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dlrosebyh's Reviews (773)
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Walking Olivia follows Olivia Finnegan, our primary heroine, as she joins her college's track squad. Her coach, Will Langstrom, despises her for being this deceptive, secretive, sexy, and manipulative girl. Will Langstrom is responsible for a variety of tasks. He needs to turn around a failing farm, pay off his father's debt, and coach his underperforming track team; he has no time to cope with Olivia, a transferred student.
Exhausted does not begin to express how I felt when reading this book. This novel is twisted in so many ways, and the plot twists keep surprising me. I had to take numerous pauses as well since the narrative was too much for me to bear.
This is not a book to be taken lightly. Yes, it's a romance novel, but it's not your average fluffy, cheerful romance. It is far more complex than the romance. It mostly addresses issues such as abuse, PTSD, and overall mental wellness.
The romance in this book is slow-burning. Slow-burned in the sense that they don't kiss until 65 percent of the way through the novel, and Will thinks kissing her was a mistake. It featured a lot of angst, by which I mean 98 percent of the novel is simply pure agony, yearning, and desperation. The cliché forbidden love played a significant role in this novel, however as someone who enjoys this trope, I was disappointed by how it was handled.
When it comes to the characters, I have conflicting thoughts regarding Will. Olivia, on the other hand, is my personal favorite. I dislike protagonists, so this speaks volumes about how well-written her character is. Will was overbearing, and not in a nice way. He was constantly getting aggressive on everyone who is nasty to Olivia, as if he was never mean to her; as if he is the kindest person on the planet—and that aspect really upset me.
Overall, this is a nice novel. I suppose it was just the way the relationship was handled that bothered me. To be honest, I wish Elizabeth O'Roark had handled it better. Otherwise, this would have been a five-star read.
Exhausted does not begin to express how I felt when reading this book. This novel is twisted in so many ways, and the plot twists keep surprising me. I had to take numerous pauses as well since the narrative was too much for me to bear.
This is not a book to be taken lightly. Yes, it's a romance novel, but it's not your average fluffy, cheerful romance. It is far more complex than the romance. It mostly addresses issues such as abuse, PTSD, and overall mental wellness.
The romance in this book is slow-burning. Slow-burned in the sense that they don't kiss until 65 percent of the way through the novel, and Will thinks kissing her was a mistake. It featured a lot of angst, by which I mean 98 percent of the novel is simply pure agony, yearning, and desperation. The cliché forbidden love played a significant role in this novel, however as someone who enjoys this trope, I was disappointed by how it was handled.
When it comes to the characters, I have conflicting thoughts regarding Will. Olivia, on the other hand, is my personal favorite. I dislike protagonists, so this speaks volumes about how well-written her character is. Will was overbearing, and not in a nice way. He was constantly getting aggressive on everyone who is nasty to Olivia, as if he was never mean to her; as if he is the kindest person on the planet—and that aspect really upset me.
Overall, this is a nice novel. I suppose it was just the way the relationship was handled that bothered me. To be honest, I wish Elizabeth O'Roark had handled it better. Otherwise, this would have been a five-star read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Rape, Sexual assault
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