first thoughts after finishing this: god, i love women

second thoughts: god, i love Morgan Rogers and i CANNOT wait to see what she will write next.

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

I think this book impacted me so much because I just read it at the right time. It was super relatable and I am glad that it has an open ending.

This book was so wildly over-written, just purple prose all the way through. Seeds of something good and the last 50 pages or so were pretty solid, but all in all it was dragged down by the incessant descriptions.
emotional 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

For as flowery, celestial and other worldly as the author writes, I was just hoping for a bit more. 

The discussion of mental health is very important but it felt that discussion took prominence over what was sold to be a romantic comedy. The romance aspect was missing for me. Yuki felt like a side character rather than a main romance lead in this story, I wanted to know about her much deeper than was written 

Thoroughly enjoyed the found family trope and the exploration of coming of age stories in your late 20’s. 

Also if someone leaves and doesn’t communicate for 2 months, I will go ballistic, dunno why Grace’s friends didn’t give her more grief for it
emotional lighthearted reflective fast-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

i really desperately wanted to like this book, but i think it was just too saccharine for me. some moments hit hard—grace’s relationship with her mother/kelly towards the end, and how she stands up to her father—but for the most part, this was just too purple-prosed to read as authentic.
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 reflective slow-paced

I think if I wasn't in the mood for a faster pace book I may have enjoyed this more

I really wanted to like this book. As someone who is black and queer herself, this books catches my eyes through the description and the cover. However, once I already read the first few chapters, it was a struggle to finish it and end up being my disappointment read of 2022.

The only good things I like about this book is how it stars a POC female protagonist who is a PHD stem graduate. Also, I like the mental health themes of the book and the struggles that she went through throughout the novel.

Those are the only good things, here is the bad.

The main thing that I struggle with the book is the writing. Most of the dialogue is childish and very unrealistic to the characters who are suppose to be in their 20s. I find myself clinging at everything the characters say.

All the characters in the book are flat and don’t get must development outside of Grace. I wanted to know more about the Grace’s friends in Portland and her found family in New York. However, they are just there and are one dimensional.

The romance in the book is very lacking. Yuki doesn’t get must character depth, her dialogue is very annoying and doesn’t have much chemistry with Grace. They barely spend time together and their romance feels very rushed instead of fleshing it out more.

It is very unrealistic how people around Grace react to her accidentally marrying someone in Las Vegas. They talk about like a everyday thing instead of being shocked.

Again, I really wanted to like this book, but I found myself rushing toward this book and wanted it to end sooner. Just like this book was very rushed, unrealistic and corny.