Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Stora vackra liv

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Stora vackra liv by Emily Henry

74 reviews

dkgreads's review against another edition

4.5

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

velmad's review against another edition

5.0

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

ladylindsalot's review against another edition

4.0

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

elclark15's review against another edition

4.25

emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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: Yes

Really enjoyed the book. I like the non-linear storytelling, and I enjoyed the parallel developments that weren’t too obvious.

Content Warnings

laneyreadz's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

meghanm404's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

midnightmoon_dreamer's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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

Once again, a great book by Emily Henry. I really loved the story telling. Just a warning, as much as love is a central theme of the book, the love story between Alice and Hayden is not a main focus so if that’s what you’re looking for, maybe this isn’t for you.

Content Warnings

readsleepcraverepeat's review against another edition

3.75

emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Well this was a slow starter but the end had me in tears. The relationship dynamic felt very similar to Beach Read’s grumpy/sunshine, mixed with the plot of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by TJR. It took me about halfway through to feel more invested in Margaret’s story - the meta-nature of the second hand storytelling felt lacking and it was hard to track the family history without the character development. I also didn’t love the insta-love between Alice and Hayden - not Emily’s strongest couple. This has a pretty different tone than Emily’s other books but I overall appreciated the mystery aspect, watching everything unfold, the overall message and the well-written complex family dynamics. Not my favorite of Emily Henry’s books (yes I’ve read them all) but still an enjoyable conclusion.

Content Warnings

oxfordcommas91's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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: Complicated

Emily Henry is the queen of romcoms for a reason and she has absolutely done it again. This book was not like anything she's ever written before, but I personally loved the departure from her usual format. Despite it not being a "typical" romcom, it still had all the elements that make an Emily Henry book special - the complex relationships, raw human emotion, and the big beautiful feelings that she draws from her readers.

This story really sunk itself into my heart and didn't let go. I generally find her books fast, compelling, easy reads that I can binge quickly, but I truly would have finished this in one setting if I didn't need to also see to basic human functions like eating and sleeping. As soon as I put it down, I wanted to pick it back up again - I was absolutely gripped in a way that I typically am not with just a straight up romcom.

I honestly was so impressed with how Henry wove together the stories of our two characters in present day, Alice and Hayden, who are journalists competing to write the life story of Margaret, the now elderly heiress to a media fortune who is ready to tell her side of things - the fame, the fortune, and tragedy alike. This book really reminded me of Daisy Jones and the Six (which I mean as a compliment) - this is most clearly felt in the way that there are interview segments with flashbacks and then moments in the present day coming together to form a coherent, sprawling tale of a full life.

I honestly think there are plenty of thriller writers who could take a lesson from Emily Henry in this book - the way she dropped clues and built suspense to the finale was really impressive and was part of what made it so compelling for me. There generally aren't any big reveals in a romcom, but this blending of genres worked well. Not everyone has the talent to pull this off, but Henry certainly does.

We do have plenty of those classic Sleepless in Seattle-like moments, though, so if you're a lover of the OG romcoms, there are still these themes and elements throughout. I love a competitors-turned-lovers, and I think no matter what part of the story you show up for, you'll be satisfied. In this novel, Henry gives her readers exactly the sort of tension needed to craft a complex story while keeping that secret sauce that makes a romance feel magical.

Bravo to the queen, long may she reign!

Content Warnings

chronic_listener's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

no one talk to me for 3-5 work days I'm processing (also recovering from crying) (a lot)

Content Warnings

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