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5*
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Deportation
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Transphobia
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Death of parent
Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Abortion, Alcohol
Minor: Drug abuse
Overall, I liked the main characters and the side characters, but I didn’t feel like I got a tonnn in the way of character growth from either of them - maybe that’s because they’re young but I don’t know. I usually love a fake dating trope but there was a lot going on here.
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship
Minor: Addiction, Biphobia, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Abandonment
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Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Trafficking, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment
Oh. My. Gosh. I just gobbled this up in less than 24 hours. I decided to read the ARC (thanks Forever!) and listen to the audiobook (thanks Sonora!) at the same time, which was a first for me, but did not disappoint. I genuinely couldn't put it down. Before I get more into it (no spoilers), I would just like to say there are serious topics talked about in this book. I advice looking at the trigger warnings AND the Author's Note mentioned in the beginning of book before reading it. I could relate to different aspects of both Han and Kenny, from the people pleasing to the fear of commitment. But these boys stole my heart with their words and actions. This book isn't just packed with romance either. I was cackling up a storm at some points, while tears streamed down my face at others. The side characters were all so diverse and gave an extra layer to the already well-written story. Sonora does a great job highlighting everyone's diversity, while still making it all come together in a neatly wrapped story, full of what the world needs a lot of right now: hope. Hope for a better and more diverse, accepting future. That's what this book gave me.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction, Racism, Grief, Abortion
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation
Moderate: Biphobia
Minor: Abortion
Han needs a way to be able to stay in the US as a citizen and after his job falls through. His best friend Kenny figures out the predicament that Han is in and offers to get married so that Han can stay.
Going into it, however, I was expecting a bit more of a romcom, and that is definitely not what this is at all. It is very serious and very emotional, definitely check the content warnings before you go into it. Also, based on the synopsis, I thought that Kenny's ex would only be in the beginning of the book and that is not true at all, they are in the majority of the book, which unfortunately I really didn't care for.
While I appreciated the harder topics and the discussion around them, to me the relationship/romance was underdeveloped. They had too many other things going on to really have a lot of time to transition from friends to lovers and so I didn't really feel the romantic tension or connection between them. It also felt like there was a lot squeezed in having to do with the ex that maybe didn't all need to be there, I think the story about trying to get married without ICE figuring out what's going on would have been plenty and allowed the main issue and the relationship to take center stage.
I did think the friendships and family relationships were very well done and I loved how everyone tried to look after each other. I also really enjoyed the representation in the book and how much of it there was. I definitely felt how deep the friendships were, including Han and Kenny, and how much the characters loved each other in the friendships and being able to talk to each other and call each other out when needed. Also how they tried to protect both Han and Kenny.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience and I would recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
I received this digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Deportation
Moderate: Drug abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Mental illness, Vomit, Abortion