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now_booking's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.25
I really enjoyed this charming story of family and loss and love and just being the bigger person. The premise is that unlucky-in-love Sam is heartbroken that her cousin and BFF is marrying her (Sam’s) ex especially since she stepped aside to make it happen. That said being the nicest person in the entire universe she puts a good face on it but then her cousin finds and suddenly Sam finds herself an outcast from her family. This leads her to build an unexpected relationship with a grumpy old man finally find healing after a lifetime of hurts.
This book reminds me of if Virgin River met A Man Called Ove met that love triangle in Bridgerton Season 2. It’s such a lovely and soft book- I can’t quite say it’s a romance because while there is romance, it’s not the main point of the book. Perhaps this is more women’s fiction or sort of uplit. But even being soft, Sam goes through a lot of hardship and abandonment and hurt and loss and yet the author is so delicate with these really intense themes that you feel Sam’s hurt and pain but you’re not overwhelmed by it. Character-wise, Sam was a delight. She is truly the nicest person that ever did nice. But I definitely had issues with her relatives and how they let her mother’s reign of abuse go unpunished for YEARSSS!!! Sam’s mother was clearly the villain of this peace and I liked how that was resolved. I enjoyed Sam’s friendships and thought that overall the secondary characters in this were fantastic. This author is new to me and was recommended by a friend but I absolutely loved this book and am on to the next one in the series already.
This book reminds me of if Virgin River met A Man Called Ove met that love triangle in Bridgerton Season 2. It’s such a lovely and soft book- I can’t quite say it’s a romance because while there is romance, it’s not the main point of the book. Perhaps this is more women’s fiction or sort of uplit. But even being soft, Sam goes through a lot of hardship and abandonment and hurt and loss and yet the author is so delicate with these really intense themes that you feel Sam’s hurt and pain but you’re not overwhelmed by it. Character-wise, Sam was a delight. She is truly the nicest person that ever did nice. But I definitely had issues with her relatives and how they let her mother’s reign of abuse go unpunished for YEARSSS!!! Sam’s mother was clearly the villain of this peace and I liked how that was resolved. I enjoyed Sam’s friendships and thought that overall the secondary characters in this were fantastic. This author is new to me and was recommended by a friend but I absolutely loved this book and am on to the next one in the series already.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity and Child death
subtlebookish's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
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