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ciara_fs98's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Cursing and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Medical content, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
witcheep's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Lauren Asher has become one of my favorite authors to read as soon as possible, and this book just solidifies that resolve. Love unwritten tells the tale of two people who have been through some serious trauma both in their childhood and recent relationships. They are afraid to give second chances to feeling big feelings with anyone, but slowly finding connection with each other and their families, they relearn to be open to caring about others and letting them care for you as well. Asher writes this process in such a real and emotional way that you can't help but get sucked into the lives of these characters.
The MMC Rafael is a millionaire grumpy single dad who is afraid to let anyone close anymore. He has been hurt too many times in the past by those he considered dear to him. Now he struggles to have a realtionship even with his son, and keeps everyone else at arm's distance to hide his struggles. Letting new people is even harder because of all the stacked up trust issues he has gained through is trauma.
The MMC Rafael is a millionaire grumpy single dad who is afraid to let anyone close anymore. He has been hurt too many times in the past by those he considered dear to him. Now he struggles to have a realtionship even with his son, and keeps everyone else at arm's distance to hide his struggles. Letting new people is even harder because of all the stacked up trust issues he has gained through is trauma.
Loneliness might be temporary, but heartbreak?
That emotional damage can last a lifetime.
– Rafael
Ellie is the nanny to Rafael's child Nico. She is a hopeful romantic and a songwriter, but is afraid to go after her dreams in the music business, because she has past trauma of doing just that and getting exploited and disregarded. That trauma hinders her love life as well, because her trust is waning.
"We can want a lot of things, but it doesn't mean anything if we don't put in the effort to make any of it happen."
– Ellie
The romance between Rafael and Ellie is a delicious slow burn. Both of them struggle with admitting to even themselves how smitten they are with each other. They take steps forward, but also backtrack and make mistakes; e. q. they struggle with trust issues, mental health struggles, and the power imbalance in their work situation mixing with the relationship/situationship they begin to give in to.
"Things were never going to work out. You didn't value me or my time enough, while I valued your family way too much. It would only get worse with time, so you firing me just sped up the process."
– Ellie to Rafael
The key is that they are willing to work on their own issues as wel as, eventually, they are open with communicating their feelings and needs with each other. That lets them find out how right they could be for each other.
"The one does exist, but not in the way you thought I meant, like some soulmate or something cosmic. To me, the one is someone willing to do everything in their power to be the person you deserve, not because they are fated to love you but because they choose to."
– Ellie to Rafael
This constant working on themselves and helping each other with that process made me feel, at times and in the best way possible, like I was reading a sneaky self-help book that lets you see a process of therapeutic healing of someone you care about. Seeing how determined both Ellie and Rafael are to work through their past traumas affecting their current behavior and to become better versions of themsleves makes me feel very hopeful. The book is full of insightful quotes you could frame to get motivation to work on yourself as well, and I love how they are so ingrained in the character's personalities that it comes across truly compassionate.
This constant working on themselves and helping each other with that process made me feel, at times and in the best way possible, like I was reading a sneaky self-help book that lets you see a process of therapeutic healing of someone you care about. Seeing how determined both Ellie and Rafael are to work through their past traumas affecting their current behavior and to become better versions of themsleves makes me feel very hopeful. The book is full of insightful quotes you could frame to get motivation to work on yourself as well, and I love how they are so ingrained in the character's personalities that it comes across truly compassionate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, and Death of parent
bergha1998's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I loved these characters, their real struggles, and complex personalities. This book made me cry and laugh. The built was perfect and I was so proud of who both Rafael and Ellie became.
Boss/Employee Romance, Opposites Attract, 3 1/2 🔥
“I developed this screwed-up mindset at a young age about relationships. That if I became the version of myself that I thought people wanted me to be, then they wouldn’t ever want to leave me.”
“To me, the one is someone willing to do everything in their power to be the person you deserve, not because they are fated to love you but because they choose to.”
Boss/Employee Romance, Opposites Attract, 3 1/2 🔥
“I developed this screwed-up mindset at a young age about relationships. That if I became the version of myself that I thought people wanted me to be, then they wouldn’t ever want to leave me.”
“To me, the one is someone willing to do everything in their power to be the person you deserve, not because they are fated to love you but because they choose to.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
juliareads123's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
kendra_taylors_version's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism and Drug use
siobhankeira's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
amateur_bookworm's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My summary:
Ellie Sinclair is a live-in nanny taking care of Nico, the eight-year-old son of billionaire Rafael Lopez. She moved back to her small hometown of Lake Wisteria after being betrayed by her best friend who made it big as a singer without crediting Ellie for being her songwriter. Rafael is a billionaire after designing a popular real estate app with his cousin years ago. After being badly hurt by his ex-wife, Rafael swore off getting close to anyone again. As both Ellie and Rafael struggle with past trauma, they can’t help but be drawn to each other.
My thoughts:
Love Unwritten by Lauren Asher is the second book of the Lakefront Billionaire series. The books are interconnected but this could be read as a standalone book.
Nico has my heart. This adorable 8-year old was introduced in Love Redesigned as the godson of rivals-to-lovers Julian and Dahlia. My heart just breaks for his eye condition, his POS mom, and his strained relationship with his dad. Thank goodness for Ellie and her music!
This is a slow burn romance with small town vibes. I enjoyed aspects of the story and the overall ending, but it just moved a little too slow and was a little too long for me to really love it. I absolutely adored Love Redesigned and I had extremely high expectations for this second book of the series. And it was fine—just not as great as I was expecting and hoping it to be. I didn’t feel much chemistry between Ellie and Rafa. I found myself annoyed with their lack of communication. But I did love Ellie’s songwriting storyline and I got literal goosebumps at one point when one of her songs was played!
It is absolutely worth the hassle to download the extended epilogue from BookFunnel. I really enjoyed it and it left me with a smile and feeling good at the end of it.
I feel like I must be a bit burnt out on romance and I’m probably overdue for a genre switch for a bit. This is one of those books where I am left wondering if I would have had a better perception of it if I’d been less stuck in a rut of the same genre leading up to reading it.
Overall, I do enjoy Lauren Asher’s books and this series enough to [im]patiently wait for the third installment of the series with Lorenzo and Lily’s story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Self harm, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment