A review by tinkeringcheck
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
First person romance is far from my usual, but I was completely taken in by the warmth and unique freshness of this story. Yes, it's a trope for the ages, but the healthiness of the relationship between the leads? A love interest with emotional maturity and an overabundance of green flags? Clear discussions of boundaries and feelings? It was a breath of fresh, Texas air and the best kind of romcom you can root for all wrapped into one wise, silly, hopeful package. I adored it. I adored all of these characters. And I especially adored Jack's family.
That being said: Do not (do not!) go into this book expecting realistic drama or steamy romance. It's a bantery, feel-good, bodyguard trope that runs on rom-com logic, but in the best way.
(Sidenote: As someone with a family member who taught crime prevention for a living: Hannah's way of looking at the world was pretty accurate. You can laugh at her for thinking about the ways a potted patio plant can be used to break a window, but there's a reason my silly painted rocks were never allowed on the front porch as a kid. Even though the romantic hijinks and kooky coworker drama could overshadow it, I thought those details showed that she really was quite capable at her job.)
That being said: Do not (do not!) go into this book expecting realistic drama or steamy romance. It's a bantery, feel-good, bodyguard trope that runs on rom-com logic, but in the best way.
(Sidenote: As someone with a family member who taught crime prevention for a living: Hannah's way of looking at the world was pretty accurate. You can laugh at her for thinking about the ways a potted patio plant can be used to break a window, but there's a reason my silly painted rocks were never allowed on the front porch as a kid. Even though the romantic hijinks and kooky coworker drama could overshadow it, I thought those details showed that she really was quite capable at her job.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Medical content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment and Vomit
Overall: It's a very light-hearted, hopeful book but it deals with some background heavy topics.
DEATH OF PARENT, DEATH, GRIEF: Very beginning of book skims over the main character's mother dying, and the grief from that is a catalyst for the rest of the book. Grief (and hope) is a major theme.
DOMESTIC/PHYSICAL ABUSE: Past, as a memory. A very violent incidence of it and the injuries/aftermath is described by character who was a child at the time.
STALKING: With one lead being a famous actor, there's lots of discussions about stalking in general. Stalking incidents are discussed in detail, though light-heartedly, until
GUN VIOLENCE, SUICIDE ATTEMPT, BLOOD, INJURY: Someone is shot at and mildy injured.
TOXIC RELATIONSHIP: Heroine has a very shitty ex-boyfriend.
CANCER: The male lead's mother is going through cancer treatment. There's mention of having and recovering from surgery, and the characters often briefly visit a hospital. The prognosis
ALCOHOLISM: More than one background character suffers from it.
CAR ACCIDENT, DEATH: Past incident. The accident is described in detail more than once and led to a death by drowning.
DROWNING: One almost-incident during the story and one in the past - both described in some detail.
VOMIT: One character has a phobia that he often vomits after being exposed to. It's not described in detail.
ABANDONMENT: A character briefly describes a parent leaving them and their other parent abruptly when they were very young.