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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
This was a sweet & emotional story.
Sadie just wants to redo her very bad year, not be so loud and bold, then maybe she wouldn’t lose her job, her boyfriend & her apartment.
But you can’t go back in time….. can you?
I absolutely loved Sadie’s adventure, she spends so much of the year making herself small and quiet to not rock the boat. She’s doing what she thinks she should to get her happy ending, but she’s miserable.
She finds herself a found family and they are so sweet and supportive of her dreams.
I absolutely adore her friendship with a Jacob.
This was such an important story about never making yourself small to fit into a box others try to put you in, there will always be people out there who love and support you just the way you are.
Sadie just wants to redo her very bad year, not be so loud and bold, then maybe she wouldn’t lose her job, her boyfriend & her apartment.
But you can’t go back in time….. can you?
I absolutely loved Sadie’s adventure, she spends so much of the year making herself small and quiet to not rock the boat. She’s doing what she thinks she should to get her happy ending, but she’s miserable.
She finds herself a found family and they are so sweet and supportive of her dreams.
I absolutely adore her friendship with a Jacob.
This was such an important story about never making yourself small to fit into a box others try to put you in, there will always be people out there who love and support you just the way you are.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
4.5/5 - a perfect book to read at the end of 2024. So important to stand up for yourself and others when someone is in the wrong because society sucks sometimes.
Only complaint is that while main characters were cute (love a good brother’s best friend), the chemistry could’ve been built up more. No smut.
Only complaint is that while main characters were cute (love a good brother’s best friend), the chemistry could’ve been built up more. No smut.
This was cute, enjoyable read. I felt myself hoping for more Jacob and Sadie scenes but after finishing it, I thought it was just right. This was a book focused on Sadie refining her voice throughout the year. It was great to see her big scene at the end.
I really enjoyed the other characters as well. The cafe seemed like a place I would want to get a coffee from and frequent. The entire book (minus the redoing a year thing) felt very relatable.
Overall, a great read, perfect for the coming winter months!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC!
I really enjoyed the other characters as well. The cafe seemed like a place I would want to get a coffee from and frequent. The entire book (minus the redoing a year thing) felt very relatable.
Overall, a great read, perfect for the coming winter months!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
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
If you have ever had a variety of painful or difficult experiences occur in quick succession, then you will likely deeply identify with what Sadie refers to as her "very bad year." Losing her boyfriend, job, and apartment results in the loss of Sadie's sense of self: if the qualities that make her "her" are what led to these huge losses, then obviously she has to change those flaws to ensure that she never experiences that pain again. It's an intriguing premise, and one that I'll admit I would have considered during my own "very bad year" - if you had the power to go back in time and correct what you believe were your errors, would you?
As the story unfolds, Sadie is engaged in a constant dialog with herself. Every choice she makes is informed by the ones she made before, every statement she swallows is the result of her thinking she knows how those statements landed in the listener's ear. Sadie's problem is not understanding that there is more than one person impacted by each decision, and it's not always the person she expects.
I say all this to explain that this book can be so frustrating at times. As the reader, we have the view that Sadie doesn't. We can infer why it might be important that her New Year's kiss with Jacob, her brother's best friend, looms so large in her memory. We can understand that her best friend is listening to Sadie muzzle herself in every situation, and how that might impact their relationship. And because we have that knowledge, Sadie's continued lies to herself about how much she is fixing what she lost adds a layer of discomfort to the story. You know she can't get out of her own way, but what will it take for her to see the path? Why doesn't she realize that standing up for herself is the same as standing up for those around her? That her willingness to do so was a feature, not a bug?
It might sound like I didn't enjoy this, but that is far from true. The characters are well-formed, and people like Jacob, Sadie's brother, Kasumi, and the entire coffee shop staff/customer base are so delightful that you want to know them in real life.
I think the discomfort and frustration is from seeing a mirror that shows you your past self, and knowing, deep down, you'd be making the same mistakes.
As the story unfolds, Sadie is engaged in a constant dialog with herself. Every choice she makes is informed by the ones she made before, every statement she swallows is the result of her thinking she knows how those statements landed in the listener's ear. Sadie's problem is not understanding that there is more than one person impacted by each decision, and it's not always the person she expects.
I say all this to explain that this book can be so frustrating at times. As the reader, we have the view that Sadie doesn't. We can infer why it might be important that her New Year's kiss with Jacob, her brother's best friend, looms so large in her memory. We can understand that her best friend is listening to Sadie muzzle herself in every situation, and how that might impact their relationship. And because we have that knowledge, Sadie's continued lies to herself about how much she is fixing what she lost adds a layer of discomfort to the story. You know she can't get out of her own way, but what will it take for her to see the path? Why doesn't she realize that standing up for herself is the same as standing up for those around her? That her willingness to do so was a feature, not a bug?
It might sound like I didn't enjoy this, but that is far from true. The characters are well-formed, and people like Jacob, Sadie's brother, Kasumi, and the entire coffee shop staff/customer base are so delightful that you want to know them in real life.
I think the discomfort and frustration is from seeing a mirror that shows you your past self, and knowing, deep down, you'd be making the same mistakes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Classism
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes