Scan barcode
meisqr's review
i could not take her nickname seriously... and the constant referring to her not being pretty
valeriaana_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
milicasbookshelf's review
2.0
To be clear right away, I had no expectations when I started reading the book.
Even so, I didn't feel any connection between the main characters. And if I saw just one more time how the heroine has such a low opinion of herself, I would go crazy.
Even so, I didn't feel any connection between the main characters. And if I saw just one more time how the heroine has such a low opinion of herself, I would go crazy.
my_name_is_jess's review against another edition
DNF around 30%
I just could not get invested in this story or any of the characters.
I just could not get invested in this story or any of the characters.
mononymouskat's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
smuttymcbookface's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Despite Mary Balogh's beautiful writing style, I found myself bored and unsympathetic to Elliot.
His demand that Vanessa accept his claim she's beautiful, despite his internal dialogue where he's not really sure himself, and his pushiness over her hesitation, was hard to read. Additionally, when he was annoyed and petty, taking it out on her by using her as a quick pump and dump was frustrating to read. He viewed himself as the model of society, and it felt as though poor Vanessa always had to live up to deserving him. I appreciate that this was a perfect representation of men at his time, but that didn't make it enjoyable to read about him.
In contrast, I loved Vanessa, her strength, and her insistence on making the best of everything. She was wonderfully good without being flawless, and was much kinder to many characters than they deserved. She was resilient, understanding of herself and what she gave as a person, and took way too much in her stride.
I found the plot quite slow, yet the writing was superb and truly evocative.Reading about poor Vanessa having making friends with Elliott's mistress, all because he didn't tell her, was so well-written and had your heart breaking for her.
Although I found this particular book too slow, I'm keen to try others from her.
His demand that Vanessa accept his claim she's beautiful, despite his internal dialogue where he's not really sure himself, and his pushiness over her hesitation, was hard to read. Additionally, when he was annoyed and petty, taking it out on her by using her as a quick pump and dump was frustrating to read. He viewed himself as the model of society, and it felt as though poor Vanessa always had to live up to deserving him. I appreciate that this was a perfect representation of men at his time, but that didn't make it enjoyable to read about him.
In contrast, I loved Vanessa, her strength, and her insistence on making the best of everything. She was wonderfully good without being flawless, and was much kinder to many characters than they deserved. She was resilient, understanding of herself and what she gave as a person, and took way too much in her stride.
I found the plot quite slow, yet the writing was superb and truly evocative.
Although I found this particular book too slow, I'm keen to try others from her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, and Violence
larilaridictionari's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A good, middle of the road historical romance. The two leads are a sweet couple and I appreciate how their relationship developed, but I found them to be a bit more boring than I'd have liked.
The constant musings of how the Vanesssa was so plain started to get grating, especially since her husband constantly thought about it until he started to fall in love with her. The conflicts that the couple experienced were more mild, but I enjoyed how they never got blown out of proportion and were resolved after honest conversations. I might pick up the next book in the series since I'm interested to see how the rest of the family fares, especially Meg, if other books in my TBR don't pull my attention first.