A review by bookworm_leilani
Battle Royal by Lucy Parker

emotional lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I marked this in content warnings as "moderate child abuse" which I don't think is quite accurate: the abuse, mainly via neglect and heavily emotional, of one of the main characters is a significant part of the narrative and one cannot read around it. However, marking this as "graphic" feels wrong as well, since for most people "graphic child abuse" is going to summon images of physical brutality, which is not the case here. Both Dominic and Sylvia are deeply marked by losses and grief, and the main subplot of the book is their untangling of the complicated relationships with their respective family members.

None of which is to say this book is not good: it's excellent, and I'd even say delightful. While it handles a lot of very heavy topics, including death, lost love, neglected childhoods, estrangements, and mental health, it did not feel overwhelming or dark to me. Conversely it is also not at all what I'd categorize as a "rom com." I loved this book, and think Lucy Parker executed a bittersweet, deeply hopeful, very romantic, very human story while deftly setting up what looks to be a promising series. It's just a.) not a rom com and b.) does deserve content warnings (a feature I love about this app!) but needed some finessing to make sense.
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