Book Review: Love & Other Phobias By Emma Nichols

Love & Other Phobias
By Emma Nichols

For two broken people, love was the biggest fear of all.

When a fire breaks out in Sophie’s high rise, she’s unable to leave. Trapped by her own fears within those four walls, the nearer the fire crawls, the more paralyzed she becomes. Yet, firefighter Cam Everett isn’t willing to let her perish in the flames. He never leaves anyone behind.

Cameron has always been good at his job. A great Marine, infantryman, and now a fireman and EMT, he knows the drill. But when things don’t go according to plan, he’ll have to deal with the one woman who can be his downfall or his savior.

Their only chance of survival is each other. Their only chance of redemption is a heartbeat away.

What becomes of the broken?

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My Review:

* I received a complimentary early copy of this book because I supported it on Kindle Scout.

The writing style did wonders for this novel, but a few things bothered me throughout the story. However, I loved how willing and open the main characters were to getting help for their mental issues and made it a point to actively seek out the help they needed.

Sophie has been through a lot. She's gotten to a point where she has backup plans for her backup plans. She's a recluse who has made it big from posting nail art videos online and well-planned investments. My only problem with her was how her problems seemed to start disappearing a day after she met Cameron. I can only suspend my belief for so long.

Cameron was a gentle giant, but he has a mean side when pushed to the edge. He's been through a lot in his life. I liked how, in a way, Sophie and Cam help "fix" each other throughout the story to a certain degree. What ended up leaving a bad taste in my mouth was the secret Cam kept until a few chapters from the end. It was only "revealed" because of pure happenstance. I understand, that ultimately, it wasn't his fault but he shouldn't have kept everything going while knowing she didn't know the full story. I also didn't understand why he hung around her to the point that he did. What ever happened to him having a job?

I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't see the brother and the BFF plot twist. Though it caught me blindsided, it got resolved way too easily. I'd also like to point out the lack of character development for the secondary characters. It felt like they were there only to further the plot line. It didn't feel like they had any substance to them.

Overall, this was a good story with a few details that rubbed me the wrong way. The main characters were very likable, but everything moved too fast to make it believable. I would have loved to have gotten to know the fire department aspect of the story. It would have made for a great series of spinoffs stories if any of Cam's friends had been presented organically throughout the story.

My Favorite Quotes:

"I'm not remotely athletic. I believe working out is a special kind of torture, and food is meant to be enjoyed."

"Life isn't fair [...]. Sometimes the bad guy wins. Sometimes dark conquers the light. Sometimes we forget to chase after our dreams, and we let the ones we love get away."

"Face your fears. Embrace the pain. Take a chance."

My Rating: