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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I don’t want to spoil it, so I’m not gonna say much. This was an amazing glimpse into what it felt like to be different people in Spring 2020 and I want to talk about it with you when you finish it.
If I could give this 0/5 stars, I would. This book was atrocious. After I finished it I actually could not believe that it had gotten published, never mind that it's a bestseller. I found nothing redeeming about this book; flimsy characters with weak motivations, a Hallmark-idealized trip to some tropical islands complete with a friendly grandma and initially surly (but subsequently sensitive) hometown hunk, and an overly-detailed account of COVID in NYC which sounded like the author was copy-pasting from Wikipedia. Also,
Spoiler
how is it possible that "it was all a dream" is an allowed twist in this day and age? What is this, a middle-school creative writing piece?Spoiler
I also found it very strange howSpoiler
we are supposed to sympathize with Finn for being a hero during COVID (deservedly so), but then as soon as the main character decides Finn isn't the "life she wants," we're supposed to sympathize with the main character? So many components of their relationship "souring" were so cheap and seemed to just come out of left field.Spoiler
On top of that, the main character was one of the least sympathetic characters I've read, so any decisions she made just had me rolling my eyes. Finally, why do we need to relive COVID's worst days in such gory detail? Not even fun to read!
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Lots of details not significant to the development of character.
Well ,there's just not a whole lot I can say without spoilers! It's beautiful
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Jodi Picoult is my favorite author!
This was a GREAT read! It definitely didn't turn out like I thought it would, or even how I hoped it would, but it was such a good book.
This was a GREAT read! It definitely didn't turn out like I thought it would, or even how I hoped it would, but it was such a good book.
I love Jodi's writing as always. I did feel like reading about Covid was too soon - obviously a contemporary piece, but not necessarily something I want to re-immerse myself in!
The storyline / twist / development of character was spot on and interesting as always. The one thing about Jodi's writing is that there are always a few expected twists - there's always the middle-twist, then the last few pages of the book end with the abrupt surprise or conclusion. I read a bunch of her books back to back, so thats maybe why I felt that her story arcs were becoming too predictable, but with this book I did feel a bit unsatisfied with the end decision and how it affected the male character. The epilogue seemed like it was trying to tie up those loose ends, or flesh out the abrupt ending and it seemed like it was tacked on to placate the reader a bit. So the story was fabulously written as always - but not my favorite of her books!
The storyline / twist / development of character was spot on and interesting as always. The one thing about Jodi's writing is that there are always a few expected twists - there's always the middle-twist, then the last few pages of the book end with the abrupt surprise or conclusion. I read a bunch of her books back to back, so thats maybe why I felt that her story arcs were becoming too predictable, but with this book I did feel a bit unsatisfied with the end decision and how it affected the male character. The epilogue seemed like it was trying to tie up those loose ends, or flesh out the abrupt ending and it seemed like it was tacked on to placate the reader a bit. So the story was fabulously written as always - but not my favorite of her books!
Book definitely out of my normal reading wheel house. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Took some turns I was not expecting. I will be checking out more by Jodi.
I loved this. I didn’t go into it knowing the plot, just trusted goodreads and my past experiences with this author. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this story being about the pandemic— too soon and all that. But, I do think Picoult captures the weirdest time we have all collectively shared so poignantly, that it allowed me to reflect on my own experience in a way I was unaware that I needed to.