Reham

dnf at 16%

The foreword by emma watson was great, and i am sure the rest of the book is too but it did not intrigue me as much. I dont want to criticize the writing because he is an actor himself and not a writer, and this is a memoir but the writing style is crucial for me to enjoy the book.

Every time i lose interest reading half way or dont like the book, i tell myself that no one is holding a gun to my head to read this, i can put it down and move on to something else that i might love.

There were some things that didn't resonate with me, that felt weird and unnecessary. However, i rarely ever feel the angst between characters and it was present here. I teared up a bit and that alone deserved a star from me.

Some things I enjoyed/liked:

- how the fmc learned to pick herself up after downfall
- the writing
- the fact that there was not much complication in the third act
- thank GOD no pregnancy trope

What i didnt particularly enjoy:

- how josiah got to move on first even though he was reluctant to divorce. Im trying not to think too much about it but like, josiah slept with someone else while yasmen couldnt even date
- how despite therapy josiah couldnt accept that yasmen's reaction or asking for a divorce wasnt as terrible as he made it out to be
- how he downplayed deja's reactions to yasmen when she brought it up calling her senstive

It was a different kind of romance, i liked it and so 4 stars remain.

while this is so well written, the lack of communication and connection between the two characters dampened my intrigue and put me off. By connection, i do not mean chemistry - chemistry was off the charts, by connection i mean, they wasnt anything beyond lust between them. It was very sudden for me that tyler came to the conclusion that he not only loved her but wanted to marry her.

My biggest pet peeve in books is miscommunication or lack thereof. It is the biggest turn off, especially when you know the characters are adults and not some sixteen year old teenagers.

“You're not my pit stop, you're my finish line.”

Was not expecting to like this book at all, because I didn't like Loren and Lily's story but i was happy to be surprised. The one reason that made me really love this book was the communication and the truth that Rose and Connor had for each other. I was anxious that something terrible would happen, they would be driven apart or something like that.

I wish I had a man like Connor.

reread this because i missed my book boyfriend clay johnson. i thought i might like it less but i still loved it the same. i liked that there is no heart wrenching angst, just some confusion in prioritizing yourself or your parent.

the scene where zeke, riley and holden confront clay, letting him know that parent is supposed to care for the child hit me real hard. thank you kandi steiner for this beautiful piece of work. especially clay <3

2.5

The third act conflict was plain idiotic. The author couldn't come up with something better, like i saw it from the moment Jack sabotaged Alex and Hallie's relationship. And then when she confronts him, he disappears to sort out his fucking feelings for two weeks? What is, fifteen year old with freshly developed emotions? Like that was so stupid. It put me off completely.

On the bright side, the banter was nice.

I had hopes for this one since the last one was bad, but if my rating only increased by half a point then what do i say about that

the writing was terrible. it was straight up trash. a millennial woman using gen z slang for whatever reason, to sell or connect with the younger generation? it was so fucking cringe i can't even begin to explain how badly i cringed. the short chapters was the only pros about this book, but the writing was hard to get through. it was horrible, so so horrible. the author had weird way of putting up the chapters. in one chapter shes talking about the mc having fantasies of being fucked or something and then in the next, shes inserting her 2 cents on some controversial topic, or how the man she wants to be with wants to be seen in public with her for her skin color and to make himself look good. the book was a mess. and i am just glad its over.

well, i guess, i am not a fan

Although it is refreshing to read romance books about men who are not full of themselves, who are inexperienced and have flaws, but this particular book just didn't do for me. First of all, the writing in the start was so boring and a yawn. So many things seemed redundant, like I already read this in the previous paragraph and I get it, why do you have to repeat it? Move on. Second of all, Jeff's role in this seemed a little ridiculous to me. I understand the first time he was introduced and was doing the challenge with Winnie but then when he came home drunk and harassed her, that seemed kind of unnecessary. It didn't fill any storyline except that maybe Byron kicked him out.

However, the chemistry between the MCs was good, i felt it from the start until the end.

4.75/5

This hit hard. Like, it touched my soul and everything else lurking inside. It was so beautifully written and so so relatable, i wish i found this a year or two ago. I wish i could have read this when i needed it the most.

This book was not only sad, but it was healing. It healed me. I feel so different and so much better about myself. I understand why I reacted the way I did back when I was suffering through one. I understand that love can make you become someone else and I got it when she talked about moulding yourself to the other person's needs.

This book was excellent and so well written. However, through the end, it just became redundant and felt a bit too long so I had skimmed through.