title: Relative Fiction
author: Alaina Rose
publisher: self-published
publication date: April 12, 2023
pages: 255
peppers: 3 (on this scale)
warnings: lots, she gives a long list at the beginning of the book including vomit, a nasal cannula, lots of drinking, and a dying parent
summary: Julia recently got an anonymous email informing her that her longtime boyfriend/fiancé had been cheating on her the whole time. As she drinks too much and returns shower gifts, she gets a text from her high school bestie, Thomas, to say that he's back in town. He has returned to spend time with his dying father and help at the family's restaurant. The two pined for each other in high school, but both assumed the other wasn't interested.
tropes:
- friends to lovers
- returning home
- big promotion on the line
- failed engagement recovery
- the one that got away
- back from the big city to small town
- people in their thirties living with parents
what I liked:
- both main characters are writers
what I didn’t like:
- The main characters are supposed to be in their early thirties, but they mostly talk like unconvincing teens. They haven't grown on changed since high school.
- The author doesn't successfully maintain her chapters' points of view. In each characters' chapters, there are thoughts that don't make sense coming from them.
- The main character drinks way too much
overall rating: 2 (of 5 stars)
I would not have finished this book had I not needed to write a NetGalley review. I'm glad I finished it, as it definitely grew on me.