Scan barcode
sandrajmcd's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ashiixx's review
4.0
The moment when the title makes complete sense… actual tears! What a beautiful story.
helplesswhilstdrying's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I can’t get over how many 4 and 5 star reviews this book has. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first book finding that it romanatised the idea of domestic violence, but a lot happened in this book and I found myself 60% of the way through waiting for a storyline still to start.
I’m fine with character driven stories but found with this one that the first one was a better mix, and with this one we weren’t learning anything new about the characters - it felt like a lazy recap.
Thankfully whilst Lily decides in the first few chapters to write a new cringey letter to her best mate Ellen, this only happens once through the book - but we do get to read old letters and passages from the diary that were present in the first book (not sure why, they weren’t good the first time).
The passages of letters to Ellen don’t feel authentic to a teenager and too introspective of a diary happening in the moment “I felt all the immaturity of my age when I closed my eyes and felt sorry for myself”, does not feel like a reaction a 14 year old would confess in her diary.
This was likely an issue in the first book that I didn’t particularly notice as I really these parts so much I got through them as fast as I could but on a second read of the same passages - it really highlighted how ingenuine they come across. If they had been poised as flashbacks from an adults perspective maybe I could have backed the content a little more.
Plot summary:
10% of the way in we’ve established Lily and Ryle are divorced and co-parenting. Lily and atlas have bumped into each other, Lily assumes ryles anger if this was to proceed
60% of the way through, still assuming after 2 short chapters describing beige dates that Ryle will be annoyed if she finds out if she is dating atlas and the plot hasn’t developed.
70% we discover he is indeed annoyed at the idea of her dating atlas as we all knew
75% of the way through Lily and Ryle argue, Ryle punches atlas
85% through the mildest least problematic intervention ever, uncharacteristically so for Ryle who has no self awareness
100% happily ever after
I’m fine with character driven stories but found with this one that the first one was a better mix, and with this one we weren’t learning anything new about the characters - it felt like a lazy recap.
Thankfully whilst Lily decides in the first few chapters to write a new cringey letter to her best mate Ellen, this only happens once through the book - but we do get to read old letters and passages from the diary that were present in the first book (not sure why, they weren’t good the first time).
The passages of letters to Ellen don’t feel authentic to a teenager and too introspective of a diary happening in the moment “I felt all the immaturity of my age when I closed my eyes and felt sorry for myself”, does not feel like a reaction a 14 year old would confess in her diary.
This was likely an issue in the first book that I didn’t particularly notice as I really these parts so much I got through them as fast as I could but on a second read of the same passages - it really highlighted how ingenuine they come across. If they had been poised as flashbacks from an adults perspective maybe I could have backed the content a little more.
Plot summary:
60% of the way through, still assuming after 2 short chapters describing beige dates that Ryle will be annoyed if she finds out if she is dating atlas and the plot hasn’t developed.
70% we discover he is indeed annoyed at the idea of her dating atlas as we all knew
75% of the way through Lily and Ryle argue, Ryle punches atlas
85% through the mildest least problematic intervention ever, uncharacteristically so for Ryle who has no self awareness
100% happily ever after
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse
vicr's review
emotional
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? It's complicated
2.5
heyitsmarie30's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse