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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
sad
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:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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:
Yes
emotional
funny
reflective
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
medium-paced
I so badly wanted to love this book and thought it would be a 5/5 but had such a crap ending that now I’m sad.
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
emotional
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
I think we've all heard this one before: a character makes a promise with their best friend or their current significant other or just a random acquaintance that if you both find yourselves single by, in this case, 35 you'll marry each other and have the family you clearly want, but that's been eluding you thus far.
Well, if you're Maggie Vine you make that promise with two people at very different times in your life. And, for better or worse, they both show up. First there's Garrett. Garrett and Maggie met over ten years ago when he captured her attention at a bar during a musical set. They immediately clicked but have always been off when it comes to the timing - never seeming to both be available at the same time (whether that's emotionally or physically). Now, Garrett does show up to her 35th birthday, but he's engaged so clearly there's a line they shouldn't cross but also a lot of baggage left between them.
Then, there's Asher Reyes. Oscar winning, heartthrob actor - whom Maggie first met at summer camp when they were teens - is adapting Maggie's favorite book into a movie musical. It's too much of a coincidence, and Maggie is determined to compose the music for the movie. It would be the break her career desperately needs.
This book is, so far, one of the best descriptors of everything it takes to be a solo musician. The sacrifices, the uncertainty. Knowing you have the talent and the voice, but being just shy of actually gaining the fame you seek. It's a very lyrical story and I think this was done very well by Alison Rose Greenberg. The story is told from Maggie's point of view so of course we're going to get those lyrical flourishes and way with words that seem to be a staple of song-writers. Saying so much with just a few lines. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't playing Fleetwood Mac's Gypsy on my head on repeat while reading this.
For all that, this story is so full of angst. Maggie spends a good portion of the book pining away for what she cannot have with Garrett. It was difficult to get a sense of who he is because we're seeing him through Maggie's lens and there's a lot of fawning and adoration. She puts him and their bond on a high pedestal when clearly he's very fallible. By the time we get to the gut punch that he did not really come to her on her birthday in good faith, I'm ready for her to move on.
I think Maggie's a little more realistic when it comes to Asher, but to be fair, she's had years to come to terms with their ending which Garrett's it still fresh. The pivot from Garrett to Asher felt a bit jolting as were so focused on Garrett then all of a sudden there's Asher from her past being mentioned. I found a few jolts throughout the story. There's so much focus placed on one person, or event, then suddenly we switch gears and oftentimes it comes out of nowhere even though within the context of the story it makes sense.
I felt like these moments did Maggie's story a disservice because it removed the emotional impact. I couldn't get invested because oftentimes we're changing things up on the next page. There's no time to process what just happened.
I will say that looking back on the story in hindsight, by the end as Maggie's story has completely unfolded, we're given insight into how things could have been so different for her. It makes the story all the more heartbreaking and the fragility is noticed in how just the slightest curve can throw your life into a tailspin. We could have been reading a different version of the story which is an interesting concept idea. I almost wish Alison Rose Greenberg would give us that sliding doors-type book as a companion to this one.
Despite the angst and the unexpected pivots, I was very interested in how Maggie's story would end up. I didn't really mind the love triangle aspect of the story because while it is a romance novel, I'd say the biggest thing is Maggie's journey whether that includes Asher or Garrett is just one aspect of her overall journey and I think that was done perfectly.
Well, if you're Maggie Vine you make that promise with two people at very different times in your life. And, for better or worse, they both show up. First there's Garrett. Garrett and Maggie met over ten years ago when he captured her attention at a bar during a musical set. They immediately clicked but have always been off when it comes to the timing - never seeming to both be available at the same time (whether that's emotionally or physically). Now, Garrett does show up to her 35th birthday, but he's engaged so clearly there's a line they shouldn't cross but also a lot of baggage left between them.
Then, there's Asher Reyes. Oscar winning, heartthrob actor - whom Maggie first met at summer camp when they were teens - is adapting Maggie's favorite book into a movie musical. It's too much of a coincidence, and Maggie is determined to compose the music for the movie. It would be the break her career desperately needs.
This book is, so far, one of the best descriptors of everything it takes to be a solo musician. The sacrifices, the uncertainty. Knowing you have the talent and the voice, but being just shy of actually gaining the fame you seek. It's a very lyrical story and I think this was done very well by Alison Rose Greenberg. The story is told from Maggie's point of view so of course we're going to get those lyrical flourishes and way with words that seem to be a staple of song-writers. Saying so much with just a few lines. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't playing Fleetwood Mac's Gypsy on my head on repeat while reading this.
For all that, this story is so full of angst. Maggie spends a good portion of the book pining away for what she cannot have with Garrett. It was difficult to get a sense of who he is because we're seeing him through Maggie's lens and there's a lot of fawning and adoration. She puts him and their bond on a high pedestal when clearly he's very fallible. By the time we get to the gut punch that he did not really come to her on her birthday in good faith, I'm ready for her to move on.
I think Maggie's a little more realistic when it comes to Asher, but to be fair, she's had years to come to terms with their ending which Garrett's it still fresh. The pivot from Garrett to Asher felt a bit jolting as were so focused on Garrett then all of a sudden there's Asher from her past being mentioned. I found a few jolts throughout the story. There's so much focus placed on one person, or event, then suddenly we switch gears and oftentimes it comes out of nowhere even though within the context of the story it makes sense.
I felt like these moments did Maggie's story a disservice because it removed the emotional impact. I couldn't get invested because oftentimes we're changing things up on the next page. There's no time to process what just happened.
I will say that looking back on the story in hindsight, by the end as Maggie's story has completely unfolded, we're given insight into how things could have been so different for her. It makes the story all the more heartbreaking and the fragility is noticed in how just the slightest curve can throw your life into a tailspin. We could have been reading a different version of the story which is an interesting concept idea. I almost wish Alison Rose Greenberg would give us that sliding doors-type book as a companion to this one.
Despite the angst and the unexpected pivots, I was very interested in how Maggie's story would end up. I didn't really mind the love triangle aspect of the story because while it is a romance novel, I'd say the biggest thing is Maggie's journey whether that includes Asher or Garrett is just one aspect of her overall journey and I think that was done perfectly.
emotional
Despite some questionable choices by the main character with one of the love interests, I wanted him to be the end game and he wasn’t. I just found their relationship so much more interesting than the other relationship. I was enjoying this book until about the last third, when the main character really started to annoy me.