sophiesmallhands'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
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Misogyny
jbpalumbo'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
4.5
Deliciously open door: Wilsner doesn’t hold back on the spicy elements.
Overall, it landed on a bridge between Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Falls series and Susannah Nix’s STEM series (not quite rapid-fire geek/charmingly awkward to venture into Ali Hazelwood territory) as a solidly charming read.
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Misogyny and Death of parent
ienbdri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol and Misogyny
lidia710's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, and Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent, Misogyny, and Classism
rrenreads'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
4.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny and Abandonment
abigailkokitus's review
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Alcohol
Minor: Misogyny
dropshift5568's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Misogyny
bookishmillennial'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? It's complicated
general premise:
- contemporary age-gap/secret romance
- third-person limited dual-POVs
- 21-year-old college senior Cassie has a one-night stand with an older woman at a bar during parents’ weekend
- that older woman turns out to be her room mate Parker’s mom (Erin) 🤭
- Cassie & Erin continue to be in close proximity, trying to ignore the chemistry between them & keep it a secret from Parker & Cassie/Parker’s bff Acacia
- steam: 4/5— these two can’t keep their hands off of each other OMG 🥵
- cw: abandonment, alcohol, misogyny
thoughts:
OH MY GOSH THIS BOOK IS SO MUCH FUN !!!!
I absolutely loved Cassie's confidence and boldness -- she says "I don't believe in guilty pleasures. Like what you like. I'm not embarrassed to be a nerd. You don't have to be embarrassed of reading mysteries. Why would that even be embarrassing?" & this just sums up her general outlook on life. She does not live for or care for anyone else's expectations or "should"s; she is genuinely just confident in who she is as a 21-year-old. As an almost-32-year-old now, I sometimes miss that spritely self-assuredness and this was a fantastic reminder to stand strong in my confidence and to continue to boldly and loudly be myself. #ForeverCringeAndProud
It's so funny because Erin is supposed to be the older woman and I had to funny lil moment of realizing I was probably closer in age to her than the 21-year-old college student. I was like "bish, you are now officially the older woman. THAT'S HOT" hahaha. Anyway, I'm assuming Erin is around 40 and I loved the tenderness and cautious nature of her character. Unlike Cassie, she isn't 100% sure of herself and who she should be post-divorce yet. She is unlearning all of the messaging that her mother passed onto her of "keeping up appearances" and she is navigating what living a joyful, full life feels like for her. I especially appreciated her therapy sessions and the representation of seeing a mental health professional in a romance novel. THANK YOU MERYL!
I am officially on a mission to now read everything Meryl Wilsner has published because sheeeeeesh can they write fun steamy scenes and such palpable chemistry throughout the damn story!
Graphic: Abandonment and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcohol
hanna'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
Their relationship developed in a natural way (meaning they tried staying away from each other but didn't succeed at all) and the pacing of it really made sense.
I wish we had more exploration of Erin and Cassie's jobs and like...passions besides making out with each other. I was alright with it but be prepared that this is very much a romance-y romance!
The Inevitable Drama™ was handled way better than I've seen in other romances in this trope and everything was just really feel-good in the end.
And god the sex scenes?? So good! And so much variety 🥵 gimme more
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity and Misogyny
noceur's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Cursing
Minor: Biphobia, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse