We Burn Beautiful

this is pretty good for a debut definitely. ngl there was some second hand embarrassment at first, but it got better and as the story rolled along so did the characters. this book is more about dealing with trauma; there's definitely some heavy stuff in it. it was really nice to see the character developments with Gray standing up for himself and Kent (so proud ahaha), and Kent, who i felt acted a bit like a prick at first but became less prick-y and became brave enough to face the tormentors from his past. even the side characters had depth - i did not expect Sarah. and honestly those nicknames were so cute - ‘half-pint' and ‘two-liter' :DD

the characters were a bit OTT and unrealistic though. Kent's mom and her friends were constantly so bubbly and energetic and their humor does not fit the style of middle-aged women. Rhonda plays pranks on her new coworker although she's in her mid-fifties. Kent and Gray are 38 and speak like people younger than their age. i'm not sure how realistic Kent's trauma is.

but honestly the writing and everything is generally sound, i don't usually read second-chance romances but this one was so sweet and wholesome.