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emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Suicide
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Drug use, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pandemic/Epidemic
emotional
funny
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think this one will simply work better as a movie, which will inevitably be made.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness, Excrement, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Drug use, Vomit
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
LOVED LOVED LOVED this story and I really resonated with both the two characters Pheobe and Lila.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent
funny
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 liked this book way more than I expected to—especially considering I didn’t really relate to any of the characters. What pulled me in was the humor and atmosphere: it genuinely made me feel like I was right there at the resort during this chaotic, emotional wedding week. The setting was vivid, and the writing had that dry, clever tone that just works.
One thing I appreciated: there’s no true villain here. Everyone’s just… living. Messy, passive, insecure, trying their best. It made it feel grounded even when the stakes weren’t super high.
Around the halfway point, you kind of get a hunch where things are going, but it still manages to avoid being too predictable—which kept me engaged. That said, the one downside was how long we lingered in the characters not saying what they meant or sort of saying it but never doing anything about it. That started feeling repetitive and dragged the beat down a bit.
I know some readers felt like the main character’s emotional turnaround wasn’t “realistic,” but to me, that misses the point. (Also You picked up a beach-lit novel with millennial humor and expect it to become a gritty HBO miniseries?) This isn’t a clinical case study; it’s a story about hitting rock bottom and finding something (or someone) that interrupts the spiral. Therapy isn’t always a room with a licensed clinician. Sometimes it’s:
- An unexpected connection
- A conversation that pierces your defenses
- A moment of absurdity that gives you perspective
- Witnessing someone else’s messy life and seeing your own differently
It’s not about solving everything, it’s about finding a reason to keep going, even temporarily. Sometimes connection, absurdity, and timing are enough to shift something inside you. That’s what this book captured so well. (Plus she said she went to therapy and the therapist was useless)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Drug use, Miscarriage, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
dark
funny
hopeful
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
This book is like a summer read mixed with the bedt therapy session you've ever had.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug use, Pandemic/Epidemic
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
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
This book really took me by surprise in the best way! When I first started reading, I wasn’t sure I’d connect with the main character. She came across as a bit distant, and I worried the story was going to be overwhelmingly bleak. But as the plot unfolded and she entered that hotel, it felt like a space suspended from her reality in a way. The book became something much more than a story about a suicidal woman choosing her final moments.
What really struck me was how the main character interacted with the other guests. There was a kind of raw honesty to her, like someone who had nothing to lose. That attitude, I think born from her belief that she shouldn’t even be alive, made her not hold back anything in her conversations. I think everyone felt so drawn to her because she contrasted so starkly with the guests around her who were constantly concerned with appearances and expectations.
I also really enjoyed how her personal history, particularly the background of her marriage, was gradually revealed, even as she was building this very natural, subtle connection with the groom. Their relationship didn’t feel forced, and just seemed to grew through shared understanding and quiet moments away from the tension of the event.
The pacing did lag slightly in the middle. The book relies heavily on Phoebe’s internal monologue, and at times it slowed things down a bit. The ending, though, was beautiful. I loved how everything was contained within the hotel, and how symbolic it was for the main character’s journey. When she finally stepped outside—without even looking back—it felt like such a powerful, poetic act of letting go. She was ready to move forward. This was a really unexpected and great read for me.
What really struck me was how the main character interacted with the other guests. There was a kind of raw honesty to her, like someone who had nothing to lose. That attitude, I think born from her belief that she shouldn’t even be alive, made her not hold back anything in her conversations. I think everyone felt so drawn to her because she contrasted so starkly with the guests around her who were constantly concerned with appearances and expectations.
I also really enjoyed how her personal history, particularly the background of her marriage, was gradually revealed, even as she was building this very natural, subtle connection with the groom. Their relationship didn’t feel forced, and just seemed to grew through shared understanding and quiet moments away from the tension of the event.
The pacing did lag slightly in the middle. The book relies heavily on Phoebe’s internal monologue, and at times it slowed things down a bit. The ending, though, was beautiful. I loved how everything was contained within the hotel, and how symbolic it was for the main character’s journey. When she finally stepped outside—without even looking back—it felt like such a powerful, poetic act of letting go. She was ready to move forward. This was a really unexpected and great read for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Miscarriage, Death of parent
Minor: Pedophilia, Blood, Vomit, Alcohol