Honestly, I hated Rhode from the first page. He spent so much time lamenting the fact that he was older, that his bones ached and his back hurt and everything in between that it was frankly obnoxious. Like… Get in line, you’re not special because you have a few aches and pains.
However, Nina was so much fun to read about, and definitely saved the book. With her soft-hearted personality, ability to speak her mind, and endless loyalty, she was a character I could see myself being friends with. I loved that the book heavily focused on mental health representation, portraying Nina’s anxiety in a way that felt authentic and raw.
The age difference in the book, ten years, is something I would not have minded that much, if it hadn’t been made such a big deal of in the first chapter. It bothered me that Rhode kept making assumptions about Nina based on her age, such as automatically concluding that she loved to party, binge drink, and sleep around. As a reader in her twenties, seeing my age group reduced to those kinds of arguably negative stereotypes– at least in Rhode’s opinion– made me feel frustrated with him as a character.
By the end of the book, I did warm up to Rhode and his broodiness. The romance had me swooning and kicking my feet when he takes care of Nina and remembers little meaningful details about her. However, if the copy I had wasn’t a special signed edition I wanted to love and keep, I wouldn’t have put in as much effort to finish the book and likely would’ve quit after the first few chapters.
Three out of five stars.
Paging Kait 