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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
Thank you @prhaudio and Emily Giffin for a #gifted copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review!
I went through a big Emily Giffin phase a few years back so this book was a big anticipated release for me. Sadly I didn’t love it - the whole story fell a bit flat.
The book centers around 3 best friends swearing to drop everything for each other when needed so none of them ever feel as helpless as the 4th in their group did when she took her life. With such a heavy plot, I expected more. More emotion, more angst, more feelings, more everything. Every emotion just felt flat. It didn’t help that I found each character and their narrators kind of unlikable in their own way. They were all a mess but none of them felt like people I wanted to root for. I think there was just a lack of emotional connection to the characters.
The romance also felt a bit lackluster and forced. There wasn’t much chemistry or build-up, so they felt like they came out of nowhere.
The idea of traveling with your friends when your life feels like falling apart is such a great concept though. I enjoy Emily Giffin’s writing style, so I still enjoyed the book enough, I just needed ~more~. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me, and if you’re new to Emily Giffin not the first I’d recommend.
I went through a big Emily Giffin phase a few years back so this book was a big anticipated release for me. Sadly I didn’t love it - the whole story fell a bit flat.
The book centers around 3 best friends swearing to drop everything for each other when needed so none of them ever feel as helpless as the 4th in their group did when she took her life. With such a heavy plot, I expected more. More emotion, more angst, more feelings, more everything. Every emotion just felt flat. It didn’t help that I found each character and their narrators kind of unlikable in their own way. They were all a mess but none of them felt like people I wanted to root for. I think there was just a lack of emotional connection to the characters.
The romance also felt a bit lackluster and forced. There wasn’t much chemistry or build-up, so they felt like they came out of nowhere.
The idea of traveling with your friends when your life feels like falling apart is such a great concept though. I enjoy Emily Giffin’s writing style, so I still enjoyed the book enough, I just needed ~more~. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me, and if you’re new to Emily Giffin not the first I’d recommend.
I really liked this! I felt the ending was wrapped up a little too quickly. Like it goes from intense drama to tied up with a bow in 10 pages. I love any story that delves into the layers of friendship in adulthood though. And I was rooting for Hannah to find peace and herself. I found Lainey kind of annoying but I do have compassion for her journey. Overall, it was a super quick read and I would recommend if you liked her other books.
emotional
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Suicide
The perfect summer read! I just adore Emily Giffin in every way possible. This novel is no different. Chef’s kiss!
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, Alcohol
challenging
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had two main issues with this book:
1) The amount of conflicts and plot twists that pop up gave me whiplash. The most frustrating part is that all these conflicts feel very undeveloped. It’s almost as if the priority was adding more drama and flair, which felt more cliche, than it was to thoroughly explore the actual conflicts.
2) If you were to take away the characters’ name at the start of each chapter, I wouldn’t be able to tell a difference. They didn’t feel very fleshed out to me in terms of internal thought or dialogue.
That being said, this could very well be someone else’s preference. If you want something quick paced and not super in depth as a “palate cleanser” book, then this might be it. It wasn’t for me though.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this advanced reader’s copy.
1) The amount of conflicts and plot twists that pop up gave me whiplash. The most frustrating part is that all these conflicts feel very undeveloped. It’s almost as if the priority was adding more drama and flair, which felt more cliche, than it was to thoroughly explore the actual conflicts.
2) If you were to take away the characters’ name at the start of each chapter, I wouldn’t be able to tell a difference. They didn’t feel very fleshed out to me in terms of internal thought or dialogue.
That being said, this could very well be someone else’s preference. If you want something quick paced and not super in depth as a “palate cleanser” book, then this might be it. It wasn’t for me though.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this advanced reader’s copy.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes