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emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
No
This was a little bit different from normal Emily Henry fare, but I loved it all the same. The INCREDIBLE characters that she creates are what keep me coming back time and again, and Alice, Hayden, and Margaret did NOT disappoint. I kind of liked that we weren’t sure if Margaret was a reliable narrator or not. And the banter between Alice and Hayden was perfection! I absolutely live for Emily Henry’s dialogue. I was also unexpectedly emotional at the end. Well, I *DID* expect to be emotional, but not for the reasons that I ended up being emotional about, if that makes any sense. This one’s going to stick with me for a hot minute I think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Terminal illness, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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 loved this book. I can definitely see why many people have said that it is different than Emily Henry's other books, but I thought it still had Henry's voice in it. It was so beautifully written.
The romance part of the book was the least satisfying part for me; it fell a bit flat. I love a slow burn and I feel like generally speaking, Emily Henry does a great job at building tension and yearning between the love interests. There was a bit too much instant chemistry for me in this book. I liked Alice and Hayden's relationship fine, I just didn't feel it in the same way that I have with other books. However, the story and relationship between Margaret and Alice was stunning. I absolutely loved the way they interacted, the way Alice told Margaret's story, and the way they helped each other progress.
Overall, I really loved the book. It made me laugh and cry, and I fell in love with Alice and Margaret both. I did not see the big twist coming and it was so satisfying to find out what was really going on. The ending had me in tears in the best possible way.
The romance part of the book was the least satisfying part for me; it fell a bit flat. I love a slow burn and I feel like generally speaking, Emily Henry does a great job at building tension and yearning between the love interests. There was a bit too much instant chemistry for me in this book. I liked Alice and Hayden's relationship fine, I just didn't feel it in the same way that I have with other books. However, the story and relationship between Margaret and Alice was stunning. I absolutely loved the way they interacted, the way Alice told Margaret's story, and the way they helped each other progress.
Overall, I really loved the book. It made me laugh and cry, and I fell in love with Alice and Margaret both. I did not see the big twist coming and it was so satisfying to find out what was really going on. The ending had me in tears in the best possible way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault
Minor: Dementia
emotional
funny
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Grief, Car accident
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So different from Emily Henry’s other works but she’s still writing about love— but it’s generational love and the way it makes us who we are, and we live for/because of the people who get us that far. The pathways were very carefully woven between Margaret’s story and Alice’s and Hayden’s, and I really liked the parallels. I only wish Emily’s publishers gave her more time so it could have even more. Anyway, I’m going to be thinking about unicursal, labyrinthian life pathways for a long time. Loved that ending. Overall it felt like a big hug, which was really nice and needed. Speaking of, I want a Hayden hug fr bc wow
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting
emotional
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
This book definitely has “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” vibes for me. Definitely not beat for beat but there are a lot of similarities. And because that is one of my favorite books of all time, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Death
Minor: Confinement, Drug use, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Pregnancy, Abandonment
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Every Emily Henry novel I’ve had has had this thing, this pulse. A deeply set humanity between the lines. And, I wanted so badly to love this because I’ve loved all the others in their own ways. But, I was left feeling like Schmidt glancing at a restaurant menu in the Dice episode of New Girl as he said, “They got pizza, gelato, Tikka Masala. A raw bar. This place is doing too much. They can't be doing all this right.”
This place was, in fact, doing too much.
This place was, in fact, doing too much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Pregnancy
Minor: Alcohol
emotional
reflective
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
people didnt like this???? grow up! this was absolutely gorgeous, i knew from the start it was basically written for me because i love a rival romance plot and anything to do with music history in books is an immediate yes from me. this wasnt classic emily henry in terms of the romance as this was very plot heavy but i thought the plot was so interesting because you knew margaret was lying the whole time. i just love how emily henry writes and makes it feel like youre in the book with the characters feeling everything its so impactful and so special. an instant buy author for me every time
"when i let myself dream... or it all comes crashing down - it's alice, alice on my mind. alice all the time"
"when i let myself dream... or it all comes crashing down - it's alice, alice on my mind. alice all the time"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Car accident
Moderate: Infertility, Dementia
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent
emotional
reflective
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
So, your mileage may vary so take the following with a grain of salt. I wanted to adore this book but I never fully clicked with it, which surprised and disappointed me. It took me a long while to engage with the story, I think because of the split focus with the past and present dual storylines. And while I liked both Alice and Hayden as characters, it felt like their relationship was sped up and superficially developed. (I would have really liked to see Hayden's POV alongside Alice's.) I had a hard time investing in them together as a couple, and the insta-lust felt like a shortcut to emotional intimacy. Margaret's backstory was interesting and I know her life story is what brought Alice and Hayden together, but it didn't really work for me as a romantic plot device for them. Not sure if this makes any sense, but it's like there was simultaneously both too much and not enough going on in this story. There were some enjoyable moments and it did pick up towards the end. I usually really like Emily Henry but this one wasn't the book for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail