Nothing More & Nothing Less- Anna Todd
Narration/Perspective: 1st person POV
*Spice*: 3/5
Trope: Friends to Lovers/ Love Triangle
Enjoyment: 3.75/5
Overall Rating- 3/5
These 2 books are delightful.
Landon has my heart.
Nora and Tessa need to be my best friends.
Dakota needs long term, serious therapy.
I want to hug Anna Todd.
Nothing More and Nothing Less follow the story of Landon Gibson, a university student who is trying to navigate life as adult and finds himself in the middle of a love triangle. We meet his best friend Tessa and the two ladies he’s caught in the middle off. Dakota, Landon’s first love and long-term girlfriend before they broke up when they went to separate universities; they have deep routed history and have been through a lot of trauma and hardship in their younger years which formed a strong bond, tying them together. Nora is Tessa’s older, mysterious friend who developed a crush on Landon, but despite trying to ignore it, she always finds herself with London, alone, unable to control the feelings and urges she gets around him. In this love triangle we see Landon struggling with the developing attraction he has for Nora and can’t ignore no matter how hard he tries, whilst navigating a volatile friendship with his ex. Themes such as suicide and domestic abuse are explored in these books, so if that is something you are not comfortable with, I would recommend you approach with caution.
My first praise for these books is the way Landon is written. I'm not talking about looks or even the *spicy* scenes. For a 20-year-old university student from a small town in the middle of nowhere, this guy as one of the purest hearts I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. Yes, I will admit that the way is described physically is also rather pleasing to read, I’m human, come on. Landon is what I would call a protector and provider. He is a university student, he's broke. But what he does have in abundance is emotional understanding, maturity, and availability. He wants to fix everyone's problems and keep everyone happy, but he doesn't force it out of everyone. We see him putting everyone above himself, even the 17-year-old who works in the show below is apartment. He’s always considerate of others and is very mature for his age. He is just, simply, supportive.
The second thing I like about these books is the friendship between Nora and Tessa. Honestly, I want to be best friends with these two girls. They’re supportive, fun girls-girls. They have a safe and comfortable relationship; Nora can walk into Tessa and Landon’s apartment and start cooking like she’s in the comfort of her own home. They both look out for each other and want what’s best for the other, even if they don’t want to hear it. When we reach the plot peak of Nora and Landon’s relationship and start learning abut Tessa’s relationship issues, they both have the other’s back.
My biggest and only complaint about these books is that you can very clearly tell they are Wattpad books which have gone to print. The writing style isn't your Tessa Bailey or SJM. It is armature writing. There were the obvious signs such as the spelling errors and punctuation mistakes, which should have been picked up before going to final print. When it came to the spicy scenes (I don't need to tell you what words I'm referring to), it felt as though some of the descriptions and words were used because they were the most striking. Sometimes it worked, but more times than not, it didn't.
Looking past all of that, I would suggest these books to someone who is just starting their journey into romance but want something that is a bit more direct when it comes to the spice. It was an easy read, didn’t take a lot of concentration (that’s a good thing in my book), and it ultimately got me out of my reading slump.