Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death, Suicide
Minor: Vomit
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Miscarriage, Death of parent
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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: Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicide, Suicide attempt
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Deportation
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
This book is a romance, but it doesn't follow the expected trajectory and instead mirrors how life actually unfolds when complex relationships are involved. This book also is realistic fiction, but it allows for some plot points that defy logic, like where did Phoebe suddenly get the money to take this trip, and how did she, a very bright woman, not think through how to execute her plan?
These formulaic departures make the story much more rewarding. We can cheer for Phoebe because she's not a brainless victim or a perfect powerhouse; instead, she is all of us, trying to figure out life, making imperfect decisions, hoping for things to get better, and gradually, almost without noticing, becoming empowered.
These formulaic departures make the story much more rewarding. We can cheer for Phoebe because she's not a brainless victim or a perfect powerhouse; instead, she is all of us, trying to figure out life, making imperfect decisions, hoping for things to get better, and gradually, almost without noticing, becoming empowered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity
dark
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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 is so close to a 5 star read for me. I teared up at many points as we got to experience the binding of stories, people, their collective healing, their flaws, and their assets.
It was such a beautiful look at what it means to be alive, to be human, to accept our own skin and live in it with grace and honesty and courage and love. I loved the journey of this book.
The only reason I cannot give it 5 stars is that I found some of the inner dialogue (and sometimes character dialogue as well) to be very crass in ways that weren’t necessary and sometimes felt borderline excessive. I was appreciative that the romance aspect was not the forefront of this story and as such there weren’t explicit scenes as much as explicitly sexual language.
Also left it a 4 star because I wanted a little bit more of a tidy conclusion about Phoebe and Gary’s future as a couple. I wanted more closure.
It was such a beautiful look at what it means to be alive, to be human, to accept our own skin and live in it with grace and honesty and courage and love. I loved the journey of this book.
The only reason I cannot give it 5 stars is that I found some of the inner dialogue (and sometimes character dialogue as well) to be very crass in ways that weren’t necessary and sometimes felt borderline excessive. I was appreciative that the romance aspect was not the forefront of this story and as such there weren’t explicit scenes as much as explicitly sexual language.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Dementia
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt