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terawest's review
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Medical content
britgirlreading's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Cancer
Moderate: Medical content and Death of parent
100_pages_hr's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
This book was amazing. I laughed. I cried. I loved every minute.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexual content
valeriabee's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
So this book has confirmed for me that women should not be allowed to write romantic fiction, given that the male love interests are simply too good to be true and I cannot bear the idea of living a life with anyone less perfect than Lucas Tsai.
After Marin and Sadie lost their mother at a young age, Sadie sought adventure and Marin relished in safety. Marin's life, her world, revolves around protecting Sadie. For once, Sadie wants to protect Marin. So she plans them a weekend girl's trip to a Caribbean Island called Saba. Things start of roughly with Sadie missing her flight, Marin having to travel alongside a gorgeously aloof man called Lucas, and her luggage gets confused with that of a newlywed bride. Despite his initial aloofness, Lucas offers to guide Marin around the island while she waits for her sister to arrive.
As I said earlier, women should not be allowed to write romance. My standards are far too high for any reasonable person and I cannot expect myself to find love. I also got this book through my Once Upon a Book Club subscription, meaning I got to open fun little gifts along the way. I have to say, the gifts elevated the experience. There were moments where I couldn't put it down because of the plot (I needed to get more of the chemistry and tension between Lucas and Marin), and then there were moments where I just needed to get to my next gift.
The book is sort of a multiple POV, as it switches between the main story narrated by Marin, and the secondary secret plot narrated by Sadie. At first it felt like Sadie was interrupting the heat between Marin and Lucas, but it makes sense to throw her in because Marin never stops thinking of Sadie. I want to say that this is the flaw she overcomes, but she really never stops thinking of Sadie. She does, however, shifting from worrying about Sadie to just appreciating her and thinking of her lovingly, wishing to share her adventure with her sister. We also don't know exactly how important Sadie is to the story.
While the book is definitely romantic, it is more than that. What kind of adult novel would it be without a little bit of grief? Or in this case, a lot a bit of grief. The "twists" we discover throughout the book feel very predictable and I cannot tell if it is because they were set up so well that it just made sense in hindsight, or if Hubscher made the mistake of giving it away. The jury is still out on that one. I don't love that Marin was a sort of sheltered damsel in distress that gets saved by this adventurous hunk of a man on an island. However, I counter that with the thought that Marin wasn't saved by Lucas, but by her sister. That's why the story is more than a romance, it is a story about sisterhood. They would do anything for each other, including sending your older sister on a wild trip to a foreign island with the most attractive and kindest man alive.
Again, it is not enough that Lucas is canonically gorgeous, but that he is also written as the most generous and the sweetest guy on earth. He is unlike anyone to ever exist, because he does not exist. He's too perfect. He is perfect for the story, but he is too perfect for the world. My tiny brain cannot handle the weight of knowing he exists in someone's mind -- it is too much to bear.
Personally, I loved the experience of reading this novel even though it sounded silly when I described the plot back to my friends. I mean, really, some of the things that occur could only happen in books -- which is why it makes a great book. It wasn't purely an escapist read as it also takes you on an emotional journey, but it sure as heck took me out of myself for some moments with Lucas Tsai.
I feel like I will never get over this man that will never exist. Sigh.
After Marin and Sadie lost their mother at a young age, Sadie sought adventure and Marin relished in safety. Marin's life, her world, revolves around protecting Sadie. For once, Sadie wants to protect Marin. So she plans them a weekend girl's trip to a Caribbean Island called Saba. Things start of roughly with Sadie missing her flight, Marin having to travel alongside a gorgeously aloof man called Lucas, and her luggage gets confused with that of a newlywed bride. Despite his initial aloofness, Lucas offers to guide Marin around the island while she waits for her sister to arrive.
As I said earlier, women should not be allowed to write romance. My standards are far too high for any reasonable person and I cannot expect myself to find love. I also got this book through my Once Upon a Book Club subscription, meaning I got to open fun little gifts along the way. I have to say, the gifts elevated the experience. There were moments where I couldn't put it down because of the plot (I needed to get more of the chemistry and tension between Lucas and Marin), and then there were moments where I just needed to get to my next gift.
The book is sort of a multiple POV, as it switches between the main story narrated by Marin, and the secondary secret plot narrated by Sadie. At first it felt like Sadie was interrupting the heat between Marin and Lucas, but it makes sense to throw her in because Marin never stops thinking of Sadie. I want to say that this is the flaw she overcomes, but she really never stops thinking of Sadie. She does, however, shifting from worrying about Sadie to just appreciating her and thinking of her lovingly, wishing to share her adventure with her sister. We also don't know exactly how important Sadie is to the story.
