Reviews with content warning for War - Lovely War

Reviews tagging 'War'

Lovely War by Julie Berry

116 reviews

dwinn5's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense 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? No

4.75

Wow. It’s 1:13 AM, I have to be awake for work in 5 hours, and my heart is breaking right now.

This book took me a second to get into, but as soon as it caught me, I was done for. I don’t usually go all in on the we-only-met-once-or-twice-and-then-were-separated-but-it-was-true-love thing, but a couple factors helped me over that hurdle here: 1) the time period and progression of romance back then in general, and 2) the urgency of war and everything that entails for people’s long-term plans.

The author was brilliant to allow each of the (present) gods to offer their perspectives on the timeline of events- it really added some depth and breadth to the story and gave the reader a small amount of peace after tragedy (thank you, Hades).

My main holdup was something about the execution of the chapters where it was just discussion between the gods- it didn’t capture my attention the way the rest of the book did, and the reveal of the final love story at the end caught me a little off guard; I think it could’ve unfolded a tiny bit more prior to the end. But regardless, I enjoyed that little twist as well.

Something about this story transcended beyond being just a book to me, I can’t explain it. But I will definitely be thinking about this one for a while.

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sophiegrubben's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

To my dearest sister, who lent me this book: yes I liked it. It's a good book! It just missed that little bit of je ne said quoi.

I liked and felt the most for the characters that we spent the most time with: Hazel and James. That is not to say I didn't like Aubrey and Collette (although I liked Aubrey a bit more than Collette) but we simply didn't spend as much time with them or their romance. It felt just placed there at times. Hazel and James's story just seemed more fleshed out, more thought out and more lovely put on the page.

Overall it was a very well written and researched book, but it missed a sprinkle of magic for me, especially in the Aubrey and Collette parts. I wanted more time with them and more care put into their characterisation. But not a bad book at all!

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val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition

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emotional 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? No

3.0

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cassiebartelme's review against another edition

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emotional 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? It's complicated

3.75

Two love stories told by the Greek goddess Aphrodite against the backdrop of World War I as she is put on trial by her husband Hephaestus. Also Ares, Apollo and Hades show up. I realize that plot description sounds bananas but this book works. It works very well. I listened to the audiobook which have a full cast which only elevated the story. I’m not sure why more people don’t talk about this one but I know I’m going to add it to my recommendation list moving forward.

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ruchaa's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

absolutely delicious

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averygrey24's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring tense 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? No

5.0

This book has skyrocketed to being one of my favorite novels. It starts off with a retelling of the golden net myth set in the 40's during WW2, and Hephaestus declaring a trial for Aphrodite and Ares. Aphrodite's testimony is a story set during WW1/The Great War that is filled with love, tragedy, laughter, and heartbreak. This book made my heart squeeze and ache for the main 4 characters, all lovable in their entirety, as their stories flowed together and apart. It's a romance novel that engrossed me entirely, and feels more genuine and in-touch with reality than some others. It was heartwarming and gritty about the trials and tribulations of love and war.

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