- Updated review -
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes & tags down below.

Okay, I’m rewriting most of this review because I had a lot of thoughts that took a while to put my finger on. I don’t want to be hateful, but this book wasn’t it for me. Spoiler alert probably.

There is no doubt that Cora Rose is a very talented writer. I’ve enjoyed every book of hers I’ve read so far, but this one was wild to me. I’ll leave my original review below. I’m sure some of my anger has festered and made it worse in my mind, so I figured it’s nice to have some of my initial thoughts posted still. Keep in mind I’m quite annoyed when writing these next bits.

I just really didn’t like Wesley at all. I found him to be quite childish, emotionally manipulative, and sometimes straight up cruel. Also crass. Wesley says he doesn’t enjoy sex as much anymore (he hasn’t had any for WEEKS you guys, how does he even still live? *insert eye roll), and he casually asks his friends if they know a girl he can fuck for a few minutes. Gag. I didn’t connect much with either character. It all felt a bit surface level. The things I would’ve thought were most important were glossed over, and whenever Wesley messed up (several times), there were no consequences. Simon’s ex wasn’t a very nice person, so I feel like Simon didn’t stand up for himself when he was treated unfairly. Like maybe Wesley would’ve gotten the boot ages ago if Simon thought he was allowed to speak his mind more. Maybe I’m projecting, but that’s a bit of the vibe I got, and it’s not a good one.

I do really love Cora’s writing, and I freaking adore some of the books I’ve read, but this one wasn’t the best for me.

Original review ⬇️
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How had I ever found anyone else attractive when Simon existed?

I really did like Simon (although I wish we got a bit more information about him in general), and he was very intriguing right from the start. I wanted to get to know him, but didn’t feel like I ever did. Most of my ‘dislike’ about this book comes from Wesley. I don’t think he’s a bad character, but he *is* awfully young, and certainly acts like it sometimes. There were a few moments that angered me quite a lot. It’s not Cora’s fault that he hit a couple of my pet peeves, though. That’s just how it goes sometimes. I also wanted a little bit of groveling, but didn’t get any.

He dresses like a forty-year-old accountant, and it gets me all hot and bothered. I swear to god. I have a new kink.

I can’t at all argue that this is a well written story. I just wasn’t as invested as I wanted to be. The ending definitely picked up in terms of my investment and entertainment, and I also cried quite a lot by the time it was all over. Would be strange to read a Cora Rose book without weeping just a little bit.

“So! So Lucas said I was maybe bi.” “Nah, man. Just because you kiss a dude doesn’t make you bi. I give dudes blow jobs all the time, and I’m straight as an arrow.” My mouth drops open, and I gape at my friend. “What the fuck, Jude!”

This made me laugh long and hard, lol.

Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Coworkers
Sexual awakening
Opposites attract
Obsessive
Push and pull

⚠️⚠️ Content warning ⚠️⚠️
Explicit sexual content
Unsafe sex
Death of a partner (off page, in the past)
Excessive drinking (side character)
Past cheating (not between MCs)
Unspecified STI (MC, past, treated)
Brief mentions of drunk driving accident

⚠️⚠️⚠️ Book safety ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Cheating: No
OM drama: Mild drama with a woman. Nothing happens beyond texting and intent to date (before MCs are together)
Third-act breakup: Yes
POV: 1st person, dual POV
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile

[…] leaving me alone once again with my thoughts. Dreadful things.

It hurts to breathe, but my lungs keep doing it anyway. Fucking traitors.