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thebookdivareads'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
2.5
jodeezle's review against another edition
4.0
This is a romance story based on a relationship that is building slowly. This story shows you family issued of the two main characters. It shows you how their relationship grows from the very first time they see and are attracted to each other, to the point where feelings are there. One of the main things I liked about this book was that them falling for each other was realistic and not no love at first sight mumbo jumbo.
I did struggle a little bit with the fact this book is very serious. I like serious books but I like them to also have a little be of levity, be lighthearted. This story was still very good and I will definitely recommend this book.
Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I did struggle a little bit with the fact this book is very serious. I like serious books but I like them to also have a little be of levity, be lighthearted. This story was still very good and I will definitely recommend this book.
Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
dinipandareads's review
slow-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
3.0
TL;DR: My feelings on this vacillated greatly throughout my reading journey. There were moments when I enjoyed our characters and their burgeoning romance but the slow pace, lack of plot, and the total "what the heck is going on" moment of their final conflict almost made the not-so-enjoyable moments outweigh the good. As it is, I'd say this is a solid 3-star read—not bad but not great though I enjoyed it enough to want to possibly read other books by this author in the future.
What I liked:
- Eden was an admirable character. She's no-nonsense, hard-working (almost to a fault) and tough as heck! I loved how she spoke up for others and spoke her mind. The scene in the bathroom at the ball? *chef's kiss!* OML, I adored how she didn't let her insecurities engulf her, worked through her feelings, and stood up for herself because YES, QUEEN! I also enjoyed seeing her be her badass self defending people who can't defend themselves.
- Beck was charming and I enjoyed his backstory although it was heartbreaking. I wanted to see a little more emotion out of him, especially concerning his mother but I found his arc touching. I also liked how thoughtful he was when it came to the people in his life, even his mother whom he had a complicated relationship. The way he took care of Eden when she has always been the one to take care of others was very sweet, too!
- Some of their romantic moments had the butterflies going in my chest. I loved how sweet they were with each other and how they clicked. Watching them catch feelings and have realisations about the strength of those feelings made me feel just as giddy as they felt! Although it was predictable and I could see it coming from the moment this element was introduced, I still loved a particular scene at the end between these two—if you read this, you'll know what I mean!
- I felt like much of their romantic evolution was "told" and not "shown". They spent a good chunk of their time apart living their own lives, which is fair enough, but more of the times they spent together felt glossed over.
- Their lack of communication or should I say their lack of desire to communicate their feelings more was quite frustrating and I felt, led to unnecessary drama. Why couldn't they have just stated outright how they felt before they'd fight and have to make up when they could so easily do it after feeling guilty about a pointless argument? As much as I enjoyed that they just *got* what the other was feeling, this lack of communication felt incongruous with their natures.
- Holly. Straight up, I did not like this woman. She was spoiled, entitled, bratty and wildly immature. Even though I know from personal experience that sister relationships are complicated, I lowkey hated how Eden would let Holly walk all over her even until the end! Holly did not deserve it and I'm not taking these words back, I don't care, lol.
- I don't know if it was just the writing of the characters that was occasionally confusing to me but the resolution of some of their conflicts, both personal and romantic, felt off at times. I don't know how to describe it. It was almost as if these important moments were written passively and I struggled to understand why certain characters acted or reacted in ways that were very blasé. I think it again comes down to the lack of communication...
lauren_soderberg's review
3.0
3.5 stars
When you talk about genre romance, it’s not a proper conversation if you’re not including Sandra Kitt. There’s a reason why she has such a storied and celebrated career. Having never read her work before, I felt grateful to have the opportunity to read The Time of Your Life ahead of its publication date.
The Time of Your Life centers around protagonists Eden Marsh and Beck Dennison, their shared experience of having the same father-figure/benefactor, and how they both grow as characters. It’s not a flashy read, meaning that the conflicts are more internal; the flowering of their relationship more slowly paced. I could understand why Kitt is considered one of the greats when I read this.
All that said, I think that the narrative style and prose of the book feels a little more old school, and not necessarily in a bad way! It hails back to a time in the genre that probably evokes a lot of nostalgia for devoted readers. However, as a reader who is fairly new to the genre, I felt that its style was a marked departure from most contemporaries I have read in the past few years. Again, that is not necessarily a bad thing! The characters feel, frankly, a little old. Older than the ages I think they’re meant to be in the novel. But love is universal, and that definitely translates. There are also other complicated relationships that are addressed in the book that add richness to the story and to the emotional growth of the protagonists.
If you are a Sandra Kitt fan, you will love this book. And if you are new to her as an author, it’s still worth a read.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
When you talk about genre romance, it’s not a proper conversation if you’re not including Sandra Kitt. There’s a reason why she has such a storied and celebrated career. Having never read her work before, I felt grateful to have the opportunity to read The Time of Your Life ahead of its publication date.
The Time of Your Life centers around protagonists Eden Marsh and Beck Dennison, their shared experience of having the same father-figure/benefactor, and how they both grow as characters. It’s not a flashy read, meaning that the conflicts are more internal; the flowering of their relationship more slowly paced. I could understand why Kitt is considered one of the greats when I read this.
All that said, I think that the narrative style and prose of the book feels a little more old school, and not necessarily in a bad way! It hails back to a time in the genre that probably evokes a lot of nostalgia for devoted readers. However, as a reader who is fairly new to the genre, I felt that its style was a marked departure from most contemporaries I have read in the past few years. Again, that is not necessarily a bad thing! The characters feel, frankly, a little old. Older than the ages I think they’re meant to be in the novel. But love is universal, and that definitely translates. There are also other complicated relationships that are addressed in the book that add richness to the story and to the emotional growth of the protagonists.
If you are a Sandra Kitt fan, you will love this book. And if you are new to her as an author, it’s still worth a read.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
klepper2013's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this read. Started from page 1, which kept interest. Middle, however, slowed a bit for my liking. But had no problems continuing on. The plot was cute and based close to home for me so that was. I would recommend.
confidentleeme's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
A chance encounter leads into the sweetest love story for Eden and Beck. For each other and themselves.
I enjoyed the evolution of the characters most in this story. This read more like a contemporary read than romance in my opinion. There was a strong focus on the home life battles of our main characters.
There is a 3rd act spiff that ends quickly enough so you aren't aching.
Overall I thought it was a fine read. I likely will not read again tho
I enjoyed the evolution of the characters most in this story. This read more like a contemporary read than romance in my opinion. There was a strong focus on the home life battles of our main characters.
There is a 3rd act spiff that ends quickly enough so you aren't aching.
Overall I thought it was a fine read. I likely will not read again tho
chanteld's review against another edition
4.0
Beck and Eden grew on me. This is a low drama, low angst romance but you feel the couple grow and fall in low. Content warnings for grief, death of a parent and child death.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.
emeryclarke's review
3.0
Having not read the first book in the series, I was worried that I would be missing large swaths of information. However, this book could have easily been a novel. I did enjoy the character development and general story arc, I did find that the description of the book resolved itself quite early on in the story, while many other plot points persisted.
Overall I think content balance and pacing were a struggle. Romance books normally take me a weekend to read, a day if I'm listening. I've had this book for weeks and finally finished it. I honestly kept selecting other books over it because I didn't want to go back to another slow part.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Overall I think content balance and pacing were a struggle. Romance books normally take me a weekend to read, a day if I'm listening. I've had this book for weeks and finally finished it. I honestly kept selecting other books over it because I didn't want to go back to another slow part.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
lit_vibrations's review against another edition
3.0
This was one of those books that I had to really push through to finish because it was such a slow-burn. I mean slug in a turtle race slow so I didn’t enjoy it but I didn’t hate it either. I was really waiting for the characters to come to life and to read this amazing dialogue something to really pull me in. But the novel had no real excitement I mean we get zero drama not to say that would’ve made it any better. It was like watching a movie in black and white (dull) the premise seemed promising but the story dragged for so long I couldn’t wait for it to end.
The novel follows Eden Marsh and Beck Dennison after Everett Nicholls died, leaving his millions to the two they are instantly suspicious of each other. Now with such a large inheritance in the picture both must deal with some lingering family issues. As they begin to confide in each other and have fun together their friendship is an anchor in a stormy new life for the two.
Again this was a cute romance but I didn’t really feel connected with any of the characters they all lacked depth. Of them all I couldn’t stand Holly the most. I get the author was trying to build a connection or relationship with both main MC’s by including their family troubles etc but I could’ve done without the side characters.
Luckily, I didn’t have any real expectations for the book so I can’t say that I’m disappointed but this isn’t something I’d be interested in reading again. When the book first started I felt like after Everett’s funeral things would pick up but at no point at all did the pacing progress. So, do I recommend? I say read at your own will you might enjoy it. Special thanks to the author & @sourcebookscasa for my gifted copy!!!
The novel follows Eden Marsh and Beck Dennison after Everett Nicholls died, leaving his millions to the two they are instantly suspicious of each other. Now with such a large inheritance in the picture both must deal with some lingering family issues. As they begin to confide in each other and have fun together their friendship is an anchor in a stormy new life for the two.
Again this was a cute romance but I didn’t really feel connected with any of the characters they all lacked depth. Of them all I couldn’t stand Holly the most. I get the author was trying to build a connection or relationship with both main MC’s by including their family troubles etc but I could’ve done without the side characters.
Luckily, I didn’t have any real expectations for the book so I can’t say that I’m disappointed but this isn’t something I’d be interested in reading again. When the book first started I felt like after Everett’s funeral things would pick up but at no point at all did the pacing progress. So, do I recommend? I say read at your own will you might enjoy it. Special thanks to the author & @sourcebookscasa for my gifted copy!!!
shankl's review against another edition
3.0
The meet cute was unique in this romance, a wake for a man they both loved dearly. It's only after they become the sole beneficiary to the man's vast fortune, do they truly connect romantically. But first, both must work through family issues to truly connect to move forward.
The storyline was ok, and the money really added to the romance other than we are rich. I also found Eden's issues with her sister immature compared to what Beck was having to overcome. The Time of Your Life begins slowly, and I would've preferred more romance.
Thank you Sourcebooks for the complimentary copy.
The storyline was ok, and the money really added to the romance other than we are rich. I also found Eden's issues with her sister immature compared to what Beck was having to overcome. The Time of Your Life begins slowly, and I would've preferred more romance.
Thank you Sourcebooks for the complimentary copy.