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emmehooks's review
emotional
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
As a queer person who avoids Hallmark-style straight people romance, I had LOW expectations for this book.
Was I in love with the girl meets boy and they fall in love after 3 days storyline? Nah. Was I sold by all the coincidental meetings and their love/hate/forbidden love dynamics? No. Did it conform to my stereotyped expectations? Mostly.
That being said, I did get teary eyed at the end of the book. It was written well and the emotional aspects are relatable in a lot of ways. If you like straight romances and Hallmark-sequence tragedy with a silver lining, you’ll probably like it.
Was I in love with the girl meets boy and they fall in love after 3 days storyline? Nah. Was I sold by all the coincidental meetings and their love/hate/forbidden love dynamics? No. Did it conform to my stereotyped expectations? Mostly.
That being said, I did get teary eyed at the end of the book. It was written well and the emotional aspects are relatable in a lot of ways. If you like straight romances and Hallmark-sequence tragedy with a silver lining, you’ll probably like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Infidelity
martamae77's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
hannahglenn's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Fatphobia and Infidelity
Minor: Suicide
jhankin8's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Medical content, and Death of parent
thrillofthepage's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Happy Tuesday! After feeling less than stellar last week I have a couple reviews to catch up on.
First up is Always, in December by @emstonewrites. I knew going in that this book would be emotional, but wow. I cried…a lot. Stone knows how to write characters you fall in love with and feel invested in. I absolutely adored Josie and Max, Memo, Bea, all the people we met. Well, I didn’t like Oliver because he was a jerk 😂 The relationships between our characters are authentic and moving. I was fully committed to seeing how each relationship would play out and how the story would end.
Several people have mentioned that they are waiting until December to read this one. Yes, December is mentioned in the title, but it isn’t wholly set during that month. In fact, the story starts off at Christmastime and then moves on throughout the following year. I think this is a perfect book to read any time of year. Especially if you’re feeling extra emotional.
I listened to the audiobook and the narration of Heather Long was superb. She really brought the characters to life and conveyed so much emotion. I truly felt like I knew Josie, Max, Oliver, Bea, and Memo. If you like fiction audiobooks then I highly recommend this one!
TW: loss of a parent, grief, infidelity, and others that you should DM me about if curious.
First up is Always, in December by @emstonewrites. I knew going in that this book would be emotional, but wow. I cried…a lot. Stone knows how to write characters you fall in love with and feel invested in. I absolutely adored Josie and Max, Memo, Bea, all the people we met. Well, I didn’t like Oliver because he was a jerk 😂 The relationships between our characters are authentic and moving. I was fully committed to seeing how each relationship would play out and how the story would end.
Several people have mentioned that they are waiting until December to read this one. Yes, December is mentioned in the title, but it isn’t wholly set during that month. In fact, the story starts off at Christmastime and then moves on throughout the following year. I think this is a perfect book to read any time of year. Especially if you’re feeling extra emotional.
I listened to the audiobook and the narration of Heather Long was superb. She really brought the characters to life and conveyed so much emotion. I truly felt like I knew Josie, Max, Oliver, Bea, and Memo. If you like fiction audiobooks then I highly recommend this one!
TW: loss of a parent, grief, infidelity, and others that you should DM me about if curious.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness
meliroo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
1.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, and Terminal illness
elenatamsen's review
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Cancer, and Grief
Moderate: Fatphobia and Infidelity
Minor: Car accident
biblio_jordyn's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
What’s the last book that unexpectedly broke your heart? This was this book for me.
A story about grief and loss and how it affects us for years to come. How life circumstances can change everything. How we find ourselves. The love found and love lost. About the things we never say but should.
And this book?? All of it was wrapped into the festive Christmas scene.
It had sweet moments. It had sad moments. It had frustrating moments. It was just the sweet thing I needed.
This book reminded me bit of the vibes of One Day by David Nichols.
This definitely wasn’t everything I was expecting but it was a sweet and great holiday read all the same!
A story about grief and loss and how it affects us for years to come. How life circumstances can change everything. How we find ourselves. The love found and love lost. About the things we never say but should.
And this book?? All of it was wrapped into the festive Christmas scene.
It had sweet moments. It had sad moments. It had frustrating moments. It was just the sweet thing I needed.
This book reminded me bit of the vibes of One Day by David Nichols.
This definitely wasn’t everything I was expecting but it was a sweet and great holiday read all the same!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
morganwiard's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Good narrator for the audiobook!
Literally devastating though. I am sick with sadness and rage.
To be fair to the author, I should not have gone in blind on this one. I was looking for a winter time read cause they usually help me see winter a little more positively rather than see it as pure seasonal depression, but this was the absolute wrong choice for that type of read. 😂
However, I will hand it to her that she is a good writer. Creative story line and good characters. Seems the story was very well thought out and I really admire that. BUT, the ending ruined the entire book for me. The author chose violence against her readers, and I can’t forgive it. 😂😂😂
If you’re easily devastated, I strongly recommend looking up the trigger warnings on this one.
Literally devastating though. I am sick with sadness and rage.
To be fair to the author, I should not have gone in blind on this one. I was looking for a winter time read cause they usually help me see winter a little more positively rather than see it as pure seasonal depression, but this was the absolute wrong choice for that type of read. 😂
However, I will hand it to her that she is a good writer. Creative story line and good characters. Seems the story was very well thought out and I really admire that. BUT, the ending ruined the entire book for me. The author chose violence against her readers, and I can’t forgive it. 😂😂😂
If you’re easily devastated, I strongly recommend looking up the trigger warnings on this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Car accident, Grief, and Medical content