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alexespinasse's review against another edition
4.0
Instagram: @WhatAlexReads_
I was super excited to read this book. It only has a small number of reviews on Goodreads, but it’s been received so brilliantly.
I loved the plot, the idea of what could have been and why it didn’t happen. If you’ve ever had a relationship in the past that ended and you find yourself occasionally wondering that what if question, you’ll love this book.
I felt incredibly conflicted by the ending. The whole way through reading I didn’t know who I was rooting for, swapping and changing my opinions often. This book is technically a HEA, but it’s also not. I was left feeling confused and somewhat upset by the time I finished it.
There are so many relatable experiences in this book. I was invested pretty much from the get go. Arden our FMC is so likeable, funny, smart and strong. Usually I dislike FMC in romance novels because they’re always described in ways I can’t stand. Falling into that annoying, they don’t know they’re beautiful, they never know how to do their makeup, always quirky and not like that other girls category. Arden however, I’d like her if I met her.
It was so close to being four stars, (I’m not sure if I should even take a star off for this, maybe half a star) but there were so many typos throughout that it kept taking me out of the book. I would be so immersed and then suddenly thrown off by a missed space or incorrect spelling. The other knocked off star is because I found the ending dragged… a lot. With a few chapters I would have scrapped altogether and would have enjoyed it the same, maybe more.
I think this would be a fab holiday read and it’s available on Kindle unlimited! Defo give it a go if you like a smuttyish romance.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3.5)
#books #bookclub #whatalexreads_ #bibliophile #reading #booktok #bookreview #bookphotography #readmorebooks #bookstagram #goodreads #review #bookish #bookcommunity #bookclub #bookstagramfollowtrain
I was super excited to read this book. It only has a small number of reviews on Goodreads, but it’s been received so brilliantly.
I loved the plot, the idea of what could have been and why it didn’t happen. If you’ve ever had a relationship in the past that ended and you find yourself occasionally wondering that what if question, you’ll love this book.
I felt incredibly conflicted by the ending. The whole way through reading I didn’t know who I was rooting for, swapping and changing my opinions often. This book is technically a HEA, but it’s also not. I was left feeling confused and somewhat upset by the time I finished it.
There are so many relatable experiences in this book. I was invested pretty much from the get go. Arden our FMC is so likeable, funny, smart and strong. Usually I dislike FMC in romance novels because they’re always described in ways I can’t stand. Falling into that annoying, they don’t know they’re beautiful, they never know how to do their makeup, always quirky and not like that other girls category. Arden however, I’d like her if I met her.
It was so close to being four stars, (I’m not sure if I should even take a star off for this, maybe half a star) but there were so many typos throughout that it kept taking me out of the book. I would be so immersed and then suddenly thrown off by a missed space or incorrect spelling. The other knocked off star is because I found the ending dragged… a lot. With a few chapters I would have scrapped altogether and would have enjoyed it the same, maybe more.
I think this would be a fab holiday read and it’s available on Kindle unlimited! Defo give it a go if you like a smuttyish romance.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3.5)
#books #bookclub #whatalexreads_ #bibliophile #reading #booktok #bookreview #bookphotography #readmorebooks #bookstagram #goodreads #review #bookish #bookcommunity #bookclub #bookstagramfollowtrain
neelymoldovan's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished this book by @dianaelliotgraham and I don’t even know what to say other than go read it. I don’t know that I’ve ever read anything like this book and I’m so glad tiktok randomly started showing it to me. This is a must read. I can’t even really describe it much without giving things away. But I’ll say this: what if you spent 14 years thinking the love of your life broke up with you only to find out he has spent the last 14 years thinking you broke go with him? ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this needs to be the next book you read.
erindavis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
riniya's review
5.0
Forgive me because this is going to be a long review. This book is a 5-star book, not because its perfect, like I normally reserve this rating for, but because of what it made me feel.
I was sobbing by the end and the twists that I was NOT EXPECTING were mind-blowing.
Don’t worry, there are no spoilers here.
Arden is sitting at a table with her best friend who is an author. A seemingly innocuous question about breakup sex leads Arden to text her ex, asking what he thought when they had it the night he dumped her. Only for him to respond that He didn’t dump her that she dumped him.
This innocent text sets off a chain of events that lead Arden to recount her history with this man to her best friend.
The story is told mostly in flashback to when she was a freshman in college in 2007 - 2008. The majority of it is in Arden's POV with occasional glimpses into "HIS" PoV. That's all we get, his chapters are titled "HIM."
The flashbacks start at the beginning and slowly build through her first year in college. It introduces you to a cast of characters that help propel the story forward.
This book is by no means perfect and normally as mentioned above, I reserve my 5-stars for a book that is so amazing I could see myself reading it over and over. A book that I have absolutely no complaints with and that's not this book.
There are moments during the flashbacks where she is setting the scene and trying to explain how this amazing love-story miscommunication came to be that are slow and I found myself dragging to keep reading.
But the reason that this book, despite its flaws, gets a 5-star rating from me is because of the twists. I am not going to spoiler it, don’t worry but the moment that first twist was revealed ... I threw my kindle on the other Side of the couch.
I am someone who thrives on discovering the bumps and turns that are coming, usually figuring them out pretty quickly. Sure, it makes for a non-exciting read to some people but it's how my brain works and I'm okay with it.
But this twist, followed almost immediately by two more twists on the following 4 pages, I was not expecting. This book honestly surprised me and then I was hooked. We are within the last hour of reading and I couldn’t put it down. I had to keep reading to see what was going to come, forgoing sleep because the book had gripped me.
The ending was amazing and it caused me to tear up. I am really trying hard not to ruin this for you because I do believe that everyone should read this book.
If you have ever had that "One that got away” or a “What if” relationship, this book is for you.
So maybe this book doesn’t deserve 5-stars, and maybe you won't like it if you read it, but I did and I really hope that you do too.
I was sobbing by the end and the twists that I was NOT EXPECTING were mind-blowing.
Don’t worry, there are no spoilers here.
Arden is sitting at a table with her best friend who is an author. A seemingly innocuous question about breakup sex leads Arden to text her ex, asking what he thought when they had it the night he dumped her. Only for him to respond that He didn’t dump her that she dumped him.
This innocent text sets off a chain of events that lead Arden to recount her history with this man to her best friend.
The story is told mostly in flashback to when she was a freshman in college in 2007 - 2008. The majority of it is in Arden's POV with occasional glimpses into "HIS" PoV. That's all we get, his chapters are titled "HIM."
The flashbacks start at the beginning and slowly build through her first year in college. It introduces you to a cast of characters that help propel the story forward.
This book is by no means perfect and normally as mentioned above, I reserve my 5-stars for a book that is so amazing I could see myself reading it over and over. A book that I have absolutely no complaints with and that's not this book.
There are moments during the flashbacks where she is setting the scene and trying to explain how this amazing love-story miscommunication came to be that are slow and I found myself dragging to keep reading.
But the reason that this book, despite its flaws, gets a 5-star rating from me is because of the twists. I am not going to spoiler it, don’t worry but the moment that first twist was revealed ... I threw my kindle on the other Side of the couch.
I am someone who thrives on discovering the bumps and turns that are coming, usually figuring them out pretty quickly. Sure, it makes for a non-exciting read to some people but it's how my brain works and I'm okay with it.
But this twist, followed almost immediately by two more twists on the following 4 pages, I was not expecting. This book honestly surprised me and then I was hooked. We are within the last hour of reading and I couldn’t put it down. I had to keep reading to see what was going to come, forgoing sleep because the book had gripped me.
The ending was amazing and it caused me to tear up. I am really trying hard not to ruin this for you because I do believe that everyone should read this book.
If you have ever had that "One that got away” or a “What if” relationship, this book is for you.
So maybe this book doesn’t deserve 5-stars, and maybe you won't like it if you read it, but I did and I really hope that you do too.
readingontheprairie's review
2.0
I gave into the current hype surrounding this book and it truly fell short for me in almost every way. SO disappointing!
thebookishmama's review
5.0
𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 “𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬”
Probably the easiest 5 stars I’ve ever given, are you kidding me? This. Freakin. Book. The writing? Spectacular. My emotions? Freakin all over the place. The story? Unforgettable. Highlights? 297 of them. My heart? Shattered. Thank you
I’ll try to get myself together enough to form a full review but just trust me and go into this blind and enjoy the ride. oh and make sure you read all the way to the end of the acknowledgments.
WOW
𝙐𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜
why yes I did reread this within 24 hours of finishing it. My previous statements all remain and I still don’t have the words for this, but probably never will. I absolutely loved this book, and the second time was even better. It’s one of the most real and honest books I have ever read. The writing is phenomenal and I went through 3 whole highlighters annotating this. There is honestly so much to this book I want to talk about but cannot risk spoiling a single thing so I just highly recommend reading it and then talking to either DEG herself or someone who’s read it because woah. This book is so unique and it was one of the best reading experiences of my life. Prepare for me to never shut up about it!
DEG, thanks for letting me be obsessed with you and your book and for talking through literally every point in the book.
Probably the easiest 5 stars I’ve ever given, are you kidding me? This. Freakin. Book. The writing? Spectacular. My emotions? Freakin all over the place. The story? Unforgettable. Highlights? 297 of them. My heart? Shattered. Thank you
I’ll try to get myself together enough to form a full review but just trust me and go into this blind and enjoy the ride. oh and make sure you read all the way to the end of the acknowledgments.
WOW
𝙐𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜
why yes I did reread this within 24 hours of finishing it. My previous statements all remain and I still don’t have the words for this, but probably never will. I absolutely loved this book, and the second time was even better. It’s one of the most real and honest books I have ever read. The writing is phenomenal and I went through 3 whole highlighters annotating this. There is honestly so much to this book I want to talk about but cannot risk spoiling a single thing so I just highly recommend reading it and then talking to either DEG herself or someone who’s read it because woah. This book is so unique and it was one of the best reading experiences of my life. Prepare for me to never shut up about it!
DEG, thanks for letting me be obsessed with you and your book and for talking through literally every point in the book.
rsmiley716's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Heartbreakingly beautiful. The whole time I thought I knew how I wanted the story to end, but I was wrong! It was written just as it should have been. (Even though the ending did seem to drag out a little.... but I think that was only because i needed to know what was going to happen as soon as possible!!) I don't think I have ever read another book like this one. Such a fresh read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Rape
aideenwhit's review
5.0
I stayed up until 4 AM to finish this book which I will probably (definitely) come to regret when I’m taking care of my 2 year old and 3 month old in a couple of hours, BUT I adored this story and have no doubt it will stay with me for a very long time.