Reviews

As a person with depression, mommy issues, and who is deeply in love with the idea of sweet, soft leading men, this book is now going down as my favorite book of all time.

Typically the lead in romance stories go through some sort of personal growth. This can range from “why are we doing this” to “why is this person so stupid” to “just…..why”. This story balanced the personal growth of the lead perfectly, weaving together so many elements with such a level of depth that I was sobbing at multiple points.

Ari, our protagonist, is coming off of a broken engagement, has depression, and because of the way her mother who also had depression growing up was, believes she needs to be “on” at all times, and is a Fixer. This leads to her feeling even more stress than the average person when her bosses are making her life a living h*ll. She’s the self aware protagonist of my dreams, going to therapy, taking medication, and recognizing her mistakes.

Russell, our leading man, is literally my dream man. Glasses, reeling off of the stress of being a young father, not having dated for 5 years, respectful, basically the ultimate leading man.

They combine to plan some hijinks, yes, and there is some silly moments, but what struck me was how genuine this book was. From Ari’s depression, to their jewish identity, to healing her relationship with her mom, to his daughter and his own issues, this book didn’t feel like it was trying to shoehorn plot lines in to give the story some meat, but felt like it was giving the reader a story about two real people. I truly felt like every character in this book was fully fleshed out, even in the smallest aspects.

This is a book that I will hold close to my heart for the rest of my life, and that I will 100% recommend always and forever.

ahc001's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

3.75

This book was so cute. I appreciated the fact that it dealt with real life themes in a realistic way. Doing the work to acknowledge your past and all of your flaws is not all sunshine and rainbows, but it is worth it.

I still feel like something was missing from this book, and I’m not sure what it is. It lacked some of the “oomph” factor that I normally like in contemporary romances. I did really enjoy it though.

kmmartin2000's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.0

Russell is book boyfriend GOALS! The character development truly carried this book for me, even when some moments in the plot fell flat. A SUPER enjoyable read and sweet romance.

tealgriffin's review against another edition

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2.0

I was disappointed because I really thought I’d love this book. It was pretty slow and nothing really seemed to happen. I didn’t find myself very invested in any of the relationships in the story.