the leads are gentle with each other as they try to figure things out. Gimme that over enemies to lovers any day.
- As one last minor note, I was a big fan of how openly and casually both Gabe and Michelle spoke about not wanting to have kids, and maybe not even ever get married. Love to see a romance with an HEA epilogue where the woman isn't six months pregnant.
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use and Pregnancy
100_pages_hr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
In spite of many communication issues with basically every character in the book I really did like Gabe. He was far from perfect and had lost himself a little, but at his core he really cared about people and I especially loved how eager he was to help prop with his Physical Therapy.
I have to admit I was a little thrown at how easy this second chance romance came together. I wanted more dialogue between Mich and Gabe. They didn't do much talking.
Spoiler
Another part of the story that felt a little incomplete to me was their sexual orientation. Both admit to being bisexual, but in my opinion it felt like it was thrown in to be inclusive but there was no need for it as it didn't fit with the story line or serve a purpose. I was just a little confused how that added to the story. If that was a part you loved then I'm glad it worked for you.I still loved the glimpses into the culture of their families and the Spanish throughout the book but I felt like this one lacked substance.
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Drug abuse
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy