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anakelly21's review against another edition
5.0
the ending caught me by surprise and now i’m crying cool
booklady_katie's review against another edition
3.0
I probably would really round up to 3.5 stars if that was an option on here, but I guess I really did think I would enjoy this more overall. It was beautifully-written, that’s for sure. I wanted them to be an actual couple for a decent chunk of the book, and I was just bummed to see that wasn’t the case. And the ending was just too sad (I wasn’t ready for it
kaulhilo's review against another edition
2.0
well, this was a weird little book.
for starters, the usual thing: why is this book being marketed and sold as romance? it's exploitative to your readership, disrespectful and uncaring to the genre as a whole. i won't go on about this, because just about every review for this book says something along these lines, but yeah, it was annoying and even though i was fully "expecting" it, [the ending] came out of nowhere and was probably one of the most insensitive things i've ever read.
i think this book can be aptly and completely summarized by: a girl looking for closure, on every page and every sentence, and simply never finding it. (oh, at least not well after the book's ended, and then we find offscreen that it's all good! she's excellent!) satisfying, isn't it?
the story itself, barring how it ended, was boring; it flows out smoothly enough in the before portion, if a bit fast, and there were a few moments i actually liked both the main characters and what they (potentially) had with each other. the after half was where the book goes downhill.
it felt like a weird rendition of four weddings and a funeral (haha, get it? funeral?), except it was mind-numbing, had too many characters i couldn't tell apart for the life of me, and the story went in circles for the last 150 pages simply because the author just had to force the shock factor in the last scene.
this is probably a book that shouldn't have been written, at least not like this, because it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth; the lack of respect for the reader, the characters, and the genre,... something very odd about all of it.
1.5/5 stars, rounded off to 2, because while every part of this book was very disappointing, it started out okay. not extraordinarily good, but entertaining enough.
for starters, the usual thing: why is this book being marketed and sold as romance? it's exploitative to your readership, disrespectful and uncaring to the genre as a whole. i won't go on about this, because just about every review for this book says something along these lines, but yeah, it was annoying and even though i was fully "expecting" it, [the ending] came out of nowhere and was probably one of the most insensitive things i've ever read.
i think this book can be aptly and completely summarized by: a girl looking for closure, on every page and every sentence, and simply never finding it. (oh, at least not well after the book's ended, and then we find offscreen that it's all good! she's excellent!) satisfying, isn't it?
the story itself, barring how it ended, was boring; it flows out smoothly enough in the before portion, if a bit fast, and there were a few moments i actually liked both the main characters and what they (potentially) had with each other. the after half was where the book goes downhill.
it felt like a weird rendition of four weddings and a funeral (haha, get it? funeral?), except it was mind-numbing, had too many characters i couldn't tell apart for the life of me, and the story went in circles for the last 150 pages simply because the author just had to force the shock factor in the last scene.
this is probably a book that shouldn't have been written, at least not like this, because it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth; the lack of respect for the reader, the characters, and the genre,... something very odd about all of it.
1.5/5 stars, rounded off to 2, because while every part of this book was very disappointing, it started out okay. not extraordinarily good, but entertaining enough.
redvelvetpenguins's review against another edition
2.0
I think....I'm over the "no communication" trope. I have always thought of it as a "formula" for Rom-Coms but recently that's switched to realizing it's just a much overdone trope. Also if we are full yelling are each other fighting in public, DO NOT KISS ME. Extremely disrespectful and not at all romantic
unhinged_female_protagonist's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the story of Josie and Max a lot. This was a nice Christmas read that didn't overdo it with holiday themes, and gave you a nice idea of Christmas in London (for all you anglophiles out there!). I was especially surprised by plot twist - I did not see that coming! I knocked off a star only because there was a lot of description in the book that I found distracting. Too many little details on things like what people were wearing, and I feel like everyone was "wrinkling their nose", "speaking huskily" and the sort every 5 paragraphs. Other than that, loved this charming holiday read!
jamishka's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not even sure where to start this review as I'm still recovering from what I just read. I went into this book without reading the synopsis or reviews and I'm glad that is what I did...so stop reading this and go read the book!
I have lost both my parents so I found Josie to be a very relatable character. I know what it's like to walk around with that kind of grief. It's a holiday romance but it's so much more than that. It's a story about self discovery with a message to live your life to the fullest and to not let fear hold you back.
This is not your typical Christmas RomCom. It's a bittersweet story. It is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. There are moments to make you laugh, and moments that will make you cry. And I promise you it's worth reading.
I have lost both my parents so I found Josie to be a very relatable character. I know what it's like to walk around with that kind of grief. It's a holiday romance but it's so much more than that. It's a story about self discovery with a message to live your life to the fullest and to not let fear hold you back.
This is not your typical Christmas RomCom. It's a bittersweet story. It is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. There are moments to make you laugh, and moments that will make you cry. And I promise you it's worth reading.
salalamander's review against another edition
3.0
It’s a good book with writing I enjoy but it is NOT a feel good Christmas romance.
raeheaven's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked how quirky the blurb of this book was. I figured it would be a light hearted book. I did read the reviews and thought okay. I’ll brace myself for touching moments. Halfway through the book I was like pfff “sure it’s moving…but not enough for tears” About 80% done listening to the book I rolled my eyes and said that’s it? Boy was I massively wrong. Again, I knew it was a bit sad based the reviews. But like everyone said the tears and my heart broke for this main character Josie.