booknerderika's reviews
663 reviews

This was such a sweet but also realistic story. I loved the disability representation and the normalization of a plus-size main character!

The argument scene was probably one of my favorite argument/miscommunication scenes in a romance because of the way Red was able to recognize what had happened and take accountability. I hate when they just walk away and don't talk it out until days or weeks later.

A lot happened, but I still felt like I wanted more. The story felt kind of rushed at times, but other than that it was a great book. 

This was such a cute story! I love a light fluffy romcom especially when I'm stressed, so this was perfect for me right now. 

Jessica and Elijah had such great chemistry and I like the way they complimented each other. This made me miss NYC especially since I havent been back since I moved to college in 2012. It also gave me a little taste of what life living downtown must be like (uptown Westside is very different). 

The overbearing fathers were too relatable, and it was interesting to see the difference in the motives of each one. 

Sure there were predictable plot points and cliché scenes, but aren't there in every romcom? Even though I expected things to happen, especially with the not so subtle hints of future disasters to come, it was still a fun journey. 

This was my favorite one in the series so far! 

I considered giving this a 3.75 ⭐️ rating, but I'll just round it up to a solid 4⭐️. 

To start off, I enjoy dual perspective books, but I was a little confused as to why Yagrin was the other perspective. I thought at first that he would become the love interest, but then he didn't, and now I'm worried that a love triangle is brewing for the 2nd book. I really hope he doesn't, though. I have read books where the villain is the other perspective, but with everything that has happened idk if I see him as the main villain. 

I enjoyed the twists in this, especially with the

grandma

. The more Quell discovered, the more mysteries needed to be unraveled. I was not happy with the way things ended

between Quell and Jordan. I also didn't like the way he just fell to the ground crying after his encounter with Yagrin. I wanted to see more from him and he just continued to disappoint me.

I liked the world that Elle created and I will be reading book 2 when it is released. 


Side note: I understand that marketing a book as a mash-up of other popular books/shows can help with sales, but I did not see this as a mash-up of Bridgerton and Fourth Wing. I feel like it was its own story and didn't need the comparison. 

This is not at all what I had expected. The writing was beautiful, as always with Acevedo, so I wasn't surprised by that. The topics and the way things are discussed so openly and intimately that it feels almost intrusive is what caught me off guard. I loved the way that the stories were all intertwined and how new bits and pieces of each character are revealed as the story progressed. There were some scenes and topics that made me stop and process the things that weren't being said. I am torn on how I feel about the end because it felt so sudden yet it also gave perfect closure. The full circle moment of new life at the same moment of death was perfect. I have still been thinking about this book even though I finished it a couple of days ago. 

I'm glad this was more about healing and personal growth and not rebounding to another relationship. Abuse is a tricky subject, but this book discussed it so well. We need more books about tough topics and featuring examples of how people cope after traumatic events.