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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I loved the characters in the book, but not necessarily the premise of the book. There was no real substance but I did truly enjoy the people. Not sure if that makes sense. But while it wasn’t outstanding in my eyes, I don’t feel like I wasted my time.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have yet to find a Taylor Jenkins Reid book that doesn’t put me through the ringer emotionally, and yet I keep picking them up. After I Do has been one of my favorite reads of 2023. I think it’s a must read for anyone in any kind of relationship. My whole heart is still trying to process and recover from the love that Lauren and Ryan have for each other. Her journey through the year without him is emotional and I felt everything she went through. I don’t want to give spoilers but I will say that I cried through all of Part 5, to the point where my boyfriend kept asking if I was okay and if I wanted to stop reading something that made me so sad. I can’t explain it without giving anything away, but I highly recommend this book.
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Somewhat conflicted over this. The book had it’s merits but definitely felt like one of TJR’s weaker works.
The ending left me unconvinced; I expected to see more growth and complexity from the characters. It all just wrapped up a little too nicely and I didn’t think the characters actually learnt much - particularly Ryan who imo had the most to learn. Lauren’s development was more apparent (which was only natural because the book is told from her pov), but I wish we could’ve gotten more insight into Ryan through the emails.
Nevertheless I just felt so disconnected from the characters in general so it was really hard to care about anything happening.
Also, they basically resolved their issues by invading each others privacy… yikes.
The ending left me unconvinced; I expected to see more growth and complexity from the characters. It all just wrapped up a little too nicely and I didn’t think the characters actually learnt much - particularly Ryan who imo had the most to learn. Lauren’s development was more apparent (which was only natural because the book is told from her pov), but I wish we could’ve gotten more insight into Ryan through the emails.
Nevertheless I just felt so disconnected from the characters in general so it was really hard to care about anything happening.
Also, they basically resolved their issues by invading each others privacy… yikes.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
I really enjoyed the life lessons throughout this book, but especially for those who have been married for some time and are stuck in the mundane day-to-day routines with their significant other. The thoughts, feelings, and actions in the relationship timeline of Ryan and Lauren were so relatable, not that they are all things that I have experienced with my own husband, but they are relatable none the less. As much as it broke my heart to read about what caused Ryan and Lauren to take a year long separation, I can understand wanting to find that fire and passion again that’s been lost with your person. And as wrong as it was for Lauren to heck into his email and read all of Ryan’s inner thoughts, I can’t blame her and I totally would have done the same. Then to find out that Ryan had done the exact same thing and it’s what brought him back to Lauren when she needed him most, it truly pulled on my heartstrings. TJR gave her readers the ending that they were wishing/hoping for but in such a better way than we could have ever anticipated. If Ryan and Lauren hadn’t gotten back together by then end of this book, I would have absolutely given this 1 star. So thank you TJR for giving us what we hoped for and more.
TJR really has to stop constantly breaking my heart