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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
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
I give the book a 3.5 - rounding up to four. It was great read with some predictable parts and other parts that definitely surprised me. Emily Stone definitely knows how to pull at the heartstrings. The 'fate' parts of the story were believable and interwoven nicely. I figured out the surprise plot twist right away, but that didn't bother me at all. My biggest complaint is the timeline didn't add up - the ages and dates of events did not end up equaling so I'm guessing some changes were made to make things more believable but then all the references were not found and aligned in editing.
I usually gravitate toward sappy romances and smut at the end of the year and during the holidays. However, this book was so beautifully written with characters I just wanted to hug and be friends with, that I'm glad it had the heavier elements of grief, found family, and real yet flawed people.
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A sweet and emotional novel with some holiday mixed in.
I really enjoyed this book and the subplots. Loved the characters of Holly, Jack, and especially Emma.
*Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell and NetGalley for the ARC!*
We have no choice but to love Emily's books. I loved the pen pal aspect of how this book is set up - the concept is really interesting, and leads to a great dynamic between the characters. Some other reviews have mentioned pacing, but I didn't really notice anything that felt off, this was definitely a one sitting read for me. I do think if you're looking for pure fun, this isn't that - it's Emily's signature style where there are lots of emotions present throughout, and that includes sad moments. Overall, I loved it and I'll recommend!
We have no choice but to love Emily's books. I loved the pen pal aspect of how this book is set up - the concept is really interesting, and leads to a great dynamic between the characters. Some other reviews have mentioned pacing, but I didn't really notice anything that felt off, this was definitely a one sitting read for me. I do think if you're looking for pure fun, this isn't that - it's Emily's signature style where there are lots of emotions present throughout, and that includes sad moments. Overall, I loved it and I'll recommend!
emotional
hopeful
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
3.5⭐️
****
Okay so I gave this 3.5 stars for several reasons. At the end of the day I really enjoyed the book and I loved the characters. I love how Emily wrote this story and how well she did with writing about grief. She did a really great job with love and loss. One of the reasons I gave this 3.5 stars is because I thought that this was going to be more Christmas themed and it was Christmas related but not as much as other holiday books. It just felt like a regular romance book that talked about Christmas sometimes. The other reason I rated this at 3.5 is because it felt very slow in the beginning, it took me about 100 pages to finally feel really interested in this book. This will be different for everyone though. The beginning wasn't the only place where it felt slow, there were some spots towards the middle and end that made the book feel like it was dragging on. I think the romance was written really well. I just wish there was more Christmas!
****
Okay so I gave this 3.5 stars for several reasons. At the end of the day I really enjoyed the book and I loved the characters. I love how Emily wrote this story and how well she did with writing about grief. She did a really great job with love and loss. One of the reasons I gave this 3.5 stars is because I thought that this was going to be more Christmas themed and it was Christmas related but not as much as other holiday books. It just felt like a regular romance book that talked about Christmas sometimes. The other reason I rated this at 3.5 is because it felt very slow in the beginning, it took me about 100 pages to finally feel really interested in this book. This will be different for everyone though. The beginning wasn't the only place where it felt slow, there were some spots towards the middle and end that made the book feel like it was dragging on. I think the romance was written really well. I just wish there was more Christmas!
3.5 ⭐️
Emma is 5 stars (especially with that emotional ending), but this writing is 2 stars. Please ditch the time skips next time.
Emma is 5 stars (especially with that emotional ending), but this writing is 2 stars. Please ditch the time skips next time.