While the book is definitely romantic, it is more than that. What kind of adult novel would it be without a little bit of grief? Or in this case, a lot a bit of grief. The "twists" we discover throughout the book feel very predictable and I cannot tell if it is because they were set up so well that it just made sense in hindsight, or if Hubscher made the mistake of giving it away. The jury is still out on that one. I don't love that Marin was a sort of sheltered damsel in distress that gets saved by this adventurous hunk of a man on an island. However, I counter that with the thought that Marin wasn't saved by Lucas, but by her sister. That's why the story is more than a romance, it is a story about sisterhood. They would do anything for each other, including sending your older sister on a wild trip to a foreign island with the most attractive and kindest man alive.
Again, it is not enough that Lucas is canonically gorgeous, but that he is also written as the most generous and the sweetest guy on earth. He is unlike anyone to ever exist, because he does not exist. He's too perfect. He is perfect for the story, but he is too perfect for the world. My tiny brain cannot handle the weight of knowing he exists in someone's mind -- it is too much to bear.
Personally, I loved the experience of reading this novel even though it sounded silly when I described the plot back to my friends. I mean, really, some of the things that occur could only happen in books -- which is why it makes a great book. It wasn't purely an escapist read as it also takes you on an emotional journey, but it sure as heck took me out of myself for some moments with Lucas Tsai.
I feel like I will never get over this man that will never exist. Sigh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual content
lastingliterature's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Marin and Sadie grew up with a journalist mother who loved adventure, adrenaline, and travel. When she loses her life on one of her work trips, Marin and Sadie take different paths with their grief. Marin becomes a mother-like figure to her younger sister and while she does become a writer in advertisement, she lives a very quiet, reserved life and takes zero risks. Sadie, on the other hand, makes recklessness her defining personality trait, which is perfect for her job as a photographer that travels across the world.
Sick of Marin’s safe life, she tricks her sister into a trip of a lifetime. Marin, for the first time in her life, is given an opportunity to fully let loose and have some fun on her own. It doesn’t help that she also had the help of hotelier, Lucas Tsai, to show her the many adventures awaiting her on the island.
Time for the review part. This is where it gets hard for me… I’m going to separate this into the first half and the second.
First half:
This book seemed right up my alley and with the warmer weather happening, a paradise romance seemed perfect! Right away, however, something felt off. I think my biggest problem with this book is that I felt zero connection with Marin and Lucas. They were attracted to each other from the start, and even after a couple of days of flirting and fun, I didn’t feel any type of chemistry between them. Marin is very bland and was pretty annoying to me, and she treated Lucas horribly for the first two days. Why would he be into her?! Lucas, too, was pretty dry until at least halfway through. The only character who got me to crack a smile was Ken, Lucas’s friend!
At this point, I would have rated it a 3.5 maybe. It seemed like a generic beach read.
Second half:
This is where all of those positive reviews are coming from. I won’t spoil anything, but there’s a good chance you will shed some tears. My problem with this is I wish I could feel this kind of emotion in the first half. I understand where the author was coming from setting it up the way she did, but once I got to the juice of this story, I felt like I wasted some of my time for the first 250 pages. With that being said, this chunk of the book was beautiful and heart-wrenching and I literally started crying during my 10 min break in between teaching classes.
TL;DR: This book’ll sneak up on ya!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TW: sickness, death of family, depression, grief, loss
Sick of Marin’s safe life, she tricks her sister into a trip of a lifetime. Marin, for the first time in her life, is given an opportunity to fully let loose and have some fun on her own. It doesn’t help that she also had the help of hotelier, Lucas Tsai, to show her the many adventures awaiting her on the island.
Time for the review part. This is where it gets hard for me… I’m going to separate this into the first half and the second.
First half:
This book seemed right up my alley and with the warmer weather happening, a paradise romance seemed perfect! Right away, however, something felt off. I think my biggest problem with this book is that I felt zero connection with Marin and Lucas. They were attracted to each other from the start, and even after a couple of days of flirting and fun, I didn’t feel any type of chemistry between them. Marin is very bland and was pretty annoying to me, and she treated Lucas horribly for the first two days. Why would he be into her?! Lucas, too, was pretty dry until at least halfway through. The only character who got me to crack a smile was Ken, Lucas’s friend!
At this point, I would have rated it a 3.5 maybe. It seemed like a generic beach read.
Second half:
This is where all of those positive reviews are coming from. I won’t spoil anything, but there’s a good chance you will shed some tears. My problem with this is I wish I could feel this kind of emotion in the first half. I understand where the author was coming from setting it up the way she did, but once I got to the juice of this story, I felt like I wasted some of my time for the first 250 pages. With that being said, this chunk of the book was beautiful and heart-wrenching and I literally started crying during my 10 min break in between teaching classes.
TL;DR: This book’ll sneak up on ya!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TW: sickness, death of family, depression, grief, loss
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, and Death
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