I got into reviewing specifically to boost my chances of being accepted as an ARC reader for Rae Ryder and Vivian Mae. Vivian Mae, looking at you. But thanks to my tireless efforts or someone’s oversight, this is my moment to shine for Rae Ryder. The hype is so real.
Absolutely nothing is surprising about Seb after that origin story.
Rae Ryder pulls through with the emotionally crippled main character again except this time it’s a twofer. It’s like she signed a deal with the devil to unequivocally corner the market on emotional trauma. Seb? Ho my lord. Erica? Someone pray for her. The two of them are so broken yet still pulling it together day to day, and I think it’s a really exceptional portrayal of how you still have to keep moving no matter what. So many forget that people who are emotionally stunted are still adults who have to act like adults. Rae Ryder perfectly captures what it’s like to be quietly broken. I hate how much I love her ‘barely making it’ characters like Matt, Seb, and Erica.
“If I want that, I’ll pay for it.” “Maybe you should.” EXCUSE ME? Sit down, sir, I can’t breathe.
Page 599 of the eARC had me sobbing like a baby and holding my kids like they would disappear if I didn’t tell them how much I loved them right that second. Maybe it’s the postpartum hormones, maybe it’s the depth of the characters, maybe it’s both, but I want to adopt Seb and Erica and show them what a mother actually looks like.
Amy is SUCH a good friend. What a queen. What an icon.
I don’t care what kind of damage the other Hawkstons have. Fuck them. Seb deserves better. Seb deserves brothers who would look for him. Brothers who don’t think he’s a joke. That man needs a hug and a new family. The ending didn’t resolve that for me personally only because I feel so deeply attached to Seb, so much more than I did the other Hawkstons. I wanted him to get a better resolution with his brothers because that’s what he deserves.
He deserves his happily ever after and Erica deserves the all consuming love and support she’ll get from Seb.
This was the best book in the series, easily. I’m officially mourning the fact that it’s over.
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