Scan barcode
ellie_can_probably_read's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Fatphobia and Terminal illness
sophiewham's review against another edition
- 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
I hated it and then loved it and then hated it and then loved it.
I felt it was unnecessary how much commentary there was on Tiffy’s body. It made me uncomfortable and made me wonder if the author struggles with her own body issues.
The therapy talk I felt could’ve been done better too. The way therapy-centric words were just dropped without much substance alongside them (eg. gaslighting) made it seem like the author has had one therapy session her whole life and actually lacks the knowledge to write about it.
The way Leon’s chapters were written made me laugh. The lacking of pronouns, shortened sentences gave the vibe of *men lack substance* and that is hilarious to me. Love him though, I could relate to his shyness and softness.
Overall though, I do love an idealistic rom-com and this was definitely that. I also appreciated the several side plots, kept me interested. Long live Johnny White.
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
aliwang's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Stalking
emkschneider's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body shaming, Terminal illness, and Stalking
Minor: Classism
mariskyjy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia
- Medical content is because Leon works as a hospice nursesiankrb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
defcvnvs's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Minor: Body shaming and Homophobia
bekkaru's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
Minor: Body shaming
lala_reads_too's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Terminal illness
Minor: Body shaming, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
savage_book_review's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Picked this book up after seeing the recent TV adaptation advertised (still haven't managed to actually watch ot though!) and liking the premise. It certainly delivered upon my expectations; I was pleasantly surprised that the set up didn't feel contrived, but instead made perfect sense in the circumstances! Similarly, the exchange of messages via post-it note works really well; they have phones and know how to use them, but somehow again there was no questioning why they didn't just message or WhatsApp eachother, even when their notes become longer.
On the surface, this is a very cute story, but there are darker themes running throughout. Normally, the only thing that gets me to close the book and take a breath before continuing is second-hand embarrassment, but in this case there were a couple of occasions where I needed a moment to allow my more visceral reactions towards certain characters and actions to subside. Tiffy does go on something of a healing journey throughout the book, and so I also found myself having to revise my opinion on some of her thoughts and actions, and recognise them as almost a 'conditioned response' to a girl who can't quite let go of a guy who is clearly not good for her. I give the author kudos for illustrating the development and recovery process in such a way.
The book is very well rounded, with a number of great little sub-plots and other details that serve the main plot very well and flesh out both the main and secondary characters, making them particularly lovable (or hateable as the case may be). There's a little bit of social commentary on the state of the justice system, a story of long-lost love, and an admiration of crochet that absolutely tips this towards the 'cosy' end of the spectrum in places!
The one thing I didn't get to grips with was the way Leon's chapters were structured. The chapters alternate between Tiffy and Leon's PoVs, but while Tiffy's are written in fairly standard prose, Leon's are a bit all over the place. Parts are written in abridged sentences, almost like he's filling in a patient's chart as part of his job. Speech isn't set out in speech marks, but rather prefixed with the name of the speaker, giving the impression of text messages or even a script. And other elements of the text feel more like a continuation of the post-it notes. There isn't a specific reason given for this quirky style and, while it is still 100% readable, it felt like energy needlessly wasted when it could have been set out in the same way as Tiffy's and been just as effective while being easier to digest.
I was initially torn about whether I'd keep this book or not, but the more I think about adding it to the charity pile, the stronger the feeling I get that I'll want to read it again at some point. So, for now at least, it earns a place on my bookshelf.
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Moderate: Terminal illness, Violence, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual content, Alcohol, and War