DNF'd at 36%

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I struggled to connect and care about the characters and the plot was becoming repetitive even though I only made it a third of the way through the book. Hannah and Seth both felt very flat. However, I do think that is because this book is. a spin off of another series of C.L Walters and this needs to be marketed in that way. If you have read C. L. Walters Cantos series then you will most likely connect to this book more than I did.

The writing style also read as a younger YA and cringe while the content of grief, abuse, and alcoholism were not. I can appreciate that Walters wanted Seth to be a cinnamon roll, soft, and lovable male main character. However, the constant internal monologues came across as constantly telling the reader that is what he was rather than using his actions to show this. In Hannah's perspective the back and forth over Sebastian became very old quickly as it was mentioned at least 3 times a chapter. I wanted to fall in love with this one but by not having enough context for what had previously happened and this not being showed as a previous series spin off, it made it very hard to connect to.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Mixed Plate Press for an ARC of this book.

Seth and Hannah are so cute and I loved seeing them open up to each other and trust each other. I really enjoyed seeing them fall in love.

I received an arc through netgalley.

CW: child abuse(in the past, mmc's dad), domestic abuse (fmc's ex boyfriend)

2.5, rounded down to 2/5 stars

TW: Sexual assault, abuse, alcoholism

“The Messy Truth About Love” follows Seth and Hannah, a second-chance romance after they cross paths in college about 2-3 years after Seth moved away from the town where they grew up together. Their relationship blossoms as they pick back up where they left off, much to the dismay of Hannah’s ex-boyfriend.

There was a lot of difficult topics covered in this story, including the abusive nature of Hannah’s ex-boyfriend and the difficult relationship Seth has with his father, who is a recovering alcoholic. I think the author did an okay job exploring some of these topics. My issue with some of the handling of the story came near the end when it appeared that Hannah was pushing Seth to reconcile with his father on the premise that she regretted not spending time with her father prior to his passing. I took a lot of issue with this because Seth’s father was physically and emotionally abusive towards him and victims are never under any obligation whatsoever to reconcile with their abusers and perpetuating that notion is really harmful.

Overall, I couldn’t really get past this in the story and it ruined the small amount of interest in the story I had.

"Love might be messy. Life might be complicated. But being at home with your person means being all in, the good, the bad, the messy, the ugly, the beautiful. All of it."

For all the difficult subject matter discussed, it's a very surface level take on DV and toxic relationships.

Had I known this was a continuation/spin-off of a previous series (I cannot find this book on Goodreads), I may not have picked it up. While it is labelled as NA, it reads as YA and, as I get older, I find I'm not as enamoured with YA/NA titles as I once was. The characters and writing are too juvenile.

I enjoyed aspects of the second-chance romance between Seth & Hannah. Their re-acquaintance 'meet-cute' was sweet, but as their relationship blossomed and began to get into the messy, I felt it got cleaned up too quickly and neatly.

After reading the author's note at the end, I appreciate what they were attempting, but unfortunately it fell a little flat.

I ended up not finishing this book because it didn’t interest me. I also had no idea it was a series and can’t find the other books to read in it with goodreads. Unfortunately the characters fell flat for me.

The first word that comes to my mind after reading this book is 'cute', but I don't think that it gives any justice to this book.
In my opinion you have to have a special talent to write a story involving different kind of mental problems, that characters face. And even though you know what each of the characters suffered and what's holding them back from living their lives to the fullest, it's not pushed on you or reminded in every sentence.
It's sad,romantic, full of love and care. As you imagine every second-chance story should be like.

What I did not like is the note from Sebastian and how it looks in the book. Gives me "Diary of a wimpy kid" vibes.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Thank you to NetGalley and C.L. Walters for providing this e-ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the authenticity of this story. It was raw and real. Hannah and Seth’s relationship was a second chance slow burn relationship. Their relationship had great chemistry and they refused to give up and kept fighting. It was a true mental health journey. Where as the reader you learn that the right kind of support goes a long way.

A great read for anyone who enjoyed second chance romance and childhood friend tropes.

My review will be posted to my goodreads and amazon accounts immediately and to my Instagram (@ginganinja) and my newly created bookstagram (paulas.book.nook) closer to the date of release on September 6, 2022

*Second Chance Romance
*Slowburn

-Please check trigger warnings-

This book was a wonder to read. I liked how the author decided to tackle trauma and did it in a respectful way.

It’s a great representation in the book community to showcase abusive relationships and the consent within them.

I loved Hannah and Seth’s relationship and how they felt with their issues. Having someone their in your corner is so important and the author showcased that as well. Overall their relationship sat well with me. They truly felt authentic. I also liked POVs.

Childhood friends Hannah and Seth are both looking for a fresh start when they surprisingly meet again after years of not seeing each other. Both have had a difficult time - can they manage to overcome their pasts to have a chance for a better future?

The Messy Truth About Love was a very pleasant NA surprise! I love a book where it’s not about love-heals-all but how - while you have to overcome your trauma yourself - the right kind of support is a tremendous help.

I loved the two main characters who both refused to give up fighting and were so authentic and human on their mental health journey (and you guys know I’m a sucker for childhood friends/second chance tropes 🥹).

Another big plus was the afterword about abuse awareness and the focus on consent in a relationship. 🤍

I can't even begin to review this book. I could not put it down. Absolutely stunningly told with real life situations, that I am all too familiar with. I can relate with Hannah's experiences, lost my dad unexpectedly 9 years ago, had an abusive relationship at one point, I'm a teacher, etc. So many things just sucked me in. Tastefully written with alternating viewpoints, which I love. So easy to get lost in this story. Thank you so much for the opportunity and I can't wait to read C.L. Walters' other books.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
I absolutely love second chance romances and this one was wonderful. The dialogue and story was so engaging and beautiful. Absolutely recommend!

The Messy Truth About Love by C.L. Walters
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Start date: July 23, 2022
Finish date: July 25, 2022
Release date: September 6, 2022

TW: grief, alcoholism, abuse

Summary:
▫️second-chance romance ✌️
▫️friends-to-lovers 💛
▫️crazy ex-boyfriend 😩
▫️slow burn romance🔥

Thank you @netgalley for a digital advanced copy of The Messy Truth About Love.

First of all: I can’t find this on Goodreads AND I didn’t realize it was part of a series. That being said, I do feel like you can read it independently (because I did) 😊

This book was an enjoyable read. I liked the storyline and chemistry of Seth & Hannah, and I love a good dual POV. It was well-written, just wasn’t super memorable for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Review:
I liked the emotional truth of this story. I liked Hannah and Seth together. I wish we'd seen more of their lives before and after each other - both times. The placing of this book felt a little bit off to me and I wished there was more plot than them dealing with their past and current trauma and falling in love. All that said, it was a beautiful love story and their feelings were rich and deep and beautiful to watch.

Synopsis:
HANNAH
A fresh start is exactly what Hannah Fleming needs after getting dumped by her cheating ex-boyfriend. While getting rejected was awful, nine weeks removed she’s recognizing the benefits, seeing that relationship for what it was: unhealthy. Then, Hannah bumps into her high school crush, Seth Peters, and is offered a second chance to see if what was in the past can once again be magical in the present. But when her past threatens her second chance, she must determine how hard she’s willing to fight for her future.

SETH
A fresh start is exactly what Seth Peters needs. New place. New people. New opportunities. Except, he runs straight into one of the greatest unresolved moments of his past, Hannah Fleming. Suddenly life is offering a second chance with her, but can he hold onto all he’s learned over the last few years to make a future with Hannah work? Or will he backslide into old ways of being to hide the truth of his darker past?

3.5 stars…This book was not what I was expecting, but it was great! It talked about very important and deep issues young adults face. Both Seth and Hannah dealt with internal and external issues that I felt were very realistic. I think the romance was cute especially because the dual POVs gave us both perspectives. I loved their relationship, too! Also, the writing was pretty good and the book wasn’t too slow, so it had a good pace. Overall, the plot was interesting and the book is great and realistic!

Even though this book was a little too slow, I still enjoyed it. I thought Hannah and Seth had good chemistry and was rooting for them. I just felt like this book needed more though.

Thank you to NetGalley and C. L. Walters for this arc.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from C.L. Walters and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Slow, not very interesting if I'm being honest. I had a very difficult finishing.

Second chance romance that was just meh. The book was a bit slow and I found myself skimming pages to just finish it

I ended up DNF-ing this book around 40% in. I just wasn't loving the writing style and it felt like nothing was really happening. I was bored and found myself skipping pages to try to peak my interest, but it didn't work. I really wanted to like this - I loved the cover and the synopsis seemed interesting, but ultimately, it just wasn't for me.