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melbsreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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
5.0
Content warnings: death of a sibling (in the past), war (in the past), racism, colonialism, religious bigotry, kidnapping, gaslighting, xenophobia, sexism, emotional abuse, forced marriage (in the past)
Oh, my heart. This was freaking FABULOUS. I loved the characters. I loved the setting. I loved the epistolary nature of the romance (do telegraph messages count as epistolary??). I loved the way the characters came into their own and deal with the trauma in their respective pasts. I loved the way it deals with colonialism and grief and the impact that constantly being othered and told you're not enough has. I put off reading this for literally years and I have absolutely no idea why because it was brilliant from start to finish.
Oh, my heart. This was freaking FABULOUS. I loved the characters. I loved the setting. I loved the epistolary nature of the romance (do telegraph messages count as epistolary??). I loved the way the characters came into their own and deal with the trauma in their respective pasts. I loved the way it deals with colonialism and grief and the impact that constantly being othered and told you're not enough has. I put off reading this for literally years and I have absolutely no idea why because it was brilliant from start to finish.
ines911's review
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
jordan1978's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-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
2.75
beereadsabook's review
3.5
This one took me a while to get into, but we got there eventually. And it did make me cry. So I might bump it up to a 4 at some point.
amlibera's review against another edition
4.0
So yes, this is a romance novel but much more than a romance novel. It's about complicated notions of family, ways to be happy, embracing difference. And yes, romance set on ships laying telegraph cable, villages and cities in late 19th century China, and a biracial family enclave in Maine. Courtney Milan always does more than you expect and does it in a way that satisfies.
danielles_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
My first-ever 5 star romance! ❤️ This has all the ingredients for a perfect romance for me: nuanced characters who both have their own separate emotional journeys as well as a solid platonic foundation together, a couple who encourages each other to be their best selves, and of course, the PINING! I also loved how Grayson's attraction to Amelia became stronger the more confident in herself she became.
Honestly, the second I finished this I considered starting over and listening to the whole thing again so I could experience Grayson and Amelia's journey all over again. 🥺
I really love both Grayson and Amelia as their own separate characters. Amelia's background was so heartbreaking, but it was lovely to see her relationship with her brother. It's all the more heartbreaking that her story was based on real life history of English missionaries taking Chinese babies. I was so invested in her journey to find her mother again, andteared up a bit when she did. I'm so glad Milan went the route of having her mom accept Amelia as the bridge between cultures. It was interesting to see Grayson's mind after his scenes in After the Wedding, where he seemed so gruff. He was a little gruff here too, but he's also super smart and a born leader. His pain regarding his family was so raw, and I loved that he reconciled with his mother, who told him that of course she's glad he survived.
The stuff about the Chinese telegraphic code was so interesting, and I loved Milan's note at the end about it (she pretty much invented it!). It was so great to see a woman in STEM in the 1800s, and the "criminally underutilized" comment about Amelia made it even better to see her grow into her role. I loved seeing her confidence grow. She became such a brilliant leader as well.
Grayson and Amelia’s chemistry was electrifying too. I loooved reading their pining. Everything with the telegraphs forced them to spend a lot of time apart, which only increased their pining for each other. I loved every second of it hehe. It also made their reunions even more powerful, and honestly, sexy. Their sex scenes were perfectly steamy. I loved how they still had some fun and silly banter that was very accurate to their characterslmao at Amelia trying to invent a better condom while still having a ton of physical chemistry. I loooved all the letters and telegraphs they sent to each other over the months.
I'm also so glad we got more of Benedict and Theresa's storyline here! I was dying to learn more about Theresa's adventures after the end of After the Wedding. Their dynamic was amazing and fun as always, and I'm glad they got to reunite for a bit, andBenedict finally realizing that he didn't have to do everything his sisters told him to do, and he could make his own choices and live in China forever if he wanted to. I'm really looking forward to learning more about Priya!
The only thing that bothered me about this book was that the beginning was a little too cartoonish. Amelia forgetting literally everyone's name like 20 times was very over-the-top in the beginning (though it did feel a lot more realistic in the second half, and led to some great character growth withBenedict telling Amelia that yes of course she deserves accommodations ), especially when it was Grayson's name. And their interactions prior to getting on the boat were so silly, like what kind of woman would ask her male employer she barely knows what it's like to kiss someone you like? But I honestly forgot all of that happened once the story really got going. Grayson and Amelia had so many great interactions and I loved every scene of theirs so much that I'm willing to forgive a tropey beginning. Plus, their very first scene together with Amelia talking about trying to invent a bamboo bustle was wonderful.
I'm so happy I read this series since it led to this wonderful book. I did realize that the audiobook was narrated from a slightly older draft since quite a few of the quotes I tried to save were different between the two versions. So I really look forward to rereading this with my eyeballs someday to experience it all over again with the final text.
Honestly, the second I finished this I considered starting over and listening to the whole thing again so I could experience Grayson and Amelia's journey all over again. 🥺
I really love both Grayson and Amelia as their own separate characters. Amelia's background was so heartbreaking, but it was lovely to see her relationship with her brother. It's all the more heartbreaking that her story was based on real life history of English missionaries taking Chinese babies. I was so invested in her journey to find her mother again, and
The stuff about the Chinese telegraphic code was so interesting, and I loved Milan's note at the end about it (she pretty much invented it!). It was so great to see a woman in STEM in the 1800s, and the "criminally underutilized" comment about Amelia made it even better to see her grow into her role. I loved seeing her confidence grow. She became such a brilliant leader as well.
Grayson and Amelia’s chemistry was electrifying too. I loooved reading their pining. Everything with the telegraphs forced them to spend a lot of time apart, which only increased their pining for each other. I loved every second of it hehe. It also made their reunions even more powerful, and honestly, sexy. Their sex scenes were perfectly steamy. I loved how they still had some fun and silly banter that was very accurate to their characters
I'm also so glad we got more of Benedict and Theresa's storyline here! I was dying to learn more about Theresa's adventures after the end of After the Wedding. Their dynamic was amazing and fun as always, and I'm glad they got to reunite for a bit, and
The only thing that bothered me about this book was that the beginning was a little too cartoonish. Amelia forgetting literally everyone's name like 20 times was very over-the-top in the beginning (though it did feel a lot more realistic in the second half, and led to some great character growth with
I'm so happy I read this series since it led to this wonderful book. I did realize that the audiobook was narrated from a slightly older draft since quite a few of the quotes I tried to save were different between the two versions. So I really look forward to rereading this with my eyeballs someday to experience it all over again with the final text.
makaxbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I didn’t care for Benedict’s lil storyline but I adored this book. Absolutely beautiful and unique in how it treats relationships.
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
4.5
This was a SLOW BURN, but the payoff was well worth it! Again, Milan's intricate and original premise - a biracial and Black man engineering a telegraph line to cross the Pacific needs someone to develop a telegraphic code for Chinese - is brilliant. I was fascinated to learn more about how telegraph lines were laid (particularly across oceans) and how codes were developed and used by operators. And the level of detail! Milan walks us through how our female main character, a Chinese woman raised by an American missionary, develops a useable code that conveys the complexity and dimensionality of Chinese characters in a very one-dimensional code. Honestly, for 75% of the book, I was far more interested in this plot than in the romance, as the main characters are so often in different countries, or even continents.
What ultimately makes the romance work is the unique twist on epistolary, as our main characters develop a way to send coded telegrams while he's at sea. I loved the use of these codes to develop their confidence in each other, and then eventually to deepen their physical and emotional intimacy.
I would consider this workplace romance - kind of - and friends to lovers - kind of. Ultimately, it's the bridging of two people who have a LOT of personal reflection and growth they need to accomplish before they can truly commit to each other. I was so satisfied with each of their storylines, as they navigate their own traumatic pasts and uncertain futures.
As we saw in book two, we again see both characters navigating complex code switching, and we get an excoriating examination of transracial "adoption" during this time - a commentary that has a lot of relevance today, too.
This is a slow-paced story in every respect, with around a year elapsing in the storyline, frequent time jumps, and significant distance - geographically and emotionally - between MCs. The writing is stunning (no surprise for Milan readers) and I cried messily through the last 10%. I will also note that for a book where the romance was largely secondary for the first 75% this HEATS UP at the end, and I loved it!
What ultimately makes the romance work is the unique twist on epistolary, as our main characters develop a way to send coded telegrams while he's at sea. I loved the use of these codes to develop their confidence in each other, and then eventually to deepen their physical and emotional intimacy.
I would consider this workplace romance - kind of - and friends to lovers - kind of. Ultimately, it's the bridging of two people who have a LOT of personal reflection and growth they need to accomplish before they can truly commit to each other. I was so satisfied with each of their storylines, as they navigate their own traumatic pasts and uncertain futures.
As we saw in book two, we again see both characters navigating complex code switching, and we get an excoriating examination of transracial "adoption" during this time - a commentary that has a lot of relevance today, too.
This is a slow-paced story in every respect, with around a year elapsing in the storyline, frequent time jumps, and significant distance - geographically and emotionally - between MCs. The writing is stunning (no surprise for Milan readers) and I cried messily through the last 10%. I will also note that for a book where the romance was largely secondary for the first 75% this HEATS UP at the end, and I loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Racism, Grief, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, War, Racial slurs, and Death