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emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this was one of my top romance books of the year! i really loved how unique the plot was and the relationships between the characters. i think this book also does a good job at touching upon topics such as grief and loss. i will definitely be buying more books from this author!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness, Suicide, Abandonment
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
This book absorbed me completely! I kept turning the page even as I willed myself to slow down so I could savor it. And after I finished, it stayed with me, so much so that now, a week after I finished the book, I'm still thinking about it. The plot, the characters, the setting, the writing — all worked so beautifully together.
The story follows Clementine West, an overworked book publicist who's grieving her aunt who died six months before the book's opening. She has inherited her aunt's apartment, in which she meets a man living seven years in the past. She finds herself falling for this man at a crucial juncture with her career, while still in the depths of grief over her aunt's death.
I admit I am a sucker for a good time traveling romance, so the plot synopsis was already intriguing for me. The fact that many reviewers on social media with varied tastes in books all highly recommended it just intrigued me that much more. In the end, I'm so glad I picked this one up. Ashley Poston's prose was so beautiful that I now want to read all of her works.
Clementine and Iwan are both loveable characters. Their growth with and apart from each other are believable. The romance is swoony — exactly how a good romance should be. More than the romance though, the exploration of grief in this book was what moved me to tears.
The side characters served their purpose well enough. I especially loved the descriptions of Clementine's late aunt, Analea. She absolutely lept off the page, and I kept thinking that I would love to meet her if she were a real person.
This is a 5-star read for me and absolutely my favorite contemporary romance ever.
Content warning: brief mention of suicide
The story follows Clementine West, an overworked book publicist who's grieving her aunt who died six months before the book's opening. She has inherited her aunt's apartment, in which she meets a man living seven years in the past. She finds herself falling for this man at a crucial juncture with her career, while still in the depths of grief over her aunt's death.
I admit I am a sucker for a good time traveling romance, so the plot synopsis was already intriguing for me. The fact that many reviewers on social media with varied tastes in books all highly recommended it just intrigued me that much more. In the end, I'm so glad I picked this one up. Ashley Poston's prose was so beautiful that I now want to read all of her works.
Clementine and Iwan are both loveable characters. Their growth with and apart from each other are believable. The romance is swoony — exactly how a good romance should be. More than the romance though, the exploration of grief in this book was what moved me to tears.
The side characters served their purpose well enough. I especially loved the descriptions of Clementine's late aunt, Analea. She absolutely lept off the page, and I kept thinking that I would love to meet her if she were a real person.
This is a 5-star read for me and absolutely my favorite contemporary romance ever.
Content warning: brief mention of suicide
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Grief
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, Pregnancy
Minor: Death, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Alcohol
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
I think this has to be my favourite out of the Ashley Poston novels I’ve read. The grief inside was palpable but the journey to the end and new beginnings was touching and I loved reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Alcohol
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Minor: Death, Mental illness
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i absolutely loved the dead romantics, so when i saw that we got this book at work, i knew i would have to read this one as well. it's a very sweet story with such diverse and interesting characters and you can tell from reading the acknowledgments/afterword that writing this book meant a lot to poston. i always appreciate when you can tell how much passion an author puts into what they are doing, and you can definitely feel that in this book. i've also really grown to appreciate this niche of book-industry-related romance novels that i keep accidentally reading? shout-out to my fav librarian at work for always recommending them to me, lol. a year ago i would have had a fit if you told me i'd be reading this much romance but i've glad i've opened up to the genre and can share fun, cute, and lighthearted, yet emotional stories like this one with my friends & acquaintances. :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
“Grief is a weird thing. It can be a monster on your shoulder. It can be a friend sitting with you at the table. It can be a memory and a smell— the soft, delicate notes of floral perfume. Grief can find you in the middle of the night as you roll over to go back to sleep. It can even find you in your dreams. And grief— what it looks like, how it whispers, how you respond— it’s different for everyone.”
This review contains spoilers around her aunts death. I normally don’t have reviews that contains spoilers but I was not prepared for how her Aunt passed. The way she talks about her emotions after her aunt unalived herself was extremely emotional to read but also done in such a beautiful way. On the topic of mental health, I typically skip authors note but as I listened to this book on audio and was in the middle of doing something, I kept it going. I ended up crying hearing the authors experience with suicide with her grandpa. It’s an extremely emotional note that captures the meaning of books and how weird grief can be. I’m not doing her author note justice.
Ashley has a beautiful way of storytelling. The words she puts on paper are pure magic. She writes stories that go beyond your typical romance novel and adds meaningful depth to them. She also creates unique stories that are filled with magic that make me so happy they exist.
As I said before I listened to this story on audiobook and the same day I finished it, I went out and bought a physical copy so I could annotate my way through. That’s the thing with Ashley’s writings. Physical copies are a must. To be able to highlight quotes that perfectly depict grief, to why books are so magical. Ashley is a masterful and extremely unique storyteller and I always am excited for what she will create next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
Moderate: Suicide, Grief, Pregnancy
Minor: Death, Mental illness