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catherine10134u38's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
2.0
Can't believe this is a popular book.
This is for people who want something sad and loves complicated characters that are "messed up." If you're also okay with characters rationalizing cheating on someone while they have cancer then this is for you. This is complicated and deep I guess but all these characters were just so frustrating to me. The ending was so rushed and I can't comprehend for the life of me why January would want to be with Gus fr. I wouldn't be surprised if Gus cheated on her 10 years later and was like "I told you I was messed up, I'm so sorry you don't have to forgive me." The grief in this story was good but what got me was the rationalizing the cheating for me. The writing DRAGGED ON AND ON.
It was slow with so many LONG and boring beats. Maybe I'm too young (17 almost 18) to be reading about these people's cheating and still being married while fucking someone else. Maybe I could come back to this when I'm 30 and understand what their talking about. IDK. Lowkey feel like I should have DNFd this but it taught me that people are complicated and carry baggage and can still be loved. Doesn't make the writing any less boring, the side characters any less plain/boring or the entire plot any less boring either. Boring boring boring. The whole thing about their individual stories is so ??? LAME. It barely even made a difference as far as I can tell.
For me...it put me in a reading slump. I was bored. Rushed ending. Glad to be done with this. Sorry.
This is for people who want something sad and loves complicated characters that are "messed up." If you're also okay with characters rationalizing cheating on someone while they have cancer then this is for you. This is complicated and deep I guess but all these characters were just so frustrating to me. The ending was so rushed and I can't comprehend for the life of me why January would want to be with Gus fr. I wouldn't be surprised if Gus cheated on her 10 years later and was like "I told you I was messed up, I'm so sorry you don't have to forgive me." The grief in this story was good but what got me was the rationalizing the cheating for me. The writing DRAGGED ON AND ON.
It was slow with so many LONG and boring beats. Maybe I'm too young (17 almost 18) to be reading about these people's cheating and still being married while fucking someone else. Maybe I could come back to this when I'm 30 and understand what their talking about. IDK. Lowkey feel like I should have DNFd this but it taught me that people are complicated and carry baggage and can still be loved. Doesn't make the writing any less boring, the side characters any less plain/boring or the entire plot any less boring either. Boring boring boring. The whole thing about their individual stories is so ??? LAME. It barely even made a difference as far as I can tell.
For me...it put me in a reading slump. I was bored. Rushed ending. Glad to be done with this. Sorry.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
mrsmisko's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity
readwithsophsx's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Grief, and Death of parent
lou_loo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.25
This book is so nice. I think this is what romance books should be like.
This is not a story where he is dark and handsome, she is small and frail and they "fall in love" without having anything that makes them attracted to each other (why him and not another dark and broody man you know) or at least, nothing written on paper, nothing that we are told about.
This is the opposite. They start as neighbours (it's not their first encounter though), create a bet, a challenge, and hang out for the entire summer. The tension is built, and we can see why they're attracted to each other and get closer and happier around each other.
And I loved how the themes of grief, illness and pain were incorporated in the story, making it feel real, with actual fleshed-out characters, anchored in reality, while keeping the lightheartedness of it all. Emily Henry was able to address those themes without making the story dark or sad, she kept it real and very enjoyable.
This is not a story where he is dark and handsome, she is small and frail and they "fall in love" without having anything that makes them attracted to each other (why him and not another dark and broody man you know) or at least, nothing written on paper, nothing that we are told about.
This is the opposite. They start as neighbours (it's not their first encounter though), create a bet, a challenge, and hang out for the entire summer. The tension is built, and we can see why they're attracted to each other and get closer and happier around each other.
And I loved how the themes of grief, illness and pain were incorporated in the story, making it feel real, with actual fleshed-out characters, anchored in reality, while keeping the lightheartedness of it all. Emily Henry was able to address those themes without making the story dark or sad, she kept it real and very enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief
lou_loo's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.25
This book is so nice. I think this is what romance books should be like.
This is not a story where he is dark and handsome, she is small and frail and they "fall in love" without having anything that makes them attracted to each other (why him and not another dark and broody man you know) or at least, nothing written on paper, nothing that we are told about.
This is the opposite. They start as neighbours (it's not their first encounter though), create a bet, a challenge, and hang out for the entire summer. The tension is built, and we can see why they're attracted to each other and get closer and happier around each other.
And I loved how the themes of grief, illness and pain were incorporated in the story, making it feel real, with actual fleshed-out characters, anchored in reality, while keeping the lightheartedness of it all. Emily Henry was able to address those themes without making the story dark or sad, she kept it real and very enjoyable.
This is not a story where he is dark and handsome, she is small and frail and they "fall in love" without having anything that makes them attracted to each other (why him and not another dark and broody man you know) or at least, nothing written on paper, nothing that we are told about.
This is the opposite. They start as neighbours (it's not their first encounter though), create a bet, a challenge, and hang out for the entire summer. The tension is built, and we can see why they're attracted to each other and get closer and happier around each other.
And I loved how the themes of grief, illness and pain were incorporated in the story, making it feel real, with actual fleshed-out characters, anchored in reality, while keