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sahla's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
first off, misleading title, because i was expecting an actual ocean, not lake michigan. maybe to a usamerican it would be a beach, but like, no. also, the cover shows them reading on a beach, which i don't think they ever did??
second, it's a good book. quite chill, perfect for a light read (i guess the title isn't misleading in *all* aspects), and it's great to turn your brain off to. but it was also quite boring, and imo dragged on quite a bit. the characters were also quite generic, grumpy x sunshine, which i guess has its charms, but i found it too trope-y. to be fair, i have no one but my own expectations to blame, emily henry has been on my tbr for so long that my standards were set too high.
the plot was basic and simple, and to be frank, i was much more interested in the writing process of january's book about the circus family. by the end, i was just fast-flipping through the pages to get to the part where she's working on the story. it's something i would definitely love to read! and the book that gus published at the end also let me down a little because i really didn't feel like he did the subject the justice it deserved. but that could just be me, of course.
the characters were also quite bland for me. honestly, if it wasn't for the trope, i don't even see how these two would even work as a couple. i just don't see the chemistry. and no wonder bcs like, they were both soo one-dimensional? especially gus, name one personality trait he has apart from being broody, mysterious, and, in january's words, coldly horny. he just seemed so untidy by her description alone that it gave me an ick. and for some unknown reason, he is absolutely head over heels for january, and we are never told what's the story there. the only fun thing about them was their banter, which also at times felt very forced.
i was quite into the book at first because i really felt sympathetic towards january's predicament, but she lost me halfway through when you start seeing her self-centrism. to her, everything circles back to all the ways her life has been ruined and destroyed by discovering about her father, like babe. yeah, it's sad, but also, get a life! her reaction to it may be realistic in a way, but i just can not get behind a character who whines and cries about the oh so unfair trials and tribulations of life all the time.
shaadi was the most interesting person to me, but because she is the Protagonist's Best Friend (tm) we only see her in that context and not as a fully-fleshed out character, which is quite a shame. her and january's friendship is absolute goals. and also the characters that gus interviews for his books. frankly, they had much more going on than our leads. i loved dave's mom, julie-ann for the barely two pages that we see her for, and her monologue about good people and bad things. some of the quotes were honestly so good!
all in all, not a bad book, it has a lot of good scattered aplenty but not enough to make it the best either. once again, i would love to see Family_Secrets.docx come to life irl as an actual book! the main reason i'm even giving this book a 3-star is because that one's a masterpiece.
second, it's a good book. quite chill, perfect for a light read (i guess the title isn't misleading in *all* aspects), and it's great to turn your brain off to. but it was also quite boring, and imo dragged on quite a bit. the characters were also quite generic, grumpy x sunshine, which i guess has its charms, but i found it too trope-y. to be fair, i have no one but my own expectations to blame, emily henry has been on my tbr for so long that my standards were set too high.
the plot was basic and simple, and to be frank, i was much more interested in the writing process of january's book about the circus family. by the end, i was just fast-flipping through the pages to get to the part where she's working on the story. it's something i would definitely love to read! and the book that gus published at the end also let me down a little because i really didn't feel like he did the subject the justice it deserved. but that could just be me, of course.
the characters were also quite bland for me. honestly, if it wasn't for the trope, i don't even see how these two would even work as a couple. i just don't see the chemistry. and no wonder bcs like, they were both soo one-dimensional? especially gus, name one personality trait he has apart from being broody, mysterious, and, in january's words, coldly horny. he just seemed so untidy by her description alone that it gave me an ick. and for some unknown reason, he is absolutely head over heels for january, and we are never told what's the story there. the only fun thing about them was their banter, which also at times felt very forced.
i was quite into the book at first because i really felt sympathetic towards january's predicament, but she lost me halfway through when you start seeing her self-centrism. to her, everything circles back to all the ways her life has been ruined and destroyed by discovering about her father, like babe. yeah, it's sad, but also, get a life! her reaction to it may be realistic in a way, but i just can not get behind a character who whines and cries about the oh so unfair trials and tribulations of life all the time.
shaadi was the most interesting person to me, but because she is the Protagonist's Best Friend (tm) we only see her in that context and not as a fully-fleshed out character, which is quite a shame. her and january's friendship is absolute goals. and also the characters that gus interviews for his books. frankly, they had much more going on than our leads. i loved dave's mom, julie-ann for the barely two pages that we see her for, and her monologue about good people and bad things. some of the quotes were honestly so good!
all in all, not a bad book, it has a lot of good scattered aplenty but not enough to make it the best either. once again, i would love to see Family_Secrets.docx come to life irl as an actual book! the main reason i'm even giving this book a 3-star is because that one's a masterpiece.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Minor: Vomit
sabinedion's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Physical abuse and Vomit
amy_in_the_city's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Cancer, Suicide, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Violence
robbi22's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Vomit, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
katherinealison's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Vomit
jerica_mercado's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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: Cancer and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, and Domestic abuse
folkofthebook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
She learned to let it out, bit by bit, and that sometimes, it was okay to let a little ugliness into your story. That it would never rob you of all the beauty.
this was a super sweet romance with a lot of laughs and a little angst. january and gus's journey from a (one-sided) rivalry to reacquaintances to friends to lovers felt well-paced and organic. i always love me a total simp mmc and gus definitely fit the bill, even when january was mistaking it for his superiority complex (which was kinda true too lol).
i enjoyed the aspect of them both being writers as well and how fiction and storytelling are used to not only work through our own lives, but to change them. i'm not really sure how i feel about january's dad with the affair, but i think at least as a dad the relationship between him and january was touching.
this wasn't as emotionally devastating as i was expecting it to be, but i felt like it did a good job working a bit through some topics of trauma and grief. there were also a lot of humorous moments, i absolutely loveddd january and gus's dry banter. honestly what made it a 4.5 for me.
i'm excited to read more by emily henry, but this was a solid book to start with!
If you think the story has a sad ending, it’s because it’s not over yet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Vomit, Death, Death of parent, and Car accident
bookgirlieee's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
I enjoyed the book but found the ending to be a bit abrupt and the climax to not be as developed as it could be. Recommend reading this as your first Emily Henry book if you want them to keep getting better!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
isfantasi's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, and Infidelity
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, and Vomit
liviburke1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book had me hooked from the very beginning. It was so much more than just a love story. It’s a story of people overcoming hardship and falling in love with not just each other but life all over again.
For the few things i didn’t like, I thought January was a bit annoying at times but her skepticism was definitely understandable considering what she had been through.
I also would have liked to have learned more about Gus’s point of view but at the same time i enjoyed learning about him bit by bit through Januarys perspective.
For the few things i didn’t like, I thought January was a bit annoying at times but her skepticism was definitely understandable considering what she had been through.
I also would have liked to have learned more about Gus’s point of view but at the same time i enjoyed learning about him bit by bit through Januarys perspective.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Vomit
Minor: Child abuse