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alexisdawn95's review against another edition
2.0
I felt like this book was way too predictable. It was also sad throughout the entire book, which is fine, but there was literally no joy in this book. It may just be my preference in genre of books though.
wishpearl's review against another edition
3.0
This book was pretty good. I had a hard time getting into it at first, but once I did, I couldn’t stop reading. I had seen reviews about how this book was such a tearjerker. It did make me tear up in the last 10%, but thankfully my eyes stayed dry for most of it.
I loved reading about Joshua and Lauren’s love. It was so sweet and they were so kind to each other. I loved the different characters—Lauren’s family, her best friend, Joshua’s new friend Radley, the Kims, his mom—they all seemed wonderful.
Overall this book was pretty healing to read through and it was beautiful going with Josh as he navigated his way through his grief.
I loved reading about Joshua and Lauren’s love. It was so sweet and they were so kind to each other. I loved the different characters—Lauren’s family, her best friend, Joshua’s new friend Radley, the Kims, his mom—they all seemed wonderful.
Overall this book was pretty healing to read through and it was beautiful going with Josh as he navigated his way through his grief.
nbranca628's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
teeclecticreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I’m going to go ahead and say that this is already one of the best books that I’ve ever read this year. Kristan Higgins wrote this book with $5 in her bank account, an overdue car loan, and her dreams in her back pocket. I went into this book not knowing the rollercoaster of emotions I was going to experience. I felt like I was experiencing the love between Lauren and Joshua firsthand. These two people with disabilities were just pouring into each other so deeply It’s very rare to find two people who seem so perfect for each other, and I know this is a book, but it was so heartwarming to witness the same.
Joshua is the real definition of “if he wanted to he would“. He was such a loving husband and when Lauren died from her IPF, my heart broke in pieces for him. Witnessing what heartbreak and grief is like for someone on the autism spectrum was really insightful because I got to see how intensely Josh felt his emotions and how much more effort it took for him to slowly move on as the months went by.
I found it so interesting how the plot played out because I personally don’t even know what I would do if someone I love wrote me letters to help me cope with their passing. I could however relate to the different stages of grief that each member of Lauren’s family went through in no order and some stages even more than once.
Despite it being sad, there were still a lot of moments of joy and even humour, especially with Josh’s bluntness. Each character was lovable in their own way (except Lauren’s mom, she was annoying). I felt all the emotions that I felt when I read “The Stars and the Blackness Between Them” for the first time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment
sian_m's review against another edition
3.0
Although this book took me a long time to read, it was purely as I had priority books to read for book clubs and dates for completion. It was a sweet, heartfelt read and could be triggering for some. It’s very easy to read and having taken a while to read it, I could immediately put myself back into the book remembering what had happened, where I was at and all the characters. It’s also a book that feels beautiful in your hands and is one of those floppy, dreamy books to hold.
whamarillo's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
jesforeverlostinbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
“Get busy living or get busy dying.” ... “Don’t Shawshank me.”
This book is heartbreaking, sad & beautiful & I also loved it. One of my all time favorite movies is P.S. I Love You & this book has all those vibes. This book deals with terminal illness, loss of a spouse, grief, acceptance & learning to embrace life despite the hard. I seriously cried through the whole book.. at times I was ugly crying & other times I was crying tears of joy. It has a beautiful cast of characters that will not only make you cry but laugh too… It has all the feels! It’s a beautiful love story!
Joshua & Lauren are the perfect couple. Newly married, they're wildly in love, each on a successful & rewarding career path. Then Lauren is diagnosed with a terminal illness. As Lauren's disease progresses, Joshua struggles to come to terms with his future… a future without the only woman he's ever loved. But Lauren has a plan to keep her husband moving forward after she dies. Every month, a letter. Each letter contains a task to help him face this first year without her, leading him on a heartbreaking, beautiful, often humorous journey to find happiness again! I loved how positive Lauren is despite the fact she has a terminal illness. She finds joy in a life well lived despite the fact that it’s not the life she wants to live. It’s seriously a beautiful story! And the audio was amazing!
This book is heartbreaking, sad & beautiful & I also loved it. One of my all time favorite movies is P.S. I Love You & this book has all those vibes. This book deals with terminal illness, loss of a spouse, grief, acceptance & learning to embrace life despite the hard. I seriously cried through the whole book.. at times I was ugly crying & other times I was crying tears of joy. It has a beautiful cast of characters that will not only make you cry but laugh too… It has all the feels! It’s a beautiful love story!
Joshua & Lauren are the perfect couple. Newly married, they're wildly in love, each on a successful & rewarding career path. Then Lauren is diagnosed with a terminal illness. As Lauren's disease progresses, Joshua struggles to come to terms with his future… a future without the only woman he's ever loved. But Lauren has a plan to keep her husband moving forward after she dies. Every month, a letter. Each letter contains a task to help him face this first year without her, leading him on a heartbreaking, beautiful, often humorous journey to find happiness again! I loved how positive Lauren is despite the fact she has a terminal illness. She finds joy in a life well lived despite the fact that it’s not the life she wants to live. It’s seriously a beautiful story! And the audio was amazing!