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yourbookishbff 's review for:
Any Old Diamonds
by KJ Charles
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was sexy, bonkers and darkly funny - I loved it. Alec and Jerry, our two main characters, are well-built foils who fall desperately in love (even if they're too scared to say it out loud for most of the book) while masterminding a jewel heist. The backstory to this is dark, but the plot's pacing and moments of levity keep it from ever feeling like it's too much, and I appreciated the class difference that offsets the traumatic backstory, bringing a necessary discussion of privilege into this family melodrama. I realized in reading this that my taste for love declarations leans more subtle, and I wished for more insight into Jerry's character growth before confession of said growth, but these are small quibbles - I am so excited to continue this series and get more Susan Lazarus!
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Violence, Medical trauma, Classism