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hayleyvem's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Stalking
Minor: Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism
wilybooklover's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
1.5
This book started out so well and was on the way to being a solid four-star read, but alas, did not work for me in the end. I enjoyed the autistic representation (written by an autistic author), Michael’s family and the portrayal of Vietnamese culture, and Stella. I loved her — she’s such a complex and unique character and had a great character arc. Hated the rest, lol. Stella and Michael’s attraction seemed almost purely physical; I wanted to see a stronger emotional connection, more substance. I was uncomfortable with the way that sex work and sex workers were portrayed at several points. I don’t think the topic of sexual assault was handled very well or really unpacked properly by Stella. Michael says his mother dying would ‘free’ him, framing sick/disabled people as burdens on their family (granted I have no experience with the American healthcare system but surely that’s the real issue here).
Mostly, though, it was Michael who ruined the book for me. He’s pushy, domineering, overly possessive, and can’t take no for an answer. He literally stalks Stella and follows her home, repeatedly goes after her and presses his romantic attentions on her after she turns him down and tells him to leave her alone MULTIPLE TIMES. That’s not sexy; it’s creepy and scary. Yet when another man won’t take no for an answer, he’s angry even though it’s a very similar kind of behaviour as his own. One is portrayed as wrong and the other OK purely based on who is perpetrating the behaviour. Make it make sense. Not only that but after being sexually assaulted which is obviously very upsetting for Stella, does he offer her support or comfort? No, he feels the need to ‘mark her as his’ as if she’s his property. She initially tells him no to kissing after such a traumatic event and is clearly uncomfortable with it but does he respect that? Of course not, he forces her into it anyway and then fucks her because HE needs it! Fuck Stella’s needs, I guess.
Of course, he knew she didn’t really want him to leave her alone because he knows better. Same with the sex scenes: he overrides her own wishes (that she states to him clearly) and pushes her into doing things she dislikes and feels uncomfortable with because he apparently knows better than her about her own body. He tells her to dress and do her hair how he likes it rather than how she prefers. She can’t even eat what she wants without him trying to control it. He knows she has a hard time in loud/social situations and she tells him she’d rather go home because she’s tired, but he forces her to go to his large, boisterous family’s house anyway. He’s just forever violating her boundaries even (and especially) when she says she’s uncomfortable with doing something. Yeah, he says all the right things about respecting her consent, but his actions and thoughts don’t line up so it just feels manipulative and patronising. He may be teaching her how to be in a relationship but it’s certainly not a healthy one. The controlling behaviour, questionable consent, and complete disregard for Stella’s agency really put me off and made me feel uneasy.
There were also a few things that bothered me in terms of writing. Michael is described as looking like a specific celebrity, which is not only a lazy way to describe someone but just something I despise, especially in romance. Much of Michael’s inner monologue comes off as immature with dude-bro style casual misogyny (e.g. ‘the only reason a woman should wear a pencil skirt is to show off her ass’). The book is laden with bizarre lines such as ‘a natural talent for fucking’ (LMAO) and ‘she had the kind of nipples men and babies dreamed about’ (what??). The dirty talk was... not good.
I can’t believe this book got recommended to me as having a kind, gentle hero and good consent. I am genuinely baffled. If that is what you want then this book is not it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
helfire124's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Medical trauma
Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
bexi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Sexual assault, Violence, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
rensreading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
edit: 7/17/22
i've thought more about it and this feels very white savior-y towards the end, ngl. for that, i'm bumping my rating down to 4.5 stars instead
aghhh i loved this
i adored this. im a sucker for the fake relationship trope especially when an HEA is involved.
stella was phenomenal. there is nothing else i can say about her. she was honest, intelligent, and painfully shy at times but so, so earnest. when she upset michael’s mother, she immediately went to make amends with her the next day. she didn’t expect forgiveness either! she’s lived her whole life just being her, not living with a disorder, just living. nothing broken or wrong with her and the many autistic people who live their everyday lives. her parents definitely still have a bit to go with accepting her diagnosis though. they should be going st her pace and recognizing that she doesn’t NEED anyone except herself bc she’s an amazing woman and their daughter they should love unconditionally. stella was such a refreshing fmc and i love her. i’ll be thinking of her often in the coming weeks for sure!
by the time we learned about his mom, i was a goner for michael, same as stella. i just KNEW from the moment he met her that he would never get over her. an argument could be made about them falling for each other at the same time but i really think he DID fall first. up for debate. anyway! he was just as complex as stella and so full of love it was ridiculous lol but i adored that especially about him
i think the only two things i can say that were a bit lackluster in this were the dialogue and the minor inconsistencies with characterization. that’s it though. otherwise, this was lovely and i give it 4.75 stars!
i've thought more about it and this feels very white savior-y towards the end, ngl. for that, i'm bumping my rating down to 4.5 stars instead
aghhh i loved this
i adored this. im a sucker for the fake relationship trope especially when an HEA is involved.
stella was phenomenal. there is nothing else i can say about her. she was honest, intelligent, and painfully shy at times but so, so earnest. when she upset michael’s mother, she immediately went to make amends with her the next day. she didn’t expect forgiveness either! she’s lived her whole life just being her, not living with a disorder, just living. nothing broken or wrong with her and the many autistic people who live their everyday lives. her parents definitely still have a bit to go with accepting her diagnosis though. they should be going st her pace and recognizing that she doesn’t NEED anyone except herself bc she’s an amazing woman and their daughter they should love unconditionally. stella was such a refreshing fmc and i love her. i’ll be thinking of her often in the coming weeks for sure!
by the time we learned about his mom, i was a goner for michael, same as stella. i just KNEW from the moment he met her that he would never get over her. an argument could be made about them falling for each other at the same time but i really think he DID fall first. up for debate. anyway! he was just as complex as stella and so full of love it was ridiculous lol but i adored that especially about him
i think the only two things i can say that were a bit lackluster in this were the dialogue and the minor inconsistencies with characterization. that’s it though. otherwise, this was lovely and i give it 4.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer and Sexual harassment
Minor: Ableism
phillip is a piece of work, i’ll tell you thatblackveilbeccy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was gorgeous. I really related to the main character and I loved how the love interest was supportive. The cast of characters was diverse and well-rounded. I loved how the romance interacted with the journey of self-discovery. I’d definitely read this again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Medical content, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
eamily's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Vomit, Stalking, and Abandonment
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail