Those Who Wait

DNFed @ 54%

This book commits three atrocities which I have put into a cute little list:

1.) This book is over 600 hundred pages long. To put it in perspective, Pride and Prejudice is ~350 pages long, depending on the version and copy you're reading. They were able to make a 6+ hour mini series of Pride and Prejudice and covered everything in the book. I got to page 343 of this godforsaken book. All that happened so far in the story could be summed up in a 14-minute Youtube short film.

2.) Why so much headspace? That's what all this book was: characters having a little dialogue to only be interrupted by several paragraphs of thought and feeling often being repetitive information. How many times do I have to know that Charlotte's grandmother was president? Clearly not enough for the writer to put it in countless times. Not only that, but whenever there was a conversation and the author thought it necessary to put in a few pages of thoughts and feelings etc, I could only imagine the other character staring at them like they're on the Truman Show.

3.) Sutton, conceptually. I actually related to her a little bit in the beginning. I kept thinking that she was one of those characters that seemed shy at first, but shows off confidence once the relationship grows. But she wasn't. Even when things were clear as day, she still was blind to it and reacted negatively because the author told her to. She constantly worries about adding stress to Charlotte and then PROCEEDS TO ADD STRESS TO CHARLOTTE. Such an annoying character to read. There wasn't even one hint of development in the 343 pages I read - that goes for both her and Charlotte.

Anyways, sorry for yapping. Thx for reading!

Haley Cass is a master at writing absolutely incredible slow burn, and Those Who Wait is one of her best. Sutton and Charlotte have some absolutely incredible chemistry, I could read about these two doing anything mundane together and still enjoy it. They're both immediately likeable, messy and relatable in the best possible way. Cass masterfully swaps perspectives between both characters to keep each scene as gripping as possible, and the numerous obstacles and misunderstandings that plague their relationship manage to stay engaging without feeling frustrating.

In comparison to Cass' later works, Those Who Wait isn't as tightly written; it's her longest, and there are points, particularly in the latter half, where it shows. But the core relationship behind this story never stops being gripping, and watching Sutton and Charlotte inch closer and closer towards their romance is absolutely incredible.

If I have any complaint, it's that the ending feels a little abrupt. This is fully rectified by the book's sequel, Forever and a Day, but I would've loved to see a glimpse of Sutton and Charlotte's future together here. That doesn't mean that the ending is bad, just that it left me wanting more, which likely would've happened regardless for any story with these two characters in it.

Those Who Wait is a book that I go back to, frequently. It's one of the most captivating slow burns I've ever read, and I've never been able to put it down, even on rereads. Absolutely worth a read, there's so, so much to love here.

Story ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Audio 💗💗💗💗💗 (Lori Prince has been added to my favorite narrators. And she can moan in my ears all day long)

Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

"good things come to those who wait"

Was this a bit too long? Yes, sure. Could it be about 100 pages shorter? Yes. But I would miss the moans, and this 2 beautiful characters sooner. So I don't really mind the 20 hours it took me to listen to this book. Nor I minded the long descriptions and the long conversations.

I loved the way the author touched on the coming out issues, on how this would affect a public person's profile and support. The struggles and how they try to mask or hide their sexuality. BUT! As a Bi person, the fact the Sutton, after realizing she was Bi, went only for women and was locked at home, and didn't know what to do and how to meet someone etc, it was so weird and so out of context... She was bisexual...

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5c/99/39/5c993918849a1858176cc694ee3c354a.gif

Anyhow, chef's kiss to this book and to its author. Off to look out her other books and what I ll read next.

Ps. I am not reading the small novella that came after, I read somewhere it involved kids, and I am sick and tired of the whole "to be a family you need kids" mentality! I' ll leave my Sutton and Charlotte with a romantic love.

I loved every second of this book. I'm not particularly one to seek out slow paced / slow burn books but I absolutely loved everything about this. I loved watching Sutton & Charlotte's relatuonship grow from how it started to the end of the book. There wasn't a moment where I grew bored of it.

I'm not one to read spicy scenes either, yet the way it was written felt so intimate, I found myself putting the book down to breathe. Acrually, just throughout the book, even with the cute little moments, I was giggling and putting my kindle aside and internally screaming at how cute they were, even if they weren't official yet.

I saw a lot of ppl say that 600+ pages for a romance is a bit too much, yet I think the length was entirely needed. This book honestly gave me a different perspective on slow burn romances and gave me a way deeper appreciation for that character development & relationship development. If their relationship growth was written any faster, then I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did.

This book won my heart over.

One of the best lesfic novels I've ever read/listened to. The characters are so well developed and their emotions are palpable. For the audiobook, Lori Prince does such a fantastic job of bringing the words to life. I can't recommend this book enough.