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adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Wow. I loved this book right from the start! This story pulled me in, and I couldn't get enough of it! I am so glad I picked this book up after seeing it ALL OVER Instagram. This is one of my new favorites! I loved that the friendship between Katie and Tully was not perfect, and how we got to see life through both of their eyes. The last 50 pages had me bawling, and I didn't think it could possibly get any sadder and of course it did. Kristin Hannah is an amazing writer, and I cannot wait to read more from her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, Infertility, Miscarriage
Minor: Rape
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was my first Kristin Hannah book and I can absolutely see why she is so well loved! I went into this pretty much blind because I knew the Netflix adaptation was coming soon and I really think that’s the best way to read it. The synopsis on Goodreads is ridiculously long and I think it gives away a little too much so here’s a quick sentence about it: this book follows 2 best friends over the course of their 30 year friendship and all of the ups and downs, heartaches and triumphs that come with it.
While both of our main characters drove me slightly crazy in some places, it also felt like a very honest and real portrait of what friendship looks like, especially one that has lasted so long. There were a few places I thought were a little long but overall I really enjoyed this one. I’ll definitely be watching the Netflix adaptation and picking up the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Terminal illness
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape
emotional
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Miscarriage, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief
Minor: Drug abuse, Infertility, Rape, Suicide
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
I can't stop thinking about this book. I couldn't put it down. I've been thinking about how to rate this book for days and I wasn't sure what to put. It's not high brow literature and maybe it is not critical darling but I cried the last twenty five percent and when I said I cried, I cried myself to sleep and I never do that. This book touched my heart and for that reason I'm gonna give 5 stars and ten pounds of tears 😭
Tully and Kate have been best friends for twelve years. Despite being from different background (Tully's mother is an alcoholic who chronically disappear and Kate comes from a family with two kids two parents and a minivan), the two are inseparable and depend on one another. The book follows the girls from school, college, and their careers and life. As time goes by they go on different paths, Tully is career driven and becomes famous while Kate finds joy in her family. Still they are a huge part of each other's lives while still not entirely understanding one another.
This book is one I had such a big emotional reaction to. I was angry, happy, sad, and frustrated. The characters had their problems and at some times you wanted to shake them. For me Tully was overall an unlikable character but she grew on me towards the very end of the book. I found this book to be really compelling and amazing exploration of female friendship. I loved this story and I really wanted to hug the book once it was over.
Tully and Kate have been best friends for twelve years. Despite being from different background (Tully's mother is an alcoholic who chronically disappear and Kate comes from a family with two kids two parents and a minivan), the two are inseparable and depend on one another. The book follows the girls from school, college, and their careers and life. As time goes by they go on different paths, Tully is career driven and becomes famous while Kate finds joy in her family. Still they are a huge part of each other's lives while still not entirely understanding one another.
This book is one I had such a big emotional reaction to. I was angry, happy, sad, and frustrated. The characters had their problems and at some times you wanted to shake them. For me Tully was overall an unlikable character but she grew on me towards the very end of the book. I found this book to be really compelling and amazing exploration of female friendship. I loved this story and I really wanted to hug the book once it was over.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Terminal illness, Death of parent
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found that Firefly Lane's plot and character development left a lot to be desired. I had decided to read it since the Netflix series is coming out soon and I am one of those people who will refuse to watch a show/see a movie for years until I read the book. It was okay, but I didn't love it as much as I had expected to.
This story portrays the friendship of Tully and Kate, two friends that meet during their teenage years in the ‘70s and remain friends throughout the decades into the 2000s. I didn’t feel particularly connected to either of these two main characters and was frustrated by the lack of character development throughout. They both kept making the same mistakes over and over and nothing really changed until the last few chapters. It felt like the glue holding together this friendship was time alone and not a deeper emotional bond.
Much like the only other Kristin Hannah novel I’ve read, The Nightingale, this book will likely bring a few tears to your eyes and take you on an emotional journey in the last 80 pages. However, for a 479 page book, I expected to feel some sort of connection to either character much sooner than that and ended this one on a note of disappointment.
This story portrays the friendship of Tully and Kate, two friends that meet during their teenage years in the ‘70s and remain friends throughout the decades into the 2000s. I didn’t feel particularly connected to either of these two main characters and was frustrated by the lack of character development throughout. They both kept making the same mistakes over and over and nothing really changed until the last few chapters. It felt like the glue holding together this friendship was time alone and not a deeper emotional bond.
Much like the only other Kristin Hannah novel I’ve read, The Nightingale, this book will likely bring a few tears to your eyes and take you on an emotional journey in the last 80 pages. However, for a 479 page book, I expected to feel some sort of connection to either character much sooner than that and ended this one on a note of disappointment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Mental illness, Rape, Medical content
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This just solidifies Kristin Hannah in my top authors list. The amount of detail and emotion in the stories she writes make them so much richer and deeper. I flew through this book! While I do wish that the story slowed down at times, I understood that it was an overview of a few decades of friendship between two women. The friendship they have is so relatable on many levels; I saw many of my own friendships with friends from grade school, middle school, high school, and college reflected in this portrayal of friendship. I connected with both characters in different ways and cared for them and those in their lives deeply.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a character driven story about the realities of a long term friendship: the connections, heartbreaks, and endless memories. This isn't the most lighthearted read, so be prepared with some tissues by your side.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a character driven story about the realities of a long term friendship: the connections, heartbreaks, and endless memories. This isn't the most lighthearted read, so be prepared with some tissues by your side.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Miscarriage