Older

This Book Was a Red Flag... and I Fell in Love Anyway 🩶

A raw, aching love story that defies every rule — and still makes you root for it.

You know that moment when your brain screams “DON’T DO IT” but your heart just... dives?

Yeah. That was me with Older.

The premise?

Seventeen-year-old Halley meets thirty-something Reed.

He’s her best friend’s dad.

She’s bone-tired, bruised by life, and barely surviving.

And he sees her. Really sees her.

He doesn’t touch her. Doesn’t push her. Just… exists beside her.

I went in expecting 🚩🚩🚩. I came out emotionally mangled and whispering, “Oh no… it’s beautiful.”

Let’s get this straight: this isn’t a smutty, taboo-age-gap shocker.

Jennifer Hartmann doesn’t write scandal. She writes salvation.

There’s a reason I kept turning pages like my life depended on it. The ache. The angst. The years of waiting before anything ever happens. This is slow burn in the truest, most agonizing way.

They don’t cross lines. They stare at them. They bleed at them.

And when the dam finally breaks, it’s not gross—it’s earned.

“You had to be everything I’ve dreamed about, every wish I’ve made on falling stars and birthday candles and pennies in mall fountains…”

Cue my soul evaporating 💀

The book is set in the 90s (yes, we’re talking Walkmans and mixtapes), and it doesn’t just reference the era—it breathes it. The nostalgia is so thick, I could hear the faint sound of Nirvana playing in the background while my heart shattered.

And here’s the thing: it’s not just forbidden. It’s haunting.

Even when Halley is grown. Even when years pass. Reed still lingers like a ghost she never quite escaped.

Should you read it?

If “age-gap” makes you side-eye a book, I get it. Truly.

But if you’re open to complex, soul-deep love stories with searing angst, Older might surprise you.

It might even wreck you (in the best way).

🖤 You’ve been warned. And you’ll thank me later.

Let’s Talk

Have you read Older? Did Reed mess you up as badly as he did me?

Drop your feelings in the comments or slide into my DMs on Bookstagram. I need emotional backup.

No judgment. Just shared trauma and tissues.

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📚 Book: Older by Jennifer Hartmann

🌟 Rating: 4 stars

🛒 Grab it here Older