Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
looking beyond the fact that the entire last third or so of this novel feels incredibly disjointed from the first 200 pages, i don’t know why i’m supposed to like a book that tries to be incredibly profound about mental health, racism, love, and honesty when said book...
a. completely ignores and even leans into the classism in the story (Tallie’s brother is a multimillionaire and Tallie has never had to work for anything in her adult life)
b. includes a joke about a woman liking a man despite being “a lesbian half the time” (umm hello, bisexuality exists!)
c. refers multiple times to “hobbits” — as in, real human beings with dwarfism — as part of a halloween gimmick
hard pass.
a. completely ignores and even leans into the classism in the story (Tallie’s brother is a multimillionaire and Tallie has never had to work for anything in her adult life)
b. includes a joke about a woman liking a man despite being “a lesbian half the time” (umm hello, bisexuality exists!)
c. refers multiple times to “hobbits” — as in, real human beings with dwarfism — as part of a halloween gimmick
hard pass.
challenging
emotional
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou
I read this book in 2021 and I still remember to this day how it made me feel. It was a warm blanket with a cafe au lait on a cloudy Fall day. It was catching up with your bestie after being too busy to for too long. It was biting into the first pumpkin pie of the season. It was a warm hug.
I'm a little late to reviewing this book. Shame on me because I fell hard for this book and have been a fangirl of Leesa's ever since reading her subsequent books inc [b:Half-Blown Rose|59385893|Half-Blown Rose|Leesa Cross-Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1649033473l/59385893._SY75_.jpg|90580421], [b:Goodbye Earl|61255301|Goodbye Earl|Leesa Cross-Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1667412226l/61255301._SY75_.jpg|96579167]. The premise of this book is huge and is a ripped from the headlines type of an event.
Tallie is a therapist headed home for the night. She goes over a bridge and spots a man who looks like he is contemplating jumping. She uses her therapy skills to get the man to agree to go to get a cup of coffee.
This opens the door to a weekend where Tallie and Emmett get to know each other including each other's trauma. Despite the heavy opener (and heavy events leading to Emmet's contemplation of death by suicide), the novel is a balm to the soul. There is a realness and coziness that the author taps into that leads you to feeling uplifted after turning the last page.
And it couldn't get any better for a Fall read (I mean, there's even a Halloween party thrown in).
While I don't remember all the plot points of the book these years later, I remember how it made me feel and I highly recommend the feeling.
― Maya Angelou
I read this book in 2021 and I still remember to this day how it made me feel. It was a warm blanket with a cafe au lait on a cloudy Fall day. It was catching up with your bestie after being too busy to for too long. It was biting into the first pumpkin pie of the season. It was a warm hug.
I'm a little late to reviewing this book. Shame on me because I fell hard for this book and have been a fangirl of Leesa's ever since reading her subsequent books inc [b:Half-Blown Rose|59385893|Half-Blown Rose|Leesa Cross-Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1649033473l/59385893._SY75_.jpg|90580421], [b:Goodbye Earl|61255301|Goodbye Earl|Leesa Cross-Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1667412226l/61255301._SY75_.jpg|96579167]. The premise of this book is huge and is a ripped from the headlines type of an event.
Tallie is a therapist headed home for the night. She goes over a bridge and spots a man who looks like he is contemplating jumping. She uses her therapy skills to get the man to agree to go to get a cup of coffee.
This opens the door to a weekend where Tallie and Emmett get to know each other including each other's trauma. Despite the heavy opener (and heavy events leading to Emmet's contemplation of death by suicide), the novel is a balm to the soul. There is a realness and coziness that the author taps into that leads you to feeling uplifted after turning the last page.
And it couldn't get any better for a Fall read (I mean, there's even a Halloween party thrown in).
While I don't remember all the plot points of the book these years later, I remember how it made me feel and I highly recommend the feeling.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
This book started slow and a bit cheesy but I was truly invested by the end. The two main characters meet for a weekend and spend it together, processing their mutual PTSD and trying to find hope. It was a sad book.
4.5 stars- Although every therapist in a book or movie commits egregious unprofessional acts against the profession, I still appreciate the creativity of the story. The characters were well described except more could have been written about the ex wife.
“Think about all we’ve been through together. It doesn’t just go away. And even if it did, where would it go?”
Cute story to start off this year but honestly felt so rushed towards the end and just not realistic at all. The writing would drop off in places and pick up in completely unrelated parts which was annoying. The writing was iffy but beautiful descriptions and language otherwise.
I probably would have liked it was more if it was rewritten as psychological thriller but whatever.
Cute story to start off this year but honestly felt so rushed towards the end and just not realistic at all. The writing would drop off in places and pick up in completely unrelated parts which was annoying. The writing was iffy but beautiful descriptions and language otherwise.
I probably would have liked it was more if it was rewritten as psychological thriller but whatever.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
