Author: L.E. Todd
Genre: Contemporary Romance/College Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶
Release Date: 6/28/24
E-Book
First Person POV
Disclosure: I would like to clarify that this review is based on an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) provided by NetGalley. I want to assure my readers that this is not a paid review, and all opinions expressed here are my honest and unsolicited thoughts on the book. If you have any queries or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out via the Contact tab
I wanted to love this book so much. I truly did.
What initially drew me to it was the main female character, Rose, who has real, debilitating issues with OCD. It was refreshing to read a book with an accurate representation of OCD that wasn't overly stereotypical. Whether the author, L.E. Todd, also has OCD or knows people who suffer from it is unknown, but their writing shows they either have personal experience or have conducted thorough research on the various ways OCD affects individuals. Another aspect I appreciated was that Tristan, the main love interest, is an Indigenous person. Indigenous people deserve more representation in literature, especially in ways that are not cliché or limited to historical fiction.
However, I didn't love this book as much as I had hoped.
While it was very well-written, I didn't connect with the characters or their development. Set in 2007 with flashbacks to 2004, these characters are supposed to be in college, with Tristan being a year or so older than Rose. This means he is set to graduate from college, and Rose is close behind, but they behave like they are in middle school or early high school. Tristan met Rose through her older brother, Rob. He was new to the area, joined the high school hockey team, and he and Rob became best friends. Due to Rose's severe OCD, she was somewhat of an outcast among her peers and didn't have many friends. Her big brother, Rob, was her only friend. Because Tristan was now best friends with Rob, Rose felt like she was losing her brother and that one true friendship she had. This is understandable but not sufficient to justify the grudge against Tristan lasting as long as it did.
In a flashback to 2004, after an incident at her brother and Tristan's hockey game left her with stitches on her eyebrow, she wakes up to a box of movies outside her bedroom door that she had never seen before. This is where the miscommunication between Tristan and Rose begins. Rather than outright telling Rose, "Hey, actually I left those there for you because I thought you'd enjoy them. Plus, I really, really like you," Tristan just starts his incessant routine of spoiling the movies for Rose. Naturally, this upsets Rose, and on more than one occasion, Rob hints that it is clear Tristan does so because he is in love with her. Very much the “he’s picking on you cause he likes you” vibe.
There were moments in the book that were wholesome and tried to keep the whole story going, but it just wasn’t enough. At times I felt that Rose (FMC with OCD) was incredibly insufferable, unlikeable, and childish. Tristan deserved more as the male main love interest. The back-and-forth and repetitiveness of certain plot points made the tale very lackluster. Plus Tristan did some things that just screamed “RED FLAG”.
Regardless of my thoughts on this novel in particular, I still feel that it was a decent read and detailed L.E. Todd’s ability to write and create a world with characters that exhibited flaws, real world challenges, but provided them with the growth needed for redemption.
read this because you like:
✨ Single First Person POV
✨ Mental health/OCD representation
✨ Brother’s Best Friend
✨ He Falls First
✨ Movie Spoilers
✨ Miscommunication
✨ College Romance
✨ Slow Burn
✨ Set Between 2004-2007