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A review by coffeeandbookobsessed
Even If It Hurts by Marni Mann
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
📚⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🌶️🌶️
Dual narration 99% of the book is single POV narrated by Ava Erickson; epilogue narrated by Shane East
First, I need to saw what an amazing job Ava did! She was fantastic and did incredible with all the character voices. Shane at the end was a wonderful surprise!
While I liked the story, the plot, the characters, and the character development, I felt the book could have used a little more editing.
The biggest signal for me to rate this book what I did was the fact that it’s only 7 hrs of audio, but I listen at 1.75x and it still took me 3-4 days to finish. Every time I took a break, other things held my attention more and I didn’t find myself wanting to be drawn back into Chloe & Oliver’s love story.
****SPOILERS BELOW****
Primary complaint was the lack of a strong romantic relationship developing and playing out with the second MMC, Lance. Chloe’s time with him felt very rushed and not flushed out enough for me, the reader, to feel like she loved him enough to stay with him in the end. He was the easy choice because of the life they’d already built, but based on the way the story was told, it felt like Chloe settled for him.
On the flip side though, I can see how it’s also an example of choosing safe, stable, and sticking course with what one had already agreed to. But I struggle with the idea of living the rest of one’s life with the guilt of keeping such a big secret. Obviously, it happens in real life and therefore is believable, but that’s not what I read romance for!
On that note, I don’t think this book counts as Romance (I didn’t even look at the categories before listening, but I know this author to be a Romance author) because the love story that was told isn’t the one that works out in the end.
My other complaint, and where I think the additional editing needed to come in, was the unnecessary detailing of mundane tasks. There was a whole section where she was describing every step of making French toast. I’m fairly certain there were others, but this one stood out because it completely pulled me out of the story.
🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🌶️🌶️
Dual narration 99% of the book is single POV narrated by Ava Erickson; epilogue narrated by Shane East
First, I need to saw what an amazing job Ava did! She was fantastic and did incredible with all the character voices. Shane at the end was a wonderful surprise!
While I liked the story, the plot, the characters, and the character development, I felt the book could have used a little more editing.
The biggest signal for me to rate this book what I did was the fact that it’s only 7 hrs of audio, but I listen at 1.75x and it still took me 3-4 days to finish. Every time I took a break, other things held my attention more and I didn’t find myself wanting to be drawn back into Chloe & Oliver’s love story.
****SPOILERS BELOW****
Primary complaint was the lack of a strong romantic relationship developing and playing out with the second MMC, Lance. Chloe’s time with him felt very rushed and not flushed out enough for me, the reader, to feel like she loved him enough to stay with him in the end. He was the easy choice because of the life they’d already built, but based on the way the story was told, it felt like Chloe settled for him.
On the flip side though, I can see how it’s also an example of choosing safe, stable, and sticking course with what one had already agreed to. But I struggle with the idea of living the rest of one’s life with the guilt of keeping such a big secret. Obviously, it happens in real life and therefore is believable, but that’s not what I read romance for!
On that note, I don’t think this book counts as Romance (I didn’t even look at the categories before listening, but I know this author to be a Romance author) because the love story that was told isn’t the one that works out in the end.
My other complaint, and where I think the additional editing needed to come in, was the unnecessary detailing of mundane tasks. There was a whole section where she was describing every step of making French toast. I’m fairly certain there were others, but this one stood out because it completely pulled me out of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Cheating