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emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Pregnancy
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Car accident, Alcohol
emotional
lighthearted
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
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Dementia, Car accident, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Murder
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content, Car accident
Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4 stars, 3 spice, mild spoilers- Alice and Hayden are competing to write Margaret Ives celebrity memoir. Hayden is the grumpy Pulitzer Prize winning author. Alice is the sunny unknown writer specializing in short celebrity pieces. Margaret was born into a famous family and disappeared 20 years ago. As each author interviews her, The lines between truth and lies along with love and regret become intertwined. What happens when secrets are set free? Who will be the collateral damage?
I don’t really understand the hate for this book. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it. It might have seemed slow if I was reading the physical copy. The main plot is told from Alice’s point of view except when Margaret is telling her story during Alice’s interviews. Throughout the book, one questions how reliable a narrator Margaret really is. The backstory about her family does kind of drag on and is kind of irrelevant, except to establish Margaret may be a liar. I did not catch the twist at the end even though the clues were set out in the interviews.
The romance between Alice and Hayden is a bit Instalove, particularly on Alice’s side, but they don’t necessarily fall into bed instantly. The chemistry builds as they keep running into one another. I did ultimately like them as a pair and was satisfied with the final resolution. There is also a women’s fiction element as we see Alice’s strained relationship with her mother.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. If you like your romance with a bit of spice and a lot of plot that makes you think, this would be a good fit. Based on the reviews, I would recommend the audio version is there is a concern about the plot being slow or boring.
I don’t really understand the hate for this book. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it. It might have seemed slow if I was reading the physical copy. The main plot is told from Alice’s point of view except when Margaret is telling her story during Alice’s interviews. Throughout the book, one questions how reliable a narrator Margaret really is. The backstory about her family does kind of drag on and is kind of irrelevant, except to establish Margaret may be a liar. I did not catch the twist at the end even though the clues were set out in the interviews.
The romance between Alice and Hayden is a bit Instalove, particularly on Alice’s side, but they don’t necessarily fall into bed instantly. The chemistry builds as they keep running into one another. I did ultimately like them as a pair and was satisfied with the final resolution. There is also a women’s fiction element as we see Alice’s strained relationship with her mother.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. If you like your romance with a bit of spice and a lot of plot that makes you think, this would be a good fit. Based on the reviews, I would recommend the audio version is there is a concern about the plot being slow or boring.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
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
It’s my second Emily Henry novel. I enjoy her writing style and her character development, but this one felt different. It seemed that Margaret was the most fleshed out character compared to the MFC and MMC. They oddly felt like the smaller part of the novel. The relationship and resolution of the MMC and her mother was a good arc of growth for the character.
Overall, good book but I resonated more with the secondary characters rather than the main ones.
Overall, good book but I resonated more with the secondary characters rather than the main ones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief
Minor: Death, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
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
Can everyone stop hating on this book? Because it was beautifully written, well-paced, captivating, romantic… everything you want an Emily Henry book to be! Sure, it's not my favorite of hers, but I loved the topics she explored, especially in Alice's life and storyline, and, in my opinion, an impressive evolution of Emily Henry's genre and writing. I absolutely loved reading this while in New York City, and every time I picked it up I was immediately sucked in. Don't listen to the people — this is a good one. Oh, also, THIS MADE ME CRY.
Life is so complicated. And I think it's human nature to try to untangle those complications. We want everything to make sense. And that's okay. It's a worthy pursuit. But back when my sister wasn't well, when every day felt uncertain… I understood what really mattered. I understood my priorities. I understood what, in this life, was nonnegotiable for me. A lot of people don't find that out until it's too late. They wait to say things, and they don't get the chance. So collecting other people's stories, learning from their mistakes, it is a gift too.
Life is so complicated. And I think it's human nature to try to untangle those complications. We want everything to make sense. And that's okay. It's a worthy pursuit. But back when my sister wasn't well, when every day felt uncertain… I understood what really mattered. I understood my priorities. I understood what, in this life, was nonnegotiable for me. A lot of people don't find that out until it's too late. They wait to say things, and they don't get the chance. So collecting other people's stories, learning from their mistakes, it is a gift too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual violence, Abandonment
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
I liked this but I didn't love it. I did really enjoy the setting, but I found the romance too quick and was left wondering if their relationship would even work outside of their island bubble. As always, I liked the bookish aspect to it, but I felt it lacked the usual Emily Henry relationship depth. I typically love a historical(ish) fiction romance with dual timelines (honestly it felt a little like a Kristin Hannah novel which is definitely not a bad thing in my opinion!) but I don't know if the story was totally fleshed out for me in either timeline. I wanted more somehow.
Overall, I enjoyed this, but EH sets a high bar with her other books, and I'm not sure this met the mark.
Overall, I enjoyed this, but EH sets a high bar with her other books, and I'm not sure this met the mark.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Pregnancy
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol