Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
This was a really terrific and sweet story. The romance was great, great chemistry, tension and angst between the two characters. But the found family aspect was truly the co-star of the show. I cried so much reading this. A lot because of the found family stuff, it was so lovely. It was also cool to see how some of the family stuff was so clear to us but unclear to Sammy, especially about her mom. And the reveals were very satisfying on that front. Also because of the romance. I wrote this in my notes but Max’s attraction for Sammy is the embodiment and answer of “who will come into my kitchen and be hungry for me.”
I thought the ending felt a bit rushed and I don’t love how the final betrayal played out. It felt too late and mean and the makeup felt a little to neat for the depth of hurt. But also, I’m not really that mad because I NEEDED them to be together.
I thought the ending felt a bit rushed and I don’t love how the final betrayal played out. It felt too late and mean and the makeup felt a little to neat for the depth of hurt. But also, I’m not really that mad because I NEEDED them to be together.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
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:
Yes
I enjoyed this book. I related to the abandonment issues.
emotional
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
not really sure how to rate this even though i finished it almost a week ago. this book is really sammy's, and honestly, she's a fucking disaster. she's about to lose her job and is hoping to find a reclusive rock star to review an album that may or may not exist (she also got ghosted by him 11 years ago), her relationship with her mom is on the rocks, she doesn't know her late father's family or culture at all, and she's going back to the town she lived in for a year when she was 9 to figure it all out. she is 29 years old. but despite that, this is a coming of age story. it's about figuring yourself out, family (whether it's blood or found), falling in love and finding a path. the real star of this book is sammy and paloma's relationship. the writing is engaging and the cast of characters is well-rounded. sammy and max's relationship was not my favorite, especially with how they just kept hurting each other in the exact way the other had asked them not to. my biggest frustration was how messy it all gets. as sammy continued to lie to the people she cares about and herself, avoids her problems and pushes people away, it got harder to support her. (i listened to this on audio and there was a lot of yelling at her in the car.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
This was just okay. There were parts I REALLY enjoyed (the found family aspect, Paloma) and then others that I didn’t (the romantic relationship was a bit hard to believe and I wasn’t a fan of the pacing). The narration was wonderful which kept me engaged during parts that felt like they were dragging.
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:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes