2.5

You know the fact that this only had one POV should have stopped me.

There’s something about reading a story (romance story in this case) and getting to see how the 2 characters view the world and more importantly see each other. So when it’s not dual POV and i think it’s first person, nope.

Also idk the way the characters “fall in love” is so meh. I love the forced proximity trope, but this wasn’t well executed. I wasn’t sold on these 2 together ( )

Nice story about found families with a romance tucked into it. A bit zero to sixty for the latter but still good. ( )

A single POV romance about unexpected parenthood. Chloe is embarking on life after university when she gets a phone call to say that her birth mother has had a premature baby, and Chloe is a candidate to become a next-of-kin carer.

Chloe has a decent-sized apartment but her burgeoning freelance career as a graphic designer isn’t enough to convince the authorities she’s sufficiently financially secure. She is encouraged to join forces with another would-be carer, Warren, who has a steady job but hasn’t been able to find a suitable housing close to his teenage brother’s school for the Deaf.

There’s an inevitable romance and while I liked seeing the two of them support each other, I was much more interested in the experiences of becoming a carer for a younger sibling -- and of having a baby staying in the neonatal intensive care unit. My youngest sibling was born early and spent months in NICU. Unlike Chloe, I was a child myself at that time but old enough that I remember vividly (some of) what that was like for my family. It’s an experience I haven’t seen portrayed in fiction before.

A surprisingly deep and authentic look at what makes a family, the bond between siblings and the friendships one can make when they open themselves up to the possibilities.

Next of Kin is about Chloe Walden, a twenty four year old recent graduate who discovers her biological mother has just given birth to a little girl - and that she'll be going straight into foster care unless Chloe would be willing to apply for guardianship. When she passes everything but the income assessment, she's recommended for a new Child Protective Services initiative, TeamUp; where she'll be matched with another family who have passed the income assessment but failed to find suitable housing. Twenty five year old mechanic, Warren Davies and his deaf fifteen year old brother, Luke are that family.

I really liked Chloe. She was an anxious mess and she absolutely resonated with me. I felt for her as she struggled to not only look after her little sister at a time where she was just coming into her own self, but also as she did it with a limited support system in place. And her worries about being too much and/or not enough for people were very relatable.

Warren was a harder nut to crack. I didn't much like him to start with but he thawed as the book progressed and the more I got to witness his personality shining through, the more I liked him. It was interesting seeing Warren struggle through a lot of the same issues as Chloe but with slightly different outcomes.

Although I won't deny that Chloe and Warren are both written rather young and immature at times, more like teenagers than adults, it didn't particularly bother me - although I imagine it might be a deal breaker for some.

This was actually a lot more serious than I expected though. I thought it was going to be a sweet fluffy romance with a contemporary storyline and it had parts of that but it was also so much more. The romance was adorable and swoonworthy but it wasn't the bulk or even the most important part of the story. The friendship between Warren and Chloe, the struggles they faced trying to meet the requirements for keeping custody of their siblings, the trauma they'd experienced and witnessed and were trying to break the cycle of, the found family between the four of them and also the new and old friendships developing between Em, Lane, Matt, Ram and Belle - it was heartbreaking and real but hopeful.

I liked Luke and the inclusion of both Chloe and Warren knowing ASL, but I would've liked to learn more about him and the struggles he faces being deaf. But it wasn't really about that. Or about Em and Lane - who I also would've liked to know more about. Especially in regards to Em being transgender? It was kind of just mentioned and then ignored. I really liked the way Em and Lane stepped up to be Chloe's support system and it was nice to see Chloe realise that she had good friends who accepted her as is.

But although my review is mostly positive - and the fact is I did really like it and enjoy reading it - I do have a few issues. The breadth of issues. I feel like this book took on so many topics and issues that it failed to cover all of them sufficiently. The storylines about Em and Lane. Luke and his deafness. ASL. Warren's anger management. Drug abuse. Chloe's adoptive parents and her insecurities about being herself. All of those got lost in between the other myriad of issues. That said, the topics the book does cover are covered well. The shared trauma, the struggles of Child Protective Services assessments, trusting one another, becoming found family, all of those were done well and made the book all the stronger for it.

Overall a worthwhile read for contemporary romance readers who like a bit of angst in their characters backgrounds. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. It's probably more of a 4 star read, but it gets an extra half star for pure enjoyment. ( )

This wasn't bad. A bit cheesy in some parts. Not quite 4 star, but close. A cute story of these unlikely roommates becoming a family. ( )