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heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Car accident, Infidelity, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Vomit, Pregnancy, and Infertility
Minor: Cancer
katsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
“There comes a point where you have to make the choice to be happy, because being sad for too long is exhausting.”
“Sometimes you just meet the right person at the wrong time.”
“It’s strange, but you never stop caring about someone, even if you don’t want to be with them any more.”
I have an incredible amount of mixed feelings about this book. The emotional infidelity is so real and it is literally the point of the book. I hate cheating and the feelings Jack and Laurie have for each other really turned me off. It didn't help that their entire romance hinged on one moment where they saw each other but never spoke. That being said, I get that the point was the idea of fate and true love but, I don't know, there were times when I just couldn't buy it. I will say that it made the mutual pining excellent and my heart broke a little every time another missed opportunity cropped up. I think the romantic side of me and the practical side of me are just at war over our feelings for this story 😂. I really enjoyed the relationship between Sarah and Laurie and their heart-to-heart scenes were definitely the most emotional to me. I also, weirdly, enjoyed Laurie's relationship with Oscar. It felt like it had more depth and nuance than her relationship with Jack. Ultimately, this is a solid winter romance and definitely an easy read if that's what your in the mode for.
“Sometimes you just meet the right person at the wrong time.”
“It’s strange, but you never stop caring about someone, even if you don’t want to be with them any more.”
I have an incredible amount of mixed feelings about this book. The emotional infidelity is so real and it is literally the point of the book. I hate cheating and the feelings Jack and Laurie have for each other really turned me off. It didn't help that their entire romance hinged on one moment where they saw each other but never spoke. That being said, I get that the point was the idea of fate and true love but, I don't know, there were times when I just couldn't buy it. I will say that it made the mutual pining excellent and my heart broke a little every time another missed opportunity cropped up. I think the romantic side of me and the practical side of me are just at war over our feelings for this story 😂. I really enjoyed the relationship between Sarah and Laurie and their heart-to-heart scenes were definitely the most emotional to me. I also, weirdly, enjoyed Laurie's relationship with Oscar. It felt like it had more depth and nuance than her relationship with Jack. Ultimately, this is a solid winter romance and definitely an easy read if that's what your in the mode for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Child death
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Car accident, and Medical content
nila's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Not my cup of tea, I usually like the "random assortment of meetings over a longer period of time"-style romance, but it had so many other tropes I don't like, so it's a miss for me. I felt the main character, Laurie, had no agency of her own, until her life moved to a place where she could no longer be with Jack. And the "obstacles" to their relationship (friends and exes etc etc) were all magically solved, so that they were free to be with each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent and Child death
Minor: Infidelity and Vomit
josefiend's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.25
This is a very sweet read and I practically inhaled it over a 48 hour period. The narrative moves quickly and I never lost interest in where the story was going.
It does touch on some more serious topics which helped ground the character arcs, although I’m not entirely sure if the structure of the story really worked with the heavier moments. The entire story is told through different chronological vignettes, and though this style helps with pacing, I think it can be hard to follow a character’s emotional progression. There’s also far too much telling instead of showing, which works against the “snapshots in time” structure.
What I found most disappointing was the ending — it feels like we keep climbing and climbing towards a conclusion and then suddenly, the story just ends. It’s just over. We spent so much time reveling and wallowing in the dramatic lows that we really feel deprived of experiencing that final, ultimate high. I was so excited and thirsty for that satisfaction that I truly felt robbed when I turned the page to find it empty.
It’s especially upsetting when the ending is rushed in a romance novel and it’s why this one in particular isn’t given a higher rating.
It does touch on some more serious topics which helped ground the character arcs, although I’m not entirely sure if the structure of the story really worked with the heavier moments. The entire story is told through different chronological vignettes, and though this style helps with pacing, I think it can be hard to follow a character’s emotional progression. There’s also far too much telling instead of showing, which works against the “snapshots in time” structure.
What I found most disappointing was the ending — it feels like we keep climbing and climbing towards a conclusion and then suddenly, the story just ends. It’s just over. We spent so much time reveling and wallowing in the dramatic lows that we really feel deprived of experiencing that final, ultimate high. I was so excited and thirsty for that satisfaction that I truly felt robbed when I turned the page to find it empty.
It’s especially upsetting when the ending is rushed in a romance novel and it’s why this one in particular isn’t given a higher rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child death and Infidelity
Minor: Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Vomit
sarahkate22's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Vomit, Child death, and Death
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