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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
4 ★★★★✩ suspension of disbelief on max but cute all the same
+1 ➼ characters/romance: i liked both Sewanee and Nick! Swan especially was a compelling heroine—a little bitter and jaded, but desperate for love and connection. even though Nick didn’t have a POV, i feel like we were able to get to know him pretty well through Swan’s eyes. they were cute together, and i enjoyed the way their relationship developed under various settings and personas.
+1 ➼ story/writing: i liked how this story sometimes leant into romance cliches and sometimes broke out of them, and how everything slowly started to come together. the premise of audiobook narrators falling in love was fun, and the pacing of different secrets coming to light and their ensuing consequences was done well.
-0.5 ➼ suspension of disbelief: they say this themselves in the book, but there were so many coincidences in the plot that i did find myself having to actively suspend my disbelief in order to engage with the story. ultimately, it was cute, and the reasoning wasn’t too far fetched, but there were moments where i was like ._. okay, let me warm up before i do these mental gymnastics
-0.5 ➼ the accident: i’m honestly a little confused here…Sewanee’s injury could’ve been caused by literally anything, but the author chose this explanation?? it just seemed really random and kind of odd, which maybe is the point, but it took me out of the story. i couldn’t tell if there was a larger meaning to the nature of the accident, or if it was meant to be so shockingly random, but i just didn’t find its reveal or eventual resolution particularly satisfying.
two other random thoughts:
-as an avid audiobook consumer, i’m a little embarrassed that i didn’t realize so many of my favorite audiobooks have been narrated by Julia Whelan. she’s so fantastic!
-this book called me OUT on my listening speed lol—i am definitely guilty of putting audiobooks on 3x speed, though i listened to this one on a cool 2x/2.5x
3 (base rating) + 1 + 1 - 0.5 - 0.5 = 4
+1 ➼ characters/romance: i liked both Sewanee and Nick! Swan especially was a compelling heroine—a little bitter and jaded, but desperate for love and connection. even though Nick didn’t have a POV, i feel like we were able to get to know him pretty well through Swan’s eyes. they were cute together, and i enjoyed the way their relationship developed under various settings and personas.
+1 ➼ story/writing: i liked how this story sometimes leant into romance cliches and sometimes broke out of them, and how everything slowly started to come together. the premise of audiobook narrators falling in love was fun, and the pacing of different secrets coming to light and their ensuing consequences was done well.
-0.5 ➼ suspension of disbelief: they say this themselves in the book, but there were so many coincidences in the plot that i did find myself having to actively suspend my disbelief in order to engage with the story. ultimately, it was cute, and the reasoning wasn’t too far fetched, but there were moments where i was like ._. okay, let me warm up before i do these mental gymnastics
-0.5 ➼ the accident: i’m honestly a little confused here…Sewanee’s injury could’ve been caused by literally anything, but the author chose this explanation?? it just seemed really random and kind of odd, which maybe is the point, but it took me out of the story. i couldn’t tell if there was a larger meaning to the nature of the accident, or if it was meant to be so shockingly random, but i just didn’t find its reveal or eventual resolution particularly satisfying.
two other random thoughts:
-as an avid audiobook consumer, i’m a little embarrassed that i didn’t realize so many of my favorite audiobooks have been narrated by Julia Whelan. she’s so fantastic!
-this book called me OUT on my listening speed lol—i am definitely guilty of putting audiobooks on 3x speed, though i listened to this one on a cool 2x/2.5x
3 (base rating) + 1 + 1 - 0.5 - 0.5 = 4
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
If you read only one HEA … make it this one and you’ll be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t choose the audiobook version. It is after all a “thank you for listening” by THE author herself. LOVED THIS!
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Aangezien ik best wel wat romance novels lees, trok dit boek mijn aandacht omdat romance novels en dan vooral de audiobooks er een grote rol in spelen. Het is een beetje een blik achter de schermen, waardoor er best wel wat knipoogjes naar het genre verwerkt zijn in het boek. Zo is er een heel hoofdstuk in briefromanvorm geschreven en dat is nog steeds helemaal mijn ding. Jawel.
Op zich heb ik ontzettend genoten van dit boek, maar vanaf de 80% moest ik mij er een beetje door sleuren. Het werd wat langdradig en slordig. Alles wat ervoor had gezorgd dat ik de eerste 80% had verslonden, leek weg te vallen. Uiteindelijk heb ik het boek wel uitgelezen, maar die laatste 20% had voor mij gerust geschrapt mogen worden.
Ik luister zelf niet naar audioboeken, maar ik was eigenlijk wel heel nieuwsgierig naar het audioboek van dit boek. Het leek me wel leuk om de stem van Brock McNight te kunnen horen en om te zien hoe een boek over audioboeken z'n eigen audio versie aanpakt. Meta.
Op zich heb ik ontzettend genoten van dit boek, maar vanaf de 80% moest ik mij er een beetje door sleuren. Het werd wat langdradig en slordig. Alles wat ervoor had gezorgd dat ik de eerste 80% had verslonden, leek weg te vallen. Uiteindelijk heb ik het boek wel uitgelezen, maar die laatste 20% had voor mij gerust geschrapt mogen worden.
Ik luister zelf niet naar audioboeken, maar ik was eigenlijk wel heel nieuwsgierig naar het audioboek van dit boek. Het leek me wel leuk om de stem van Brock McNight te kunnen horen en om te zien hoe een boek over audioboeken z'n eigen audio versie aanpakt. Meta.
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
"You've gotta go first." Ugh, to have a breakdown in Venice, Italy of all places.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Medical content, Grief
Minor: Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
