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hanahana's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
jenlynnhill's review against another edition
2.0
it took me a little while to get into the book, I really didn't care for the all the internal diagloge with her "alter ego", but otherwise, it was okay. I don't feel the need to really read more about the characters, so I'll leave this as a one-off.
jamielouh's review
2.0
I read about half this book and then scanned the rest. I just couldn’t do it. I’m a little disappointed because I’ve read one other book by Jennifer Peel and loved it (my not so wicked stepbrother). Literally everything annoyed me. I hated how she argued with herself in her head, Ms. Sparkly being one of the people she was arguing with. It literally drove me crazy. I get why she did that - to show us how Cami was finding her old self again, but I feel like it was the same argument and discussion every chapter. So much could have been cut out. Also it’s crazy to me that Cami was SO oblivious and didn’t realize Noah liked her when he literally told her so many times, I mean it’s in the very first chapter! Also the ex files posts at the beginning of every chapter were not funny to me at all. Cami was just SO bitter, and I understand why, but it’s been three years, and the bitterness was just still so strong which I guess I’ve never divorced so I can’t say anything but still. It reminds me of girls I know who post about their divorce all the time, even years later.
Also, this does not contribute to the two star rating, but I thought it was humorous how they go to a dessert place called The Chocolate that was converted from an old house. Because there’s literally a dessert place in Orem/Utah called The Chocolate that used to be a house. And I know the author frequents that area haha.
Spoilers:
I felt like the pregnancy plot like was not needed. It felt weird to me.
Also, this does not contribute to the two star rating, but I thought it was humorous how they go to a dessert place called The Chocolate that was converted from an old house. Because there’s literally a dessert place in Orem/Utah called The Chocolate that used to be a house. And I know the author frequents that area haha.
Spoilers:
I felt like the pregnancy plot like was not needed. It felt weird to me.
haylsimmons's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookishblasian's review
3.0
I don't want to be so cruel to say I wanted to crop this book out of my mind, but it's true. At times, this book was so completely cringy that I absolutely wanted to chunk it and not finish it. But DNF is not my style and I'm somewhat glad I pushed through.
Cami was one of the most annoying heroines I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Overall, she wasn't a bad character, but she was highly cynical and soooo stupid when it came to Noah that I wanted to smack her. Her cynicalness? was mostly explained by her past. The girl went through so much that I felt for her. But truly the annoying part of Cami was her inner dialogue. It wasn't a normal amount of inner dialogue. I mean, it was pages and pages of it. Not only does her conscience have a name, Miss Sparkly, but she literally argues with herself. And then tries to play it off like "I know I'm only one person" "I need to choose which one I want to be." I get it. Miss Sparkly was Cami's old self that she was trying to find again. I could've been on board with the whole thing if Miss Sparkly wasn't so present it was like having another main character. And if she wasn't arguing with herself on every other page. I honestly skimmed so much of this book because every time I read Miss Sparkly I found myself rolling my eyes. No way I would've made it through reading Cami argue with herself. So in summary, overall, Cami wasn't a bad character. Her attitude and general personality is explained away by her depressing past. It's her alter ego that drove me to almost not finish this book.
On the flip side, Noah was a shining star in this book. Dare I say he is the only reason that I finished it? It almost seemed that Noah and Cami were stars of two different books. That's how good he was and how much I liked him compared to her. He was the most caring, understanding, supportive, best friend and brother. He was constantly going out of his way to make sure Cami felt safe and understood even when she did her best to push him away. And honestly, the girl was straight up stupid when it came to him. He tried to express his feelings so many times, right from the start. And she was not getting the hint AT ALL. It was extremely frustrating.
Overall, this wasn't a bad book by any means but Cami's inner dialogue with herself, whom she named Miss Sparkly, was so distracting from the story that it led to me skimming most of the book and had me considering not finishing it. Without Miss Sparkly, this book really wasn't half bad. Noah and the great guy that he is made this book worth while. He was so patient and understanding when it came to Cami. He was truly selfless and clearly only wanted what was best for her and what made her happy. So again, while this wasn't a bad book, it took A LOT to get through the Miss Sparkly situation. But if you can make it through that, Noah and all his sweetness makes this story worthwhile. Noah is what got this story from 2 stars to 3.
Cami was one of the most annoying heroines I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Overall, she wasn't a bad character, but she was highly cynical and soooo stupid when it came to Noah that I wanted to smack her. Her cynicalness? was mostly explained by her past. The girl went through so much that I felt for her. But truly the annoying part of Cami was her inner dialogue. It wasn't a normal amount of inner dialogue. I mean, it was pages and pages of it. Not only does her conscience have a name, Miss Sparkly, but she literally argues with herself. And then tries to play it off like "I know I'm only one person" "I need to choose which one I want to be." I get it. Miss Sparkly was Cami's old self that she was trying to find again. I could've been on board with the whole thing if Miss Sparkly wasn't so present it was like having another main character. And if she wasn't arguing with herself on every other page. I honestly skimmed so much of this book because every time I read Miss Sparkly I found myself rolling my eyes. No way I would've made it through reading Cami argue with herself. So in summary, overall, Cami wasn't a bad character. Her attitude and general personality is explained away by her depressing past. It's her alter ego that drove me to almost not finish this book.
On the flip side, Noah was a shining star in this book. Dare I say he is the only reason that I finished it? It almost seemed that Noah and Cami were stars of two different books. That's how good he was and how much I liked him compared to her. He was the most caring, understanding, supportive, best friend and brother. He was constantly going out of his way to make sure Cami felt safe and understood even when she did her best to push him away. And honestly, the girl was straight up stupid when it came to him. He tried to express his feelings so many times, right from the start. And she was not getting the hint AT ALL. It was extremely frustrating.
Overall, this wasn't a bad book by any means but Cami's inner dialogue with herself, whom she named Miss Sparkly, was so distracting from the story that it led to me skimming most of the book and had me considering not finishing it. Without Miss Sparkly, this book really wasn't half bad. Noah and the great guy that he is made this book worth while. He was so patient and understanding when it came to Cami. He was truly selfless and clearly only wanted what was best for her and what made her happy. So again, while this wasn't a bad book, it took A LOT to get through the Miss Sparkly situation. But if you can make it through that, Noah and all his sweetness makes this story worthwhile. Noah is what got this story from 2 stars to 3.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a sucker for a MMC who secretly pines for his friend! Add in a grinchy FMC and this anti-Christmas, love after divorce romance totally worked for me! This was great on audio narrated by Stefanie Kay and had a lot of emotional depth. While it was definitely predictable at times, I liked how much Noah was there for Cami and she tried to process her feelings post-divorce. There was some annoying miscommunication but on the whole a very enjoyable holiday read that stands out from the pack!
emmas_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dianaandthebookhunt's review
5.0
This is my 3rd Christmas book for me for this season and by far the best one of the 3. It was cute, funny, the hero was absolutely swoony and head over heels in love with the main character and the ex-files idea was really well executed. The heroine at times was a bit too stuck in the past and blind to the present, which is wht it wasn't a 5 star read, but it made me smile and look forward to Christmas.
alittlewrightreading's review
3.0
Closer to a 3.5. The story was good and was full of more potential BUT I couldn’t get over Cami’s interdiaglouge “Miss Sparkly” it completely ruined the story for me.
Also, the ending seemed a little unrealistic considering all the struggles Cami was going through the entire book
Also, the ending seemed a little unrealistic considering all the struggles Cami was going through the entire book