Thank you Lovenotes PR and PS Black for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
let's talk about the good first This book was filled with grief. ma Thank you Lovenotes PR and PS Black for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
let's talk about the good first This book was filled with grief. man, i hadn't prepared for that when i picked it up but man oh man did it grab me by the arm. it was very well done, for sure because it was only 400 somewhat pages.
the characters felt real, their troubles felt real. the side character weren't carbon copies of the same person different name. overall a very hard hitting story that a lot of people would relate to, for sure if you just lost someone. i don't know how accurate the representation is here but as far i could see it was very well done!
the thing that annoyed me so much though.... the typos the grammatical errors some sentences were hussled or repeated it kept bringing me out of the story. and i get that this is an arc but these were first draft errors, not arc draft errors. i sincerely hope there will be another draft of spellchecking and just an editor who looks over it because it would be a real shame if it got published like this
without the spelling errors this was a solid 4,5!
read if you like:
-angsty mm romances -teacher x student -age gap -grief -addiction rep -found family
if you can trust me on one thing, it’s that i will always read the questionable shit you don’t necessarily will want to pick up but you’re curious aboif you can trust me on one thing, it’s that i will always read the questionable shit you don’t necessarily will want to pick up but you’re curious about.
anyway, unironically loved the shit out of this, will be reading the second one rn...more
i have not checked this review for grammar and or spelling mistakes, it's just me rambling and i don't wanna add to an already incredibly long rambl i have not checked this review for grammar and or spelling mistakes, it's just me rambling and i don't wanna add to an already incredibly long ramble session so don't hate me <3
it's about a week later and i'm still not ready to talk about it but (famous last words) let's do it anyway
this review will contain no spoilers of any importance other than 1 big thing that isn't plot related but it is how the book works, I'll tell y'all beforehand so you can skip over it if you'd like
this review will be all over the place, i almost never write full reviews anymore so please excuse me lol
Plot
man oh man, where to begin. You meet Nolan and Skylar, both at rehab on an island that's divided between a resort side and a rehab side. Nolan is there because he's an alcoholic who was 5 years sober but had a fall back and got admitted to rehab by his (ex) wife. Skylas isn't really an addict and is there more because his parents made him go. (his whole story will be about this so I'm not gonna say any more lol) some things happen and they end up having a very temporary relationship together.
SPOILER (view spoiler)[ there's a time jump of 3 years after Nolan's rehab and the last 30% is basically about them meeting each other again after those 3 years (hide spoiler)] SPOILERS OVER
characters
man, I could go on and on about Nolan and Skyler. like any other Jessie Walker book, they're well-rounded and so flawed which makes them feel like real people instead of characters you read in a book. she's incredibly good at writing characters and once again succeeds in Exiled. As someone who's on the spectrum themselves, Skyler's "problems" hit close to home. Not to say that i deal with the same things, because that's not the case. But the way he internalised every thought and is very direct and rational about certain things is something i can *cough cough* relate to *cough*. The way Jessie dealt with his panic attacks is something I've talked about with friends, how uncanny they are with how accurate they're portrayed. And just like those panic attack, Skyler's "storms" were also really fascinating to experience. you feel his hopelessness, the restraint he's trying to grab but can't reach, the way he feels like he's worthless because nobody has ever made an effort to fucking hug him and comfort him in a way he needed. it's heartbreaking and I'm so glad he eventually (vdxfgjdijgd took a while) found it with Nolan.
as for Nolan, this man could rage a fucking war and i would be behind him without knowing what he's fighting for because i just know he would be behind the right causes lol. I loved the difference time made to his character. he went to very rash and grumpy to very openly compassionate and understanding. not that he was not those things before but they were just buried under a lot of self hate lol. idk man, Jessie just writes characters who are incredibly relatable even though i don't identify with a 32 year old man who's also an alcoholic HA
nah but fr, their problems became mine. their problems made me realise how ignorant not only other people can be but also me. i, as an autistic person myself, still has a lot to learn and I'm already on the right way, don't get me wrong. but books like this just make me realise how much more there's still to learn. luckily i love reading character studies lol
the side characters were also very well done and just as important. i loved the last 30% as you got to know a lot more characters who were not only a support system both of them needed but also such well-rounded people who truly brought something of importance to the setting and the story as well. also, I'm so surprised i ended up loving Nolan's ex wife lol. never thought i would see the day but here we are!!!
miscellaneous (very out of pocket but I spelled this word immediately correct the first time, look at me go writing fancy words and fancy reviews word vomiting all over the place)
the setting in the first 60/70% were so atmospheric ugh. and for sure as it is a shared world multiple authors wrote in! i don't know how accurate the depiction is as i have not read the rest but I'm excited to check it out eitherway! i loved the setting in the rest of the book as well. it weirdly made sense where Skyler ended up lol. and the forest surrounding the town just fit Nolan so well hahha
The story surrounding Nolan's grief over not being a stable father figure was also very well done. and for sure with the whole circle back with his ex towards the end. it shows that even if we care and even if we love our dear ones sometimes we just fuck up and endanger the other. that's life. we fuck up. doesn't mean we love them any less. it was a very interesting scene, Nolan differentiating between the fact that him drinking was neglect which resulted in his kid almost dying, while his ex made a mistake that was just careless. She forgot. which resulted in their kid almost dying. idk man, my boy has come such a long way *wipes tear*
ALSO i loved the way that Skyler wasn't made out to be unfit to be a parent!!!! i loved the fact that Jessie made him the actual biological father because Nolan didn't want to give their children a change to become an addict (or at least not the part where it's hereditary) and would much rather raise a child with autism. idk man, healthy representation!!! because wowie autism is not a disease! it's not a blessing either but idk man, don't all people hate their brain sometimes? ours just work a bit different and people hate change and things they don't understand. but yeah, this way so cool to read about, and a very nice change of pace tbh.
but anyway, i could probably dissect this, or any Jessie Walker book for that manner, for hours, and i will!!!!!! but not here on GoodReads, lol, yall are not ready for that!!!
these books make me think (and depressed HA) in the best way. i could also not classify ANY book written by Jessie as a romance. don't go into her books thinking you'll be reading a romance, because you won't. she writes character studies with little tidbits of romance sprinkled in there. the books often have no clear plot other than life itself. and idk i think it's such a beautiful way of writing a story. I'm just ready to be taken to any adventure she thinks off, buckling myself in for the ride fr fr
anyway. this book made me ugly cry and I'm ready to read more of them when the time comes! she has done it again and again and I'll trust her with anything at this point.
5/5
-------------- once again a book by jessie walker that hits
as someone who also has a lot of trouble verbally translating thoughts for people to understand, this book hit close to home.
-A golden retriever dragon shifter -A non-binary masc presenting dragon hunter -“oops! now we’re stuck together” -“oops, i lost the key”
10/10 would recom-A golden retriever dragon shifter -A non-binary masc presenting dragon hunter -“oops! now we’re stuck together” -“oops, i lost the key”
anyway, this book didn't fall in the usual plotline format if you get what i mean. the plot was kinda all over did i finish this at work.... maybeeeee
anyway, this book didn't fall in the usual plotline format if you get what i mean. the plot was kinda all over the place which did make me wanna read more, but it also felt like it wasn't editted well.
nonetheless still very much enjoyed this!
usually im not one for the friends to lovers trope, it just seems stupid to me that they have been in love for so long without doing anything about it, so i was glad that wasn't the case in this one! their relationship formed very organically and it was exciting to see where they would go next.
Milo (if lost, return to hot fictional character)
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