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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
medium-paced
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
No
3.5// Annie moves to a tiny seaside town to clear her head and start over after her awful husband cheats on her yet again. She meets a cute cast of quirky characters and starts to form bonds with the place and the people. A book club, tiny cafe, seaside morning walks, local pubs, frenzied sea weather. It had vibes. But both the holiday charm and the romance aspect were very small (also, I am not a fan when "enemies to lovers" is because of miscommunication).
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the found family, the adorable cafe/bakery, and the setting of a seaside town in the winter. I loved Annie’s bookclub and the way she finds herself hosting various town traditions. I liked that she’s an older protagonist and has adult children. I also liked the budding romance she stumbles into. However, what I didn’t like is the way she doesn’t stand up for herself against her cheating husband. She sits by passively while he cuts off her finances. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t immediately go to a lawyer. It just made her seem meek and she’s actually pretty strong to accomplish all she does. I think her lack of access to her finances was a plot point the author used but it just didn’t make sense to Annie as a character.
This was my first book by Jenny Bayliss and I went into it thinking that this was a holiday read. It is not really a holiday read, more of a winter read. It takes place in a seaside town during the fall and winter. Although holidays are mentioned it doesn't really focus on them. The book follows Annie who is recreating a life for herself after her kids are grown and her and her husband have split. It takes a look at refocusing your life and starting anew. I felt this book was a little slow to start for me and I also didn't really relate to Annie although I wanted to see how things turned out for her in the end.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I had a hard time connecting with these characters, and I think it’s because they are 20 years older than me. Their sense of humor, way of texting, etc. were not relatable for me beyond the expected fact that Annie was a restaurateur and mother of adult boys. I found the beginning of the story really slow and the “meet cute” between Annie and John was more than 50% of the way into the book. And it was honestly really intense and aggressive, so I felt like the John we got to know was completely different than the John that was introduced. I liked the catalyst for Annie finding herself at the seaside cottage and how she made it her own space. I also liked seeing her interactions with Max; it helped me understand her character more. There were too many people in this story, which made it hard to follow all the secondary/tertiary characters and remember who was who. There was a big climax/disaster towards the end of the book that felt a bit contrived but was very gripping. The relationship (once these characters didn’t hate each other) was very sweet and while a bit spicy, it was pretty vague and minimally spicy. I would try another book from this author if the character felt more relatable to me and the romance was a more significant part of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes