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midnightbelles's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this.
I heard a lot of mixed reviews for this but I decided to go into it with an open mind and I’m happy I did. This isn’t exactly a romance, more so a story of a woman trying to find her place in the world after her graduation but the romance that was present was really enjoyable. As a black queer woman struggling to find my place in the academic and real world this book really hit home for me and I found myself relating to everything that Grace (or Porter) felt. There were some questionable moments from her friends and Yuki but overall reading about her trying to find her place and deal with the overwhelming expectations of life after graduation was really enjoyable.
I heard a lot of mixed reviews for this but I decided to go into it with an open mind and I’m happy I did. This isn’t exactly a romance, more so a story of a woman trying to find her place in the world after her graduation but the romance that was present was really enjoyable. As a black queer woman struggling to find my place in the academic and real world this book really hit home for me and I found myself relating to everything that Grace (or Porter) felt. There were some questionable moments from her friends and Yuki but overall reading about her trying to find her place and deal with the overwhelming expectations of life after graduation was really enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Self harm
Moderate: Racism and Alcohol
Minor: Sexism and Panic attacks/disorders
alouette's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
"I love you so much it hurts."
the pretty, flowery prose occasionally confused me- but it was fitting for a book packed with so many emotions. you can see grace's perspectives change through the book and the biases of her point of view be unbuilt by her experiences. the pacing was a bit frustrating because i wanted to see much more of her time in New York, but i can never fault a book when it focuses on leaving someone to love them better and taking care of/talking about one's mental health. on that note...
i really warmed up to all the characters, who are very strong and realistic, and was super proud of grace. when a character i relate to realizes their happiness and health is important? hell yeah! and even if the romance was quite cheesy, that didn't lessen its impact.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Misogyny, Alcohol, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content
stacy837's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Self harm, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
sinaprst's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I feel like this book tried to do to many things within these barely 300 pages.
There were just so many characters that I could just not really connect to any of them as I could barely remember their names. Then you had the lovestory between Grace and Yuki, the storyline of Grace figuring out what to do with her life, the storyline between her and her father, her racist and sexist experiences in her work life, the sidestory with the ghost hunting, the sidestory about the tea shop, the sidestory about Grace's mother and her new boyfriend, the sidestory of one of her friends struggling with her mental health and so on. I feel like the author just couldn't decide what to focus on, so she decided to just touch on every issue in sight.
I guess I'm just really disappointed, because this could've been so good if the story just was more focused.
I really wanted to like this and I do hope the author continues writing because I did really like her writing style. This was her debut novel so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt in a way and maybe her next novel will be immaculate, because I feel like the potential is there.
Also, I do really appreciate the representation in this book. As far as I can tell it was done pretty well here. There is still so much representation lacking in the industry and I would love to see more like this in the future in that regard.
There were just so many characters that I could just not really connect to any of them as I could barely remember their names. Then you had the lovestory between Grace and Yuki, the storyline of Grace figuring out what to do with her life, the storyline between her and her father, her racist and sexist experiences in her work life, the sidestory with the ghost hunting, the sidestory about the tea shop, the sidestory about Grace's mother and her new boyfriend, the sidestory of one of her friends struggling with her mental health and so on. I feel like the author just couldn't decide what to focus on, so she decided to just touch on every issue in sight.
I guess I'm just really disappointed, because this could've been so good if the story just was more focused.
I really wanted to like this and I do hope the author continues writing because I did really like her writing style. This was her debut novel so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt in a way and maybe her next novel will be immaculate, because I feel like the potential is there.
Also, I do really appreciate the representation in this book. As far as I can tell it was done pretty well here. There is still so much representation lacking in the industry and I would love to see more like this in the future in that regard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Self harm, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
whisper88's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Mental illness, and Alcohol
foreverannabelle's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
i have never struggled so hard to read a book but this was very difficult to get through. it was objectively good id say– maybe i'm just in a reading slump! chapters were way too long for my liking though. did enjoy the diversity of characters
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol
matheo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism, Grief, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Drug use, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, and War
jenmcreads's review
emotional
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
4.5
I loved this book. I will say, I am glad I was forewarned that this is not a rom-com. I think it was somewhat marketed that way, and the initial premise of waking up married to a stranger in Vegas sounds like the start of a rom-com. There is romance in this book, but more than anything it is a book about burnout and mental health, barriers in academia (for Black women specifically in the case of the protagonist), and defining your own life goals rather than allowing them to be set by outside pressure and prestige.
Grace is a well-written protagonist, and I found I continued to root for her even at times she was lashing out or allowing herself to implode or making what might be seen as questionable decisions. The tensions she felt within herself were clear throughout - should she placate her overbearing and ambitious father, or should she live a life she can enjoy? Does she want to push for prestige and success in her chosen field, or does she want to prioritize happiness? How much of life should be eaten up by work and achievement? I think these struggles are extremely relatable, particularly as the millennial generation grapples with the economic fallout of the pandemic. Morgan Rogers wrote these struggles with understanding and sensitivity, and did not shy away from the occasional darkness of mental health struggles.
I loved Yuki, Grace's wife as well. In particular, Yuki's presence brought the metaphors around monsters and lonely creatures which I thought were woven in beautifully to the text. The found family in this book, both Yuki's roommates and Grace's friends in Portland were beautifully supportive and flawed humans.
This book is sticking with me, having finished it a little while ago. It touched and moved me and I will look forward to reading more by Morgan Rogers.
Grace is a well-written protagonist, and I found I continued to root for her even at times she was lashing out or allowing herself to implode or making what might be seen as questionable decisions. The tensions she felt within herself were clear throughout - should she placate her overbearing and ambitious father, or should she live a life she can enjoy? Does she want to push for prestige and success in her chosen field, or does she want to prioritize happiness? How much of life should be eaten up by work and achievement? I think these struggles are extremely relatable, particularly as the millennial generation grapples with the economic fallout of the pandemic. Morgan Rogers wrote these struggles with understanding and sensitivity, and did not shy away from the occasional darkness of mental health struggles.
I loved Yuki, Grace's wife as well. In particular, Yuki's presence brought the metaphors around monsters and lonely creatures which I thought were woven in beautifully to the text. The found family in this book, both Yuki's roommates and Grace's friends in Portland were beautifully supportive and flawed humans.
This book is sticking with me, having finished it a little while ago. It touched and moved me and I will look forward to reading more by Morgan Rogers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Racism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Self harm, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
wella's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Mental illness, and Racism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol
edengrove's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
Gorgeous! The writing style is breathtaking, the characters are complex and stunning. I wish I could live in the book, be friends with these characters and live life with them. Grace faces real struggles and has amazing development. Highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol and Self harm