Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This story had less wit than I like in a Romance but the humor was in the realness and authenticity of the characters. They were so relatable and love able. I enjoyed that there was a depiction of Jo and Mal’s story more than they met and fell in love. Throughout this story, I kinda loved that Jo was the problem. It’s refreshing to see a high achieving woman struggle in relationship and see that someone is willing to be patient and love her through the learning curve. I really think this is becoming a more normal phenomenon since we see more women going to college, etc. I saw a lot of myself in that story. But the reminder that you can be transformed by love and that after a long time of never feeling seen or being pursued in the way you deserve, there is still someone out there just waiting for the chance was lovely.
Quotes that I want to remember for me:
Quotes that I want to remember for me:
Strong isn’t a personality trait. It’s a sign that you’re neglected and not protected.
“It’s being pushed past all of your human limitations and still being expected to overfunction, to be empathetic and kind and make zero mistakes on two hours of sleep and a diet of ginger ale and peanut butter cups. It’s knowing that you can do everything within your power to help your patients, but that it’ll change nothing, because outside of the hospital no one gives a shit about them. It’s having to answer to people who care more about a bottom line or their own egos than they do people. And besides that, the money isn’t always as good as people think, especially in primary care—” (Reminded me of how grad school can feel and therapy. Peoples lives and brains are in my hands)
Because dreams, I wanted to say, are a luxury. When you were sure you could eat, sure you had a place to sleep, when you knew that your place in the world was secure, you could have dreams.(I sometimes still feel that way. Scared to dream or like they are a luxury. But what if they are a luxury I can afford?)
Photography and writing, in his mind, were sisters: in one, he guided interpretation through framing, focus, and lighting, in the other, through words.
He imagined that, once earned, her love would be pure, unmarred by anxiety and misunderstanding, the kind in which she only saw him for his best self, and he worked tirelessly to make her image of him reality. (I like this depiction of love. I think it’s real yet descriptive, showing love as more than a feeling)
Negotiating his own trustworthiness shouldn’t have made him this giddy. But the realization that he could have hard conversations, and that they could feel productive, gave him hope. (This is a great depiction of conflict I think/ having tough conversations and the beauty that can come from them)
When I put aside my old hurts, when I looked at Prudence as who she might be now instead of who she’d been when I was a child, I realized that I wanted to know her. See if she’d been transformed by love, the way I had.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Abandonment
Was expecting more of a love triangle and angst around that but instead got childhood trauma. I thought Mal was a lovely MMC, but I didn’t really get their chemistry. The whole mom plot line felt both overdone and not fully resolved.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
I did really like the themes in this book and the plot for the most part. Honestly, I just didn't love our main characters as much as I should have. I loved having to intelligent, strong, good hearted, black characters be the leads but the way that they were written took away from me loving them so much. I think a prequel to this book where I learn even more about Josephine would make me love this book.