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strawberrymivvy's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
2.5
Supposed to be a book about friendship and coming out the other side of grief, but there didn't appear to be any genuine relationships between the main characters and none of them were particularly likeable.
OK for a quick read on the beach
OK for a quick read on the beach
jenncamp's review against another edition
4.0
I read a preview of this novel via NetGalley. I was super surprised at what was provided. I anticipated a couple of chapters at best but this preview was 10 chapters. It gives you an in-depth (well as in-depth as a preview can be) of what you are in for. I liked Storms writing style and already feel invested based on this preview. Looking forward to the full novel!
randombookgrl's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my goodness! I absolutely loved this book! Once I started, I couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting. Yes, it's as predictable as a Hallmark holiday movie, but that doesn't stop it from being a well-written, entertaining story that enchants and captivates. I look forward to reading book 2!
shammons's review against another edition
3.0
I sort of struggled with this book and am on the fence on how to rate it. For one thing, I decided to try this new-to-me author, because she was listed under my Hoopla genres as being Christian fiction. The book was very clean, but this is not what I consider Christian fiction, as there is no mention of God or faith. In fact, quite the opposite. This is a personal thing for me, but I'm not fond of the me-centric, worldly philosophy of what the book repeated refers to as "say what you need, no apologizing". It's not always about me, and it's not always in everyone's best interest to just constantly tell others what you need, want, have to have, etc. As a Christian, I am called to the philosophy of less of me, and more of Christ, and by extension, others. This book was more in the "self help" headspace of going to therapy and learning to tell everyone what you need, constantly. Also, this book had a lot of dialogue on feelings and emotions, and understandably so. The premise is that a group of friends whose parents were all diagnosed with cancer, meet at a hospital, befriend one another, and for support, they now come together on Sundays for a potluck meal. There, they can find comfort from others who understand what they are going through as caregivers for their ill parents. As the book opens, they are attending the third funeral of the 4. The remaining young lady's father is in remission and she feels a lot of guilt. The other three, including our main character, are dealing with the hole in their lives after the loss of their parent. Our main character, an elementary school teacher, bonds with a student and her father, because the little girl has recently lost her mother as well. When I chose this book to read next, I did not do my due diligence and read a lot of reviews about it, and didn't realize the weightiness of the topic. I was thinking it was going to be light and frilly, and involve a lot of food. It was not, on either count, so I struggled a bit more than most people likely would. I'm a notoriously moody reader and this one was a poor choice for me at the moment in time I chose to read it. It was not a bad book, but between it being touted as Christian fiction and the fact that it was not what I was wanting/needing to read, I did struggle quite a bit. Next time, I'll have to read more snippets about the plot and make better choices, LOL! That being said, it was fairly short and a fairly easy read. There's another in this series, but I'm not sure I will continue. I did choose this one to satisfy a particular category in my 2021 reading challenge, and may end up reading the next one if next year's challenge includes the same category (a book with a day of the week in the title).
karak's review against another edition
2.0
This book may be the first in a new series, but it reads like a 3rd. There is no real introduction to the characters or backstory as to what they're doing as a friend group. It's just badly written.
managedbybooks's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't realize this was an excerpt but I love what I've read so far. I can't wait for the rest of the novel to be available!
xakyr's review
4.0
FTC DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED AN E-ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER THROUGH ONE OF A VARIETY OF SOURCES. I VOLUNTARILY OFFER MY HONEST REVIEW OF THE BOOK, THOUGH IT IS NOT EXPECTED OF ME! RECEIPT OF THIS BOOK IN THIS MANNER DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR THE CONTENT OF MY REVIEW!
This was more of a 3.5 star read for me. I'm not sure I've ever read anything by this author, but I could see enough in it that I'd like to check out their other work sometime.
I had a hard time with investing in these characters. The first part of the book had such a depressing tone, due to the grief, that I struggled to even want to read the book in the first place! When things finally did progress, it felt flat and slightly manipulated.
The setting is one I have interest in, but there wasn't enough detail given for this reader! I would have liked more about the way of life and hardships of living in Alaska, but those details were sadly lacking in this story.
I can see the potential for a series here with this book, but I don't think I would continue on with it.
This was more of a 3.5 star read for me. I'm not sure I've ever read anything by this author, but I could see enough in it that I'd like to check out their other work sometime.
I had a hard time with investing in these characters. The first part of the book had such a depressing tone, due to the grief, that I struggled to even want to read the book in the first place! When things finally did progress, it felt flat and slightly manipulated.
The setting is one I have interest in, but there wasn't enough detail given for this reader! I would have liked more about the way of life and hardships of living in Alaska, but those details were sadly lacking in this story.
I can see the potential for a series here with this book, but I don't think I would continue on with it.
kathykekmrs's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great excerpt. I really enjoyed what I read and am looking forward to the rest of the story of these young women overcome grief and find love. This story is about 4 women who meet in the hospital where their parents are undergoing cancer treatments. This is about the bond of friendship and how each person grieves in their own way.
dyerneedtoread's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
iphigenie72's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t like reading people’s reviews before reading a book just the synopsis, but I should have at least checked the shelves this book was on. I thought this would be about a group of friends grieving together and getting acclimated to a life with someone missing in it and the beginning was promising… but then a guy shows up and the first description we had of him includes his chin and I went: “oh *expletive starting with c deleted*, this is a romance!” (Sorry, I’m not big on romance). This could still have been good but it went then predictable, predictable, predictable with dogs (not big on dogs either, I have two lovely cats though so I’m for pets) and kid (don’t have children, but plenty of great-nephews and nieces). I guess I like to be surprised in every book I read, that’s my main takeaway when I finish not necessarily the content, but the twists and how surprised I was is my most important and I wasn’t surprised once reading this. I liked some scenes especially towards the end one with the child and one with the group of friends, but the rest was just not for me.