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A review by chareadsss
Restore Me by J.L. Seegars
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
This was the first @booksandlooksbookclub BOTM that I hadn't finished in time for the meeting 😅, and I'd considered DNFing it, but doing that stresses me out so I decided to see it through.
*sigh* The writing style, the MCs, the length- all of it was a no from me. I'm not against a little cheesy romance sometimes but the cringe levels in 'Restore Me' were sky high, and it felt extremely long-winded and repetitive. Honestly, guys, I'd be reading and thinking "I MUST'VE tackled 20% by now", only to realise I'd only tackled 3 ðŸ˜ðŸ˜‚ and it felt like there was so much internal dialogue but nothing was really happening. Also, I don't want to read the words, "angel", "small of my/her back" or "liquid heat" again at this point. I'M TIRED.
I definitely preferred Sloane's chapters, and found the depiction of grief in these to be more thoughtful and emotive, but the balance between the characters' chapters was off and Sloane's character started to grind my gears after a while. I found her to be a bit too passive at times. Her relationship with Eric's family was a nice touch though and I liked that they'd created a space where it was okay for her to grieve yet live at the same time (which we can sometimes feel guilty about).
For me personally, it would've been helpful to know a bit more about Eric and to see more of Dom's experience actually grieving his best friend rather than just coveting his wife/widow. As for Dom's character as well, all I'm going to say is NO.
I've heard the other books in the series are better, which is good to hear but, for now, I won't be finding out as this is where my journey with the series ends.
*sigh* The writing style, the MCs, the length- all of it was a no from me. I'm not against a little cheesy romance sometimes but the cringe levels in 'Restore Me' were sky high, and it felt extremely long-winded and repetitive. Honestly, guys, I'd be reading and thinking "I MUST'VE tackled 20% by now", only to realise I'd only tackled 3 ðŸ˜ðŸ˜‚ and it felt like there was so much internal dialogue but nothing was really happening. Also, I don't want to read the words, "angel", "small of my/her back" or "liquid heat" again at this point. I'M TIRED.
I definitely preferred Sloane's chapters, and found the depiction of grief in these to be more thoughtful and emotive, but the balance between the characters' chapters was off and Sloane's character started to grind my gears after a while. I found her to be a bit too passive at times. Her relationship with Eric's family was a nice touch though and I liked that they'd created a space where it was okay for her to grieve yet live at the same time (which we can sometimes feel guilty about).
For me personally, it would've been helpful to know a bit more about Eric and to see more of Dom's experience actually grieving his best friend rather than just coveting his wife/widow. As for Dom's character as well, all I'm going to say is NO.
I've heard the other books in the series are better, which is good to hear but, for now, I won't be finding out as this is where my journey with the series ends.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism and Miscarriage