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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
emotional
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:
Yes
This was a delightful contemporary romance with magical realism.
I loved a lot of things about this book. The setting felt so real to me. It was clear the author is from Pittsburgh and is part of the Italian American community based on how she wrote about the location and the community. I also enjoyed how the main character, Catherine, confronted her childhood to recognize that there were good things in the community her father developed for her but she also deserved better from him.
Both Catherine and her love interest, Luca, were compelling characters. Luca is an artist and that contrasted well with Catherine mathematics career. They're both intelligent people but see the world in very different ways.
The big issue I have with this book is not the novel itself, but the marketing. Catherine's organization and type-A behavior is marketed as a quirk but it is really a survival mechanism, a trauma response. She has had to be able to compartmentalize and become a highly competent adult because her father was an irresponsible parent and her mother was absent. I found it to be tacky that so much of the marketing treated her trauma response as "grumpy" instead of what it was, a way to survive.
Overall, I thought this book was a lovely read and I would definitely recommend it.
I loved a lot of things about this book. The setting felt so real to me. It was clear the author is from Pittsburgh and is part of the Italian American community based on how she wrote about the location and the community. I also enjoyed how the main character, Catherine, confronted her childhood to recognize that there were good things in the community her father developed for her but she also deserved better from him.
Both Catherine and her love interest, Luca, were compelling characters. Luca is an artist and that contrasted well with Catherine mathematics career. They're both intelligent people but see the world in very different ways.
The big issue I have with this book is not the novel itself, but the marketing. Catherine's organization and type-A behavior is marketed as a quirk but it is really a survival mechanism, a trauma response. She has had to be able to compartmentalize and become a highly competent adult because her father was an irresponsible parent and her mother was absent. I found it to be tacky that so much of the marketing treated her trauma response as "grumpy" instead of what it was, a way to survive.
Overall, I thought this book was a lovely read and I would definitely recommend it.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
RomCom In A Nightmare Setting. Seriously, the title of the review here is pretty much exactly what you're getting. I don't know how common it is, but I know I've had the nightmare that is a version of the basic premise of this book - that you suddenly find out all of your "government" "approved" "identification" is suddenly found to be fraudulent and/ or non-existent... anywhere. How would you survive in modern America? Particularly if you were just starting a new job? And now you have the basic narrative here.
The romance/ romcom aspects of this tale take a bit of the realism of the premise out of the picture, but then, if we wanted a gritty real world version of the premise above, we wouldn't be looking for it in a romcom, now would we? Instead, both sides of romance and comedy work well, so long as you don't mind absurdist/ "What the FUCK?" comedy. (And seriously, if you can't enjoy that type of comedy at least from time to time, that absolutely says more about you than about Wiesner's writing here.)
Ultimately, this *is* a romcom - even with the initial premise - so yes, things get tied up in nice little maybe more Lifetime Movie than Hallmarkie bows, but said bows are absolutely the pink and frilly kind. In other words, don't let the premise get you too anxious here, just sit back and enjoy the ride - if maybe a touch more pulse pounding than many romcoms.
Very much recommended.
The romance/ romcom aspects of this tale take a bit of the realism of the premise out of the picture, but then, if we wanted a gritty real world version of the premise above, we wouldn't be looking for it in a romcom, now would we? Instead, both sides of romance and comedy work well, so long as you don't mind absurdist/ "What the FUCK?" comedy. (And seriously, if you can't enjoy that type of comedy at least from time to time, that absolutely says more about you than about Wiesner's writing here.)
Ultimately, this *is* a romcom - even with the initial premise - so yes, things get tied up in nice little maybe more Lifetime Movie than Hallmarkie bows, but said bows are absolutely the pink and frilly kind. In other words, don't let the premise get you too anxious here, just sit back and enjoy the ride - if maybe a touch more pulse pounding than many romcoms.
Very much recommended.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
Catherine and Luca, a buttoned-up math professor and her free-spirited doorman, have to team up in this romcom to track down Catherine’s birth certificate after her identity suddenly goes missing from every government system. Catherine has to learn the importance of community and enjoying life, and she realizes her life can be so much more than lists and rules and schedules. If you like magical realism and Ashley Poston’s books, you’ll enjoy this one (I won’t say why because that will give away the ending lol). It’s such a cute book, and I loved Luca and Catherine! I loved their relationship and the relationships she builds with others in her community. Definitely grab this one!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the opportunity to read this book! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Magical realism chick lit with a closed-door romance. I like the black cat/golden retriever dynamic, and this book has that, although Luca is a poorly sketched MMC, so it’s hard to develop strong feelings toward his character. Catherine, the FMC, is a much more developed character, and her plight pulls at your heartstrings. There’s a heartwarming message about community, and plenty of cute old people, but ultimately it’s a little bland for my personal tastes. I could see this book performing well with an older or more conservative demographic than my own.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Complicated
Really loved this cute romantic comedy novel!
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No