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2.96 AVERAGE
2.96 AVERAGE
2.5 stars - It was hard to rate this book because to me it was just okay. I enjoyed parts of it but overall finished feeling a sense of disappointment. The premise of this book pulled me in and it held my attention up until the last third of the book. I could not connect with the characters and their experience of the European countries visited during the cruise felt superficial and inauthentic.
I also struggled to figure out what the author hoped to achieve with this novel - like what was her intended message to me as the reader? Because although serious family and personal issues were touched upon, they were not explored with the depth I believe they deserved. Nor was the book as lighthearted as the bright, beachy cover leads you to believe.
I also struggled to figure out what the author hoped to achieve with this novel - like what was her intended message to me as the reader? Because although serious family and personal issues were touched upon, they were not explored with the depth I believe they deserved. Nor was the book as lighthearted as the bright, beachy cover leads you to believe.
The author’s depiction of family dysfunction is spot on. I loved the character development: as is in life, these characters had to break first to heal.
An easy fun beach read. Predictable but quirky. The description compared it to The Nest and The Vacationers - both of which I read an loved - but it falls short.
I wanted a fun summer beach read and got a messy stressful family vacation. All of the problems could have been avoided if they just talked to each other at some point.
I enjoyed the story, but I didn't love it, I ended up skimming quickly towards the end. There characters were fun, and I liked their personalities. I especially enjoyed the small twists towards the end.
A big theme of the books is dealing with past trauma and moving forward. This is great and all, but seems a little too neat and tied up in the story. Like, the siblings are all still dealing with childhood trauma 30 years later, and suddenly all have a big issue to deal with and overcome at the same time. Realistically, moving past trauma can take years of working on it. While I appreciate the sentiment that trauma doesn't have to be catastrophic to be traumatizing, it seemed like the whole personalities of the siblings was about their past. Also seemed a little too overdone that their past resulted in physical issues, mental issues, and relational issues for all three siblings, and that all three buried their issues deep until suddenly they are together.
Overall I enjoyed the read/skim of the book. But the emphasis on overcoming past trauma was a little overdone.
A big theme of the books is dealing with past trauma and moving forward. This is great and all, but seems a little too neat and tied up in the story. Like, the siblings are all still dealing with childhood trauma 30 years later, and suddenly all have a big issue to deal with and overcome at the same time. Realistically, moving past trauma can take years of working on it. While I appreciate the sentiment that trauma doesn't have to be catastrophic to be traumatizing, it seemed like the whole personalities of the siblings was about their past. Also seemed a little too overdone that their past resulted in physical issues, mental issues, and relational issues for all three siblings, and that all three buried their issues deep until suddenly they are together.
Overall I enjoyed the read/skim of the book. But the emphasis on overcoming past trauma was a little overdone.
Could not maintain interest in the main characters enough to finish this one
A fun easy read that hits family dysfunction and self evaluation on the head. Funny and relatable.