A review by hq_reads
Say You Swear by Meagan Brandy
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I really enjoyed this book. It was an angst, coming of age romance and it certainly delivered the angst! I found the book hard to put down because of this and it takes an emotional turn that I was not expecting.
I really love Noah, he is a great book boyfriend and was the reason I kept reading this book. Arianna was also a good character, I thought her character development was written really well. Mason I found unnecessarily toxic with no real explanation as to why he is so controlling over Ari and Cam. Cameron and Brady were also a bit surface level with Cameron being the token best friend who doesn't really affect the story/character in any way and Brady was the flirty/banterful one. Chase while frustrating as a character, was written really well and the affect he had on Ari/Noah brought the angst that made this book so great.
I felt the author wasn't good at describing the characters or setting the scene in certain moments with the characters. It was too dialogue heavy at times, especially the beginning where I would expect it to be more scene setting/character building. I felt this improved as the book went on, but I found it really hard to follow the first 25% or so. I realised once I finished the book that there is another book about Nate/Lolli etc but while I was reading this I didn't know, so the complex backstory of these random 3-4 characters was confusing for me. This should have been explained better if this was meant to be read as a standalone. But overall, I did like it and from about 35% the book was a lot better.
I really love Noah, he is a great book boyfriend and was the reason I kept reading this book. Arianna was also a good character, I thought her character development was written really well. Mason I found unnecessarily toxic with no real explanation as to why he is so controlling over Ari and Cam. Cameron and Brady were also a bit surface level with Cameron being the token best friend who doesn't really affect the story/character in any way and Brady was the flirty/banterful one. Chase while frustrating as a character, was written really well and the affect he had on Ari/Noah brought the angst that made this book so great.
I felt the author wasn't good at describing the characters or setting the scene in certain moments with the characters. It was too dialogue heavy at times, especially the beginning where I would expect it to be more scene setting/character building. I felt this improved as the book went on, but I found it really hard to follow the first 25% or so. I realised once I finished the book that there is another book about Nate/Lolli etc but while I was reading this I didn't know, so the complex backstory of these random 3-4 characters was confusing for me. This should have been explained better if this was meant to be read as a standalone. But overall, I did like it and from about 35% the book was a lot better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Miscarriage, Car accident, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Alcohol