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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
The description of this on NetGalley really drew me in—comparisons to Matt Haig and Claire Pooley? lets freaking go. But this is way too treacly sweet and cheesy for my taste and I just could not anymore. I like uplit, but this was too much.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Meet Chloe and Oliver, childhood friends with a high school budding romance when sudden events 16 years ago caused them to be separated against their will. Chance brings them back together as adults in increasingly unexpected ways in this sweet story, but will they be able to move on from the events of the past?
This was such a lovely story about hope and the beauty and value of human interconnectedness. I was charmed from the start, and it was such a fun ride to watch adult Chloe and Oliver orbit one another in unexpected ways (which was a really nice theme throughout the book). There are multiple POVs (including a lot of side characters), which had the potential to be confusing but only enhanced and deepened the story since the main POVS were still Chloe and Oliver. Chloe and Oliver were the epitome of grumpy-sunshine, almost exaggeratedly so. I did find both of them very likable, although Oliver was a little difficult to warm up to initially since he was peak grump (understandable given his experiences as a teen). I'm such a sucker for a childhood friends-to-lovers story and this one was so sweet, especially with them both finding each other again as adults. The thread of magical realism throughout the story was very compelling, and was a very nice touch. This was a quick read that I wanted to last much longer than it did. It actually ended a little abruptly for my tastes, I would have loved an epilogue. A new-to-me author, I would absolutely love to read her again! Publishes August 12, 2025. This review is based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own.
This was such a lovely story about hope and the beauty and value of human interconnectedness. I was charmed from the start, and it was such a fun ride to watch adult Chloe and Oliver orbit one another in unexpected ways (which was a really nice theme throughout the book). There are multiple POVs (including a lot of side characters), which had the potential to be confusing but only enhanced and deepened the story since the main POVS were still Chloe and Oliver. Chloe and Oliver were the epitome of grumpy-sunshine, almost exaggeratedly so. I did find both of them very likable, although Oliver was a little difficult to warm up to initially since he was peak grump (understandable given his experiences as a teen). I'm such a sucker for a childhood friends-to-lovers story and this one was so sweet, especially with them both finding each other again as adults. The thread of magical realism throughout the story was very compelling, and was a very nice touch. This was a quick read that I wanted to last much longer than it did. It actually ended a little abruptly for my tastes, I would have loved an epilogue. A new-to-me author, I would absolutely love to read her again! Publishes August 12, 2025. This review is based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, Alcohol
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a very sweet book filled with second chances and magical realism. Chloe is living in New York and loses her job as a high school guidance counsellor. She had been making yellow origami roses with special messages inside of her students, and decides to uplift her spirits by making more of them. When one of the roses lands with someone who needs the message at that exact time, a movement begins.
It was lovely to have the story of Chloe and Oliver’s friendship interwoven throughout the book. The way that they reconnect is filled with many ups and downs, and at times both characters felt a bit two dimensional. (I felt similarly about some of the secondary characters as well)
I loved the chapters with the stories of people in New York who found Chloe’s words of affirmation at the exact right time. I always enjoy a story that is set in one of my favourite cities! How everything came together was charming and it made me feel teary towards the end. I just felt mixed about some of the writing throughout the middle of the book and some of the character development, but overall enjoyed this whimsical friends to lovers story. I think it would make a lovely tv mini series!
Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
This was a light world to drop into and a breeze to read. That being said, I had a hard time relating to the characters because each was such a textbook representation of an optimist and pessimist. For Oliver in particular, I didn’t feel sold on the idea that his personality would shift so dramatically from childhood to adulthood even give. His backstory.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
ARC provided by Atria Books via Netgalley for an honest review.
This was the sweetest, nicest, cleanest contemporary romance I have read in a long time. I loved the two main characters and thought the story was very sweet. I did want a tiny bit more from the ending, but otherwise I just loved this story.
This was the sweetest, nicest, cleanest contemporary romance I have read in a long time. I loved the two main characters and thought the story was very sweet. I did want a tiny bit more from the ending, but otherwise I just loved this story.
Chloe is such a sweet and endearing character. She is at times maybe a little on the naive side, but I kind of liked that about her. She always saw the best in people, which is something many people can’t do these days. Her idea of spreading joy and kindness through her origami roses was also a very fun part of the story. I loved the few little stories we got from some of the people that the flowers found their way to at just the right moment, and then that some of those people found their way back to Chloe. It was such a nice addition to this romance.
Oliver was a little harder to love at first, but eventually as you get to know him you start to really understand him. His gruff no nonsense exterior is just a facade that he developed to protect himself. I so get that. I also loved how numbers made more sense to him then people. I loved his relationship with his brother and father. That was a really nice side to his personality.
