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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
This wasn't a "Christmas" read like I initially thought, but it was still super cute!!
4.5* rounded up. I loved this one! Better than 12 Dates; and I really enjoyed that one too!
When I saw news of Jenny Bayliss’ new novel and its cover, I was anticipating another cozy, British, Christmastime story. This was all but the latter; it’s not Christmasy at all. Which isn’t a bad thing, just wasn’t what I expected and definitely not how it was advertised.
Story moves kind of slow and I wanted to see Annie find some healing and be able to move on, but she did have some moments that made me shake my head. Many of those are understandable, given her emotional state. Her husband Max was so despiseable and I just wanted him to go away. The community of characters in the town are truly what saved this story for me, albeit with a few unnecessary, and for me, cringey scenes. Content includes some sexual content and a ton of sexual/body parts-related dialogue, infidelity, harsh profanity, with some minor drug and alcohol use.
Due to primarily the content, this one really didn’t do much of anything for me. Now that’s not to say it isn’t without its charms: the townspeople and their community, the development of Annie and John’s relationship, Annie growing more confident in herself and making her own decisions and sticking with them. I wasn’t all that hyped about Jenny’s last book, Twelve Dates of Christmas, but given the choice, I’d rather reread that one over this one. If the unfortunate content wasn’t in there, it would likely get a higher rating from me, and as it is, this rating is half-hearted. No one book impresses everyone.
Story moves kind of slow and I wanted to see Annie find some healing and be able to move on, but she did have some moments that made me shake my head. Many of those are understandable, given her emotional state. Her husband Max was so despiseable and I just wanted him to go away. The community of characters in the town are truly what saved this story for me, albeit with a few unnecessary, and for me, cringey scenes. Content includes some sexual content and a ton of sexual/body parts-related dialogue, infidelity, harsh profanity, with some minor drug and alcohol use.
Due to primarily the content, this one really didn’t do much of anything for me. Now that’s not to say it isn’t without its charms: the townspeople and their community, the development of Annie and John’s relationship, Annie growing more confident in herself and making her own decisions and sticking with them. I wasn’t all that hyped about Jenny’s last book, Twelve Dates of Christmas, but given the choice, I’d rather reread that one over this one. If the unfortunate content wasn’t in there, it would likely get a higher rating from me, and as it is, this rating is half-hearted. No one book impresses everyone.
Overall, I liked this book, but it did kind of go up and down for me. It was pretty slow going (especially at first), and while I think it needed to be for the kind of book it was, that also meant it felt boring at times.
I thought this book was going to be a romance, and there were elements of romance within the narrative, but it was mostly about Annie’s remaking of herself after leaving her husband. It was nice to watch Annie build something new for herself after everything she'd been through with her husband, but I felt a bit misled.
Speaking of romance,I'm not sure how I felt about Annie and John as a couple. Why were they so rude to each other in their first few meetings? For all of the poor behavior that Annie put up with from others, it just seemed a bit out of character for her to take so much issue with John from the get-go. I mean, yes, projection of her frustrations with her husband onto John, but still. So I think I was happy they ended up together at the book’s close (?), but it also made me wonder how successful their relationship would be over time, given their tempers and propensity to make assumptions, miscommunicate, and then acerbically dig at each other as a result of this .
Like I said, I enjoyed the overall vibes of the book - found family, starting over, creating a sense of belonging and community, learning to set boundaries and stand up for yourself, independence, finding happiness - but this book was also missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on.
I thought this book was going to be a romance, and there were elements of romance within the narrative, but it was mostly about Annie’s remaking of herself after leaving her husband. It was nice to watch Annie build something new for herself after everything she'd been through with her husband, but I felt a bit misled.
Speaking of romance,
Like I said, I enjoyed the overall vibes of the book - found family, starting over, creating a sense of belonging and community, learning to set boundaries and stand up for yourself, independence, finding happiness - but this book was also missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on.
Sweet, quirky, story of rebuilding a life in a small seaside town.
funny
lighthearted
medium-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:
No
I'm not usually into second chances/ later in life stories but this was cute. It did feel like it could've been about 50 pages shorter though. Annie's growth was great and I enjoyed seeing her get her groove back.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a beach book, by my definition, and a good one! Set on the English coast in fall and winter, there’s plenty to love about the setting (pubs, bonfires, tea, cats, cold waves crashing on pebbles). The main character has decided to leave her disastrous husband and take a chance on a new life—the plot is satisfying, the character insight gratifying. I turned down a number of pages to revisit.
Fun characters, great setting. I loved reading about a woman in her 40s discovering her inner strength and going after her own dreams.
I just adore this book! It is absolutely the coziest story set in the sweetest coastal town in the UK. The setting & characters so perfect that I just want to step into the book and stay forever.