Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Stora vackra liv by Emily Henry

11 reviews

informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

There are so many mixed reviews for this book that my expectations were not that high. I tried to physically read this when it first came out and couldn't get into it, but then I listened to the audiobook and I actually quite enjoyed the story once I could get further in. It definitely gave Evelyn Hugo vibes and it wasn't the most unique storyline ever, but if you're an EmHen fan, I'd say to give this a shot (on audio, probably).

Updated EmHen ranking:
1) Funny Story
2) People We Meet on Vacation
3) Great Big Beautiful Life
4) Happy Place
5) Book Lovers
6) Beach Read

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is not a romance. It's a love story, yes, multiple even. But not a romance. It is absolutely stunning though. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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: Complicated

This is my second Emily Henry book and while I really did not enjoy Beach Read, I love this. It was sad and emotional. It was hard to follow the family tree at times, that was a bit difficult. I often tell my sister I wish books would all have the character explanations in the front of the book like the original American Girl books. 

I enjoyed the main love interests and how they actively worked through problems and worked to understand and apologize with each other. Their issues seemed more grounded in logic versus narrative contrivances. They were not able to talk to each other about certain things due to
the NDA's they sign.
They penultimate issue
again being afraid of legal threat and also not telling a love one something like that would destroy the relationship slowly over years.
 

I was also quite moved by the parental relationship with the main female character and her mother. I loathed the mother. She made me so angry.
Then I actually forgave her. Her reasons were not great and she screwed up but they made sense in some way versus actually being apathetic to your child's passions and work.


Margaret and the story she told were so interesting and heartbreaking.
I genuinely convinced myself there would be a happy ending for her. I get upset thinking about how there really wasn't one.
You can have all the money in the world but be barred away from love and happiness by that same money. 

And Julia Wheylan, when she read Margaret in a moment of seething anger, her voice gave me chills. She sounded genuinely scary. She did a great job on the audiobook. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

               This book felt like it was trying to be two books at once. It was trying to be a bit of both a literary mystery and a contemporary romance book. The two didn’t weave that well together, however. 

              I hated all the edging the author did with the MC’s sexual relationship. I think she was trying to keep it from being “too spicy” for her readers, but still spicy enough. However, it just got frustrating. I get the building anticipation of them having intercourse, but it just took too long! 

              I liked most of the characters, all the townspeople, Cecil and Margaret especially, though others not as much, looking at you, Alice, and especially her mom, and Theo. 

              Overall, it was a decent book. Mostly, the structure just didn’t work for me. As well as the drawn-out nature of the MCs’ relationship, and their admitting their feelings and desires. 


  
​Narrator Rating:​ 4.75 stars
             I wish they’d gotten someone else to narrate the section of the book that was supposed to be part of the biography. Julia Whelan is wonderful and did an amazing job, however, I feel like having dual narration would have been better for the two intertwined sections of the book. 



Elements 
Heartfelt-💔💔💔 
Horror- N/A
Love aka Romance- 💋 💋 💋 💋 & 1/2
Predictability-🔮 🔮 🔮 
Spice-  🌶  🌶  🌶 
Tear- 😭 & 1/2
Thrill- N/A
Humor- 😜 😜 & 1/2

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense 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

This is absolutely not a thriller, despite what it’s being marketed as

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-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

close enough, welcome back Pride & Prejudice 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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: No

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous mysterious reflective 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

I liked this book and enjoyed reading it a lot. I do see the connection to TJR, especially to Evelyn Hugo, but it was an entirely different book in terms of structure. 

Unfortunately, I was not so invested in Margaret's story, I believe it could have deserved more "show, don't tell" and I while the "stories" had a different writing style, which made them more authentic, I like Emily Henry's general writing style better. 

Then again, I enjoyed reading about Alice and Hayden a lot. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny hopeful 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings