erin
⋆.𐙚 ̊ 3.5★
CHARACTERS:
Allie Hayes: I really liked her, but I wish her co-dependent tendencies and her (implied) self-esteem issues had been addressed and fleshed out more. It felt like they were thrown in but they weren't developed as they should have been. I think it's sort of similar with her grief as well - I may have felt more sympathetic towards her in her lash-out to Dean after <spoiler>Beau died</spoiler> if we had known more about her grief about her mother.
Also, like, maybe I'm just not thinking this through the right lens, but is she not a hypocrite? Her father had been saying that Dean wouldn't stick around when times got tough, and he didn't - not mentally anyways - but then Allie breaks up with him because <spoiler>his friend died</spoiler>. I understand, I really do, she needs to put herself first, and I'm not against that. But her reasoning can't be her father's because, she broke up with Dean when times got tough as well.
Dean Di Laurentis: I love a man that's good with kids, like my heart was melting when he was teaching. I honestly wish we'd gotten more moments of it because it was one of the highlights of the book, in my opinion. And also it would let us see more of the joy he gets out of coaching, instead of the perspective of Allie viewing it.
I cried over his reaction to <spoiler>Beau's death</spoiler>. I know it's horrible, but I wish we'd gotten a longer POV over it, because it would've helped me feel it more. And similar to Allie, his grief wasn't finalised properly. Like, to me it felt like "Oh, he grieved for three weeks and got shit-faced, but now he's fine". I just don't think that's a healthy or realistic way to present grief, to be honest.
DEAN AND ALLIE
I hate to say this, but I was so disappointed by them. Don't get me wrong, they're cute, but I wished their relationship hadn't started off as fuck-buddies. Maybe it's just because I'm a fluffy-romance girl at my core, but the constant sex made me roll my eyes. I said this in my review of The Mistake as well, I think, but, like, they're are other ways of comforting each other guys!! Just so you know!!
I still think they're so cute, but they may be my least favourite couple so far.
OTHER
Hannah and Garret: I adored the extra content of them so much. They're so sweet, and Garrett being protective over Allie is just so special to me, idek why.
Tucker: Seriously wish I didn't know about the plot twist with him at the end, it could've gotten the rating up another quarter star.
OVERALL
I'm going to give this book a 3.5 star. Unfortunately it just doesn't reach four star territory to me. I think it could've been a 3.75 or a 4 if it weren't for spoilers + how Allie reacted during their break up. I also just think this book isn't as well-written as her others? Their characters + their traumas don't feel as developed as they should be by the end. It doesn't help that I had high standards for them either. Still, I don't dislike this book at all, or their characters, and it doesn't perturb me from reading the final book in the series.
⋆.𐙚 ̊ 3.5★
CHARACTERS:
Allie Hayes: I really liked her, but I wish her co-dependent tendencies and her (implied) self-esteem issues had been addressed and fleshed out more. It felt like they were thrown in but they weren't developed as they should have been. I think it's sort of similar with her grief as well - I may have felt more sympathetic towards her in her lash-out to Dean after <spoiler>Beau died</spoiler> if we had known more about her grief about her mother.
Also, like, maybe I'm just not thinking this through the right lens, but is she not a hypocrite? Her father had been saying that Dean wouldn't stick around when times got tough, and he didn't - not mentally anyways - but then Allie breaks up with him because <spoiler>his friend died</spoiler>. I understand, I really do, she needs to put herself first, and I'm not against that. But her reasoning can't be her father's because, she broke up with Dean when times got tough as well.
Dean Di Laurentis: I love a man that's good with kids, like my heart was melting when he was teaching. I honestly wish we'd gotten more moments of it because it was one of the highlights of the book, in my opinion. And also it would let us see more of the joy he gets out of coaching, instead of the perspective of Allie viewing it.
I cried over his reaction to <spoiler>Beau's death</spoiler>. I know it's horrible, but I wish we'd gotten a longer POV over it, because it would've helped me feel it more. And similar to Allie, his grief wasn't finalised properly. Like, to me it felt like "Oh, he grieved for three weeks and got shit-faced, but now he's fine". I just don't think that's a healthy or realistic way to present grief, to be honest.
DEAN AND ALLIE
I hate to say this, but I was so disappointed by them. Don't get me wrong, they're cute, but I wished their relationship hadn't started off as fuck-buddies. Maybe it's just because I'm a fluffy-romance girl at my core, but the constant sex made me roll my eyes. I said this in my review of The Mistake as well, I think, but, like, they're are other ways of comforting each other guys!! Just so you know!!
I still think they're so cute, but they may be my least favourite couple so far.
OTHER
Hannah and Garret: I adored the extra content of them so much. They're so sweet, and Garrett being protective over Allie is just so special to me, idek why.
Tucker: Seriously wish I didn't know about the plot twist with him at the end, it could've gotten the rating up another quarter star.
OVERALL
I'm going to give this book a 3.5 star. Unfortunately it just doesn't reach four star territory to me. I think it could've been a 3.75 or a 4 if it weren't for spoilers + how Allie reacted during their break up. I also just think this book isn't as well-written as her others? Their characters + their traumas don't feel as developed as they should be by the end. It doesn't help that I had high standards for them either. Still, I don't dislike this book at all, or their characters, and it doesn't perturb me from reading the final book in the series.