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greatexpectations77's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Julia Whelan just does such a great job narrating, and I think this book may have bored me a bit more without her talents. I do love a slow burn romance, but this one maybe was too slow? I got a little bored in the middle, and I felt like the the "conflict" in the relationship was just as deep as one in a Hallmark movie - just lack of communication. Like, I wasn't rooting for them lol and also! Was I supposed to catch that she hated being a doctor??? That seemed out of nowhere to me! Would probs try Ms. Henry again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Classism, Medical content, and Mental illness
isfantasi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Drug use, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Minor: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Medical content
shelbylynnn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was so unexpectedly lovely and everything I could ever want out of a romance. I honestly was not expecting this to be a 5 star read but it ended up hitting me really hard. Idk if others would agree with my rating but I already know this one will have a special place in my heart for a long time. I genuinely think I read 90% of this with tears in my eyes. It was beautifully written and the characters were lovable and funny and felt like a real group of friends. I also always love an angsty slow burn romance and this one hurt!!
I didn't read the synopsis before starting this, it was just an impulse pick when I saw it was available and knew it was an author I wanted to try out. I immediately loved the writing but I was skeptical in the first few chapters because the pretending-to-be-a-couple trope felt like it could get cheesy very quickly. Instead it turned into a really beautiful story about meaningful friendships and what it's like to grow and change with people you love.
So many aspects of this story resonated with me-realizing you've unintentionally drifted apart from your best friends as you've gotten older, struggling to find a career path and purpose in life, learning how to make yourself happy instead of relying on other people. This book really just hit me hard in the best way possible, (and also made me miss my friends SO much!!!) Def recommend for anyone who wants an emotional and touching story about love and friendship!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Death of parent
ariana3's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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
4.5
I've been debating reading this for so long and just kept putting it off, thinking it would be some cheesy, predictably annoying beach read. It is somewhat predictable and it is a beach read, but it was so much better than I expected!!! It's a will-they-won't-they story for sure, but there was so much emotion behind the book. It was so much deeper than I anticipated, exploring relationships with friends, family, friends that truly are family, and romantic ones also. The big underlying feature that felt specifically relevant for me was the relationship of one's self and their identity and happiness being intertwined with their job. Woof that was all too relevant and a doozy to see reflected back to you on paper 😮💨
Plot summary:A group of 3 friends (Harriet, Sabrina, and Cleo) all meet each other while living together in a dorm in college and instantly become family. They become inseparable and eventually add 2 guys to their group, Wyn and Parth. They take yearly vacations to Sabrina's ridiculously huge and nice family "cottage" in Maine and it becomes Harriet's "happy place." Harriet and Wyn begin dating and it's an instant connection. They fall in love and he eventually moves out with her to San Francisco where she's completing a grueling residency for neurosurgery. The grow apart, fight (or lack thereof), and just arent communicating effectively, so Wyn abruptly ends it, leaving Harriet in the dark and with no closure. 5 months later, Sabrina invites them for one last trip to the cottage before her dad sells it. Harriet doesn't know Wyn is there until she shows up...they haven't told anyone that they've ended their engagement and are no longer together (turns out Sabrina knew the entire time but she didn't tell them and concocted an entire plan to get them back together). So they fake being together, there's chemistry, confusion, they talk it out, etc. Already long story short, the friends fight then come back together because they know they're family. Wyn and Harriet don't get back together because Harriet needs to figure out what she truly wants and to not just do what other people tell her she should do. At the airport on her way back to SF, she realizes she hates her job and she was only doing it to please her parents. In the process, she's pushed away everyone she loves, including the love of her life. So she decides to run out of the airport to leave, only to see Wyn running into the airport 🥹 she says that she wants to be with him where she's happy, she withdraws from her residency and moves to Montana with him and his mom, and she works at a pottery studio doing what she loves!
Plot summary:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, Death of parent, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Pregnancy
flamesocks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Alcohol
khaben31's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Mental illness
Minor: Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
huggablebean's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The whole book revolves around a breakup from start to finish. It also deals with the beginning and ending of friendships. It is extremely melancholy.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness and Death of parent
melina_30's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Really enjoyed the read despite the genre being not something I read very often. The only thing I didn't really like was the insinuation that the drugs and the alcohol they were consuming were solving all their problems because they were doing things they normally wouldn't which created a reason to talk about it and then making up. Except for that it was a great book and I loved the message that even though a friend group could grow apart because of differing life circumstances, that doesn't have to result in the group not being friends altogether anymore but just that they won't see each other as often and that they will create very different memories than they did in their youth. Also I loved the revelation about not being happy with your job and having to find out what you really want to do for yourself and not what other people expect you to do with your job and life in general. This message really hit home for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Drug use
Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, and Cursing
Minor: Pregnancy and Toxic friendship
gracefulraven's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Minor: Pregnancy
lahars_little_library's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Toxic friendship and Medical content