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velsbooknook's review
emotional
reflective
2.5
I have mixed feelings about this one. I enjoyed my time reading it but some characters made me so incredibly furious at some points it's not even funny.
I liked the story built around Charlie and found it very cute. I also enjoyed the writting style of TJR in general. The emails/inner monologue of Lauren and Ryan gave a good inside look of their feelings and hopes. I really enjoyed them. Now to the list of things that made me roll my eyes several times.
There is a lot of miscommunication and also complete lack of communication between Ryan and Lauren. I got super annoyed at some times. In my opinion communication is key in a respectful, loving and caring relationship. If you can't say the things you dislike but also the things you like and appreciate this thing you're having is not going to last in the long term, in my humble opinion.
I dislike the character of Mila soooo much! There is no right or wrong number of sex partners to have. If you're not excited to kiss your partner maybe they're not the right one for you? Also kids won't save a broken relationship/marriage.
Please. Don't. Do. This. To. The. Kids.
I also hated how Lauren acted as if Ryan was her property. Her brother, Charlie doesn't need to ask for her permission to stay friends with his brother-in-law. They are family too. Charlie and Ryan did not agree on taking a year off. It was Lauren and Ryan.
The biggest no was the cancer jokes. Like what the f? Very funny family insider saying grandma has cancer all the time. Very classy. No words for this.
I also think that Lauren and Ryan simply enjoy how easy it is to be married. You have your house together, your dog, friends & family, daily routine and the fact that you have one person beside you during hard times. But then you're so annoyed and become furious about things your partner does you start to say you hate them. Doesn't sound like a happy marriage to me.
Overall you can't go wrong with a book by TJR but this one had some big flaws on the character side.
I liked the story built around Charlie and found it very cute. I also enjoyed the writting style of TJR in general. The emails/inner monologue of Lauren and Ryan gave a good inside look of their feelings and hopes. I really enjoyed them. Now to the list of things that made me roll my eyes several times.
There is a lot of miscommunication and also complete lack of communication between Ryan and Lauren. I got super annoyed at some times. In my opinion communication is key in a respectful, loving and caring relationship. If you can't say the things you dislike but also the things you like and appreciate this thing you're having is not going to last in the long term, in my humble opinion.
I dislike the character of Mila soooo much! There is no right or wrong number of sex partners to have. If you're not excited to kiss your partner maybe they're not the right one for you? Also kids won't save a broken relationship/marriage.
Please. Don't. Do. This. To. The. Kids.
I also hated how Lauren acted as if Ryan was her property. Her brother, Charlie doesn't need to ask for her permission to stay friends with his brother-in-law. They are family too. Charlie and Ryan did not agree on taking a year off. It was Lauren and Ryan.
The biggest no was the cancer jokes. Like what the f? Very funny family insider saying grandma has cancer all the time. Very classy. No words for this.
I also think that Lauren and Ryan simply enjoy how easy it is to be married. You have your house together, your dog, friends & family, daily routine and the fact that you have one person beside you during hard times. But then you're so annoyed and become furious about things your partner does you start to say you hate them. Doesn't sound like a happy marriage to me.
Overall you can't go wrong with a book by TJR but this one had some big flaws on the character side.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Death
jfield351's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
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
4.75
Started making me cry in the first 50 pages. A lovely story, similar situation to what I’m going through. Beautiful writing as always from TJR.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
laura_berger's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Pregnancy, and Infidelity
addiclaire's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Pregnancy
marybsimp's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
queencariad's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you’ve been/are in a long relationship, with all its love and ups and downs, brace yourself because this book is violent in his relatability.
The good, the bad and the ugly, it’s all there. The passion, the routine, the questions.
I loved Lauren’s family so much. Her mom, her grandma, Rachel, Charlie… They were the best, their dynamic was so full of love and so heartwarming.
I also enjoyed that it wasn’t actually that centered on Ryan, and more on Lauren. We get to understand every phase she goes through. Ryan’s emails drafts KILLED me. And Rachel was relatable as well— about relationships, about marriage and kids.
God I once again loved the writing style so much. It just flows perfectly, reads effortlessly. You blink and you’re halfway through it. TJR’s has a way of getting you invested in her characters’s journey in the span of a few pages.
I don’t know what else to tell you.
It wasn’t a mindblowing 5 stars read. For me, it’s a “holy shit, that’s so accurate, that’s so relatable, i see myself in this, it’s painful, it’s beautiful, it’s doable” 5 stars read. And I loved every single minute of it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Cancer
louise010's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
cosmicsapphic's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Pregnancy
rachaelboyd's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Cancer
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Infidelity and Pregnancy
nicolesreadingbooks's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I felt the ending was wrapped up too neatly and quickly, the story definitely could have used more time to have the characters really sit down and work through their problems face-to-face rather than through a bunch of unsent emails. That being said, I really enjoyed looking into the different perspectives of romantic love the characters have in this book. Romantic love will look different for different couples, and everyone's perception of such love will differ greatly based on the experiences they had and the times they lived in. I appreciated the sort of reflection and development the main character Lauren has throughout this book with respect to her idea of what romantic love and marriage should be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Pregnancy