The story is just such a good one. Both Chloe’s and Oliver’s story is told, with flashbacks to their childhoods and how much they meant to each other. They truly were meant to find each other again when they were both ready. There is a little bit of a love triangle, as Chloe has just started a relationship with someone, before running into Oliver, but it didn’t bother me that much. I loved how the story developed and the secondary characters were almost as much fun as Chloe and Oliver. There is some magical realism, as Chloe and Oliver write to each other through the paper roses, but it was nicely done and worked with this story. The end was the only thing that I wanted more of. The airport scene is beautiful, but I just wanted to know what happened afterwards.
I think that my favorite part of this story has to be the origami roses. I really loved the messages and the idea that any acts of kindness, no matter how small they are, have that ripple effect and eventually impact many lives. It would be nice to see something like this happen in real life. It might make the world a bit kinder.
If you are looking for a sweet and warm hearted romance, with some magical realism thrown in, this is a story you should give a chance.
https://elnadesbookchat.com
https://elnadesbookchat.com
dnf @ 15%
This author’s writing style is just not for me. I’ve pushed through her most recent two books, but I just can’t do the same with this one. It feels like I am being told exactly what’s happening in a way that makes it seem like the author is assuming the reader is stupid and cannot make any inferences on their own. Like there was a whole paragraph about why a character wiped down a table after sitting down (which felt so incredibly unnecessary).
I think the overall premise is interesting and I can see that other people may really love this, but I am just not one of them, unfortunately.
Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the advanced copy!
This author’s writing style is just not for me. I’ve pushed through her most recent two books, but I just can’t do the same with this one. It feels like I am being told exactly what’s happening in a way that makes it seem like the author is assuming the reader is stupid and cannot make any inferences on their own. Like there was a whole paragraph about why a character wiped down a table after sitting down (which felt so incredibly unnecessary).
I think the overall premise is interesting and I can see that other people may really love this, but I am just not one of them, unfortunately.
Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the advanced copy!
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။၊|• invisible string, Taylor Swift
And isn't it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?
I had to put this TS quote here because while reading this book, I was getting major invisible string vibes. Chloe and Oliver even describe their connection as a string that's tugging them back to one another.
What to expect *⁀➷
➳ Childhood friends-to-lovers
➳ Second-chance romance
➳ Pen pals
➳ Grumpy x sunshine
➳ Magical realism
➳ Multiple POVs
➳ 3rd person POV
Synopsis *⁀➷
The Incredible Kindness of Paper follows Chloe, a 32-year old woman who just got laid off from her job as a high school guidance counselor. After an origami rose she makes, with some uplifting words written in the center, lands in the lap of someone who desperately needs it, Chloe starts leaving more roses throughout New York City. The roses start finding other people who desperately need them, one of them being her childhood sweetheart, Oliver. These two are drawn to the same places time and time again, and although Oliver recognizes Chloe, Chloe doesn't recognize him...
I love a good second-chance romance. This book had a lot of heart. I think Chloe could come off as a little naive sometimes, but she really is just trying to see the good in people. Oliver, on the other hand, is at a point in his life where he only sees the bad. He's so different from how he was when he was a kid that Chloe doesn't even recognize him. Honestllyyyy, I love that as a plot device. I love when only one person recognizes the other. It's just so much fun 💅
I do kind of hate when things go "viral" in a book (in this case, the origami roses - people just love 'em), but I'm trying to move past it. Mostly because I actually do really like the origami roses. Some of my favorite parts of the book were the small chapters where people found and read their origami roses. I'm such a sap and reading how much those words meant to them was so sweet 🥹
My only issue is that because this book was pretty short (clocking in at just 241 pages), the ending felt a little abrupt. I would have liked another chapter or two, or a little more breathing room in those last 20-40 pages.
Overall, this was a cute, short read. Sometimes I just want to feel like there's good in the world. Sue me.
Releasing: August 12th
➳ Thank you to Atria books for gifting me an early copy. All opinions are my own.
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pre-read *⁀➷
I won this ARC in a Goodreads giveaway babbbyyyy. This looks so cute and I'm so excited to start reading it!!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
I received this ARC from a Goodreads giveaway. Like many other reviewers, I thought it was a very sweet story. I wish the magical aspect had been leaned into more. I love the thought of serendipity, but this was obviously more than that. If it had been explained more , I could have focused more on the story without wondering “how the heck is this happening?” the whole time. Still, it was a cute love story and a good reminder of the importance of doing something nice for the sake of being nice and not for internet clout or profit.