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therobinjoyce's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Wow...I am so sad. I'm completely underwhelmed at this book. I'd heard so many raving reviews about it but it really disappointed me in all aspects.
Eileene's character was supposed to be lovable and quirky but they just came off as ditzy and impulsive. Leena was supposed to be the young MC heroine we follow and root for but when her attitude and imbecility force her to be such a vanilla, boring character, it's hard to feel drawn to her and invested
The plotline with Eileen's looking for love was so wierd and, while mildly tolerable for the most part, almost utterly boring. The way she seamlessly integrates into city life and everyone (even the mean-spirited, reclusive neighbours) just jumps to her aid and side when she needs it is both unrealistic and idealistic. That leads to almost all aspects of her interaction and narrative throughout the book feeling bland and boring...because it would never happen in real life.
The relationship between Leena and her mother, too, was so boring and felt extremely forced. It felt as if it were a plot device used to try and show Leena's growth over her sadness and vulnerability but instead showed her as a spoiled, obnoxious, weak character and I hated it.
Next we come to Leena and her romantic relationships.
<Spoiler> First, her romantic and interactions with Jackson. For a man who has been hurt before, and now pining for his daughter she sure gives him a rough time. I mean, from page 1 I could tell that Ethan was a bad character and saw all the red flags in both his and her actions and words but it takes until over page 300 for her to believe anyone and figure this out. The moment he had made those ageist comments at the neighbourhood watch meeting that would have been a big red flag. Let alone the fact that he never saw her, only wanted sex, and when he couldn't get his way he lied and bombed his way out of there.
The whole fact that Leena was with him me I could SEE this going on soiled this whole book because any woman with any self respect and self worth would have recognised this. Some may argue that this is character development and it fitted within the plot and character arc but personally, if I can tell someone is sketchy and the MC is still with them then the whole book is ruined because here we have a floppy, weakling of an MC. Imho, Jackson deserved so much better and when she rejected him at may day (if I was him) I would have told her straight that her bf was sketchy and not gone running to London after her when she finally dumped him. I mean, that whole fact, that Jackson knew he was sketchy, said nothing, was strung out for ages while Leena was with Ethan, but then ran after her like a puppy dog when she returned to London just
made me lose all respect for him...
That ending was also, too anticlimactic.
All in all, I would not recommend this book. The synopsis made it sound like a beautiful, modern day, light version of The Holiday but instead it supremely underwhelmed my expectations and I felt cheated of my time and energy for devoting 3 evenings to reading this book.
Eileene's character was supposed to be lovable and quirky but they just came off as ditzy and impulsive. Leena was supposed to be the young MC heroine we follow and root for but when her attitude and imbecility force her to be such a vanilla, boring character, it's hard to feel drawn to her and invested
The plotline with Eileen's looking for love was so wierd and, while mildly tolerable for the most part, almost utterly boring. The way she seamlessly integrates into city life and everyone (even the mean-spirited, reclusive neighbours) just jumps to her aid and side when she needs it is both unrealistic and idealistic. That leads to almost all aspects of her interaction and narrative throughout the book feeling bland and boring...because it would never happen in real life.
The relationship between Leena and her mother, too, was so boring and felt extremely forced. It felt as if it were a plot device used to try and show Leena's growth over her sadness and vulnerability but instead showed her as a spoiled, obnoxious, weak character and I hated it.
Next we come to Leena and her romantic relationships.
<Spoiler> First, her romantic and interactions with Jackson. For a man who has been hurt before, and now pining for his daughter she sure gives him a rough time. I mean, from page 1 I could tell that Ethan was a bad character and saw all the red flags in both his and her actions and words but it takes until over page 300 for her to believe anyone and figure this out. The moment he had made those ageist comments at the neighbourhood watch meeting that would have been a big red flag. Let alone the fact that he never saw her, only wanted sex, and when he couldn't get his way he lied and bombed his way out of there.
The whole fact that Leena was with him me I could SEE this going on soiled this whole book because any woman with any self respect and self worth would have recognised this. Some may argue that this is character development and it fitted within the plot and character arc but personally, if I can tell someone is sketchy and the MC is still with them then the whole book is ruined because here we have a floppy, weakling of an MC. Imho, Jackson deserved so much better and when she rejected him at may day (if I was him) I would have told her straight that her bf was sketchy and not gone running to London after her when she finally dumped him. I mean, that whole fact, that Jackson knew he was sketchy, said nothing, was strung out for ages while Leena was with Ethan, but then ran after her like a puppy dog when she returned to London just
made me lose all respect for him...
That ending was also, too anticlimactic.
All in all, I would not recommend this book. The synopsis made it sound like a beautiful, modern day, light version of The Holiday but instead it supremely underwhelmed my expectations and I felt cheated of my time and energy for devoting 3 evenings to reading this book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Infidelity, and Emotional abuse
alayamorning's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Car accident
bookshelves_by_kezia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.5
This book is light and funny and predictable, but in a I-know-how-romcoms-go-but-I’m-going-to-curl-up-with-a-cup-of-tea-and-enjoy-it-anyway sort of way. I enjoyed it, even if I knew what was probably going to happen, because the characters are quirky, the storyline fun and often sweet, and wow could I go for a trip to the Yorkshire Dales. Worth a read, if romcoms (with a few well-handled serious themes) are your jam.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Emotional abuse
shannonxvx's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
hmatt's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I just loved this. Well-written, fun, fits the genre without succumbing to its weak spots. Just emotional enough. There were a few times it started teetering towards too-tropey, but I felt like the author reeled that in in time. My one criticism would be the unrealistic lack of background characters... like are there really only 10 people living in that town? No, but the writing made it seem like that just a bit too much. One tertiary relationship conflict also seemed to resolve itself too quickly and conveniently. BUT, I wouldn't have made the book any longer, so. Anyway, I expect this to be made into a romcom movie at some point.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I loved The Flatshare and while I didn't enjoy this as much, I still found it pretty charming. It actually reminded me more of The Lido by Libby Page than The Flatshare. It's a lighthearted story on the surface but the characters are dealing with deeper issues and it strikes a good balance between the two tones. It's a reassuring kind of read and you know everyone will end up where they should be by the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
lostinanovelidea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Emotional abuse
mathildem's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- 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: Death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity
Moderate: Cancer and Emotional abuse
bookishbrittany's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Cancer, and Emotional abuse
rachc's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Infidelity
Minor: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse