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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
In the wake of a tragedy, three friends make a pact that has them reuniting 10 years later.
🇮🇹
Four college freshmen, completely different from one another, find themselves bonding shortly after arriving on campus. This friendship lasts all the way through college until their senior year when one of them takes their own life. Now ten years later Hannah, the quiet and southern woman, comes home to find her fiancé cheating on her. She calls Lainey, the actress, who calls Tyson, the lawyer, and they all meet up to help Hannah. All three friends are at a crossroad in their lives and end up taking the trip of a lifetime to sort out what’s next.
✈️
This would be a mid chicklit title if one of our main character’s wasn’t a Black man. It’s obvious Giffin didn’t add a co-writer for Tyson’s point of view and I can’t believe this even got published in 2024.
CW: infidelity, parental abandonment, toxic relationship, suicide, alcohol, alcoholism, hospitalization, medical content, homophobia, addiction, emotional abuse, gaslighting, death, grief, death of a parent (off page), cancer, racism
🇮🇹
Four college freshmen, completely different from one another, find themselves bonding shortly after arriving on campus. This friendship lasts all the way through college until their senior year when one of them takes their own life. Now ten years later Hannah, the quiet and southern woman, comes home to find her fiancé cheating on her. She calls Lainey, the actress, who calls Tyson, the lawyer, and they all meet up to help Hannah. All three friends are at a crossroad in their lives and end up taking the trip of a lifetime to sort out what’s next.
✈️
This would be a mid chicklit title if one of our main character’s wasn’t a Black man. It’s obvious Giffin didn’t add a co-writer for Tyson’s point of view and I can’t believe this even got published in 2024.
CW: infidelity, parental abandonment, toxic relationship, suicide, alcohol, alcoholism, hospitalization, medical content, homophobia, addiction, emotional abuse, gaslighting, death, grief, death of a parent (off page), cancer, racism
A sweet light read. I aaaaaaalmost gave up on it around page 100, feeling like it’s a bit too flat, but I read the rest of it quickly.
While I don't read them as often, I do truly enjoy books that focus on friendships, especially those that continue through adulthood.
In college, Tyson, Lainey, Hannah and Summer became quick friends. Summer was their nucleus, their brightest star. There was something about her they couldn't define. She was the strongest and best of them. When she commits suicide, everyone is shocked, rattled. Out of anyone, for Summer to have done something like that...
The friends make a pact then, that if there's a point in their lives when they're at rock bottom, they'll be there for each other. When Hannah finds her fiancé cheating, Lainey decides that qualifies. Lainey and Tyson drop everything to rush to Hannah's side, and they decide to take the trip they had planned after college with Summer, and never went through with.
Their first stop is Texas, to meet Lainey's half sisters. That doesn't go as planned. In fact, its a disaster. They agree to go to their next stop, though Hannah does reach out and talk to Lainey's other sister, who seems like a really great person. Even though Lainey is determined she wants nothing to do with her extended family, Hannah finds someone she can talk to about her cheating fiancé and canceled wedding, someone who isn't as close to her and provides some appreciated perspective.
When they go to Italy, dynamics change between the friends. They reflect on the time they had with Summer and how she changed them.
A beautiful book, with lovely friendships.
In college, Tyson, Lainey, Hannah and Summer became quick friends. Summer was their nucleus, their brightest star. There was something about her they couldn't define. She was the strongest and best of them. When she commits suicide, everyone is shocked, rattled. Out of anyone, for Summer to have done something like that...
The friends make a pact then, that if there's a point in their lives when they're at rock bottom, they'll be there for each other. When Hannah finds her fiancé cheating, Lainey decides that qualifies. Lainey and Tyson drop everything to rush to Hannah's side, and they decide to take the trip they had planned after college with Summer, and never went through with.
Their first stop is Texas, to meet Lainey's half sisters. That doesn't go as planned. In fact, its a disaster. They agree to go to their next stop, though Hannah does reach out and talk to Lainey's other sister, who seems like a really great person. Even though Lainey is determined she wants nothing to do with her extended family, Hannah finds someone she can talk to about her cheating fiancé and canceled wedding, someone who isn't as close to her and provides some appreciated perspective.
When they go to Italy, dynamics change between the friends. They reflect on the time they had with Summer and how she changed them.
A beautiful book, with lovely friendships.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I didn't like the ending at all, and this really meandered and then, plop, it was over.
This story and these complex characters had so much potential, and just did not meet the mark at all for me. I found the characters unlikable and they did not develop as I would have expected through the story. There were very important themes and topics that just felt dismissed instead of embraced.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I straight up did not enjoy this. The audiobook voices were hard for me to listen to, I thought they were pretty annoying. This was highly recommended and did not live up to hype
I hated Laneys character, she was a bitch the whole time and didn’t really learn
Tyson seemed shady to me
I hated Laneys character, she was a bitch the whole time and didn’t really learn
Tyson seemed shady to me
challenging
emotional
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
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes