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A review by stellahadz
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really liked the premise of this book, but I went in expecting a much lighter romance than what it actually was. The characters' backstories are VERY dark (check trigger warnings), and the tonal shifts between the romance and the flashbacks to their traumatic teenage years were extremely jarring. In some parts of the book, I felt like I was getting whiplash every time I started a new chapter. It felt like there was so much going on all the time - from Eva's disability to her family issues to Shane's mental health to his desire to mentor kids from underserved communities to the upsetting connection that the two of them shared, it felt like we didn't get to know the characters nearly well enough, and as a result I didn't totally buy their love story. I wish the tone and pacing had been more consistent, that the characters had been a little more fleshed-out, and that Eva's book about her family in Louisiana was a bigger part of the story.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, and Medical content
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail