That was a RIDE! I loved it, I’m sad it’s over but perfect ending!
Overall I really, super enjoyed this book. Definitely my favourite of the trilogy, mostly cos I’m a sappy shit! I loved how the mental health and relationship issues were an ongoing thing. There was no attempt to minimise them as the book went on, or to wrap them up and tie a bow on them. I really appreciated that because mental health and relationships are absolutely things you have to work on and we need more media that makes that clear.
On the mental health front it did annoy me that the characters referred to struggling with mental illness or needing therapy as “weakness” and that never really changed. While it was definitely true to Damian’s character, I would liked to have seen Kell grow a little more and start seeing therapy as a proactive, strong way to take care of himself.
The family dynamics were so well portrayed. I loved how Kell and Damian’s families were juxtaposed. I also enjoyed that the families represented Kell and Damian’s relationship themselves, eventually as a before/after. I thought it cleverly reinforced the flaws, solutions and points being made.
The shades of grey in the whole trilogy are wonderful; there is a focus on humans doing good/bad things or making decisions and then dealing with the consequences, rather than individual people being good/bad.
It’s also definitely a book that depicts personal growth and the capacity we all have for change. I found it powerfully depicted how anyone is just a few decisions away from a different life. Which is such a cliché but still true.
The trilogy as a whole was a really well written and pretty brutal exploration of relationships; the power of communication and the importance of retaining your own identity. It made some very strong points without preaching, especially as I think most of us can relate to making one or more of the terrible decisions, small or large, and seeing the fall out from them.
5/5 TeePots
Disclosure: this book was written by one of my clients but I paid full price for the book and read it by choice.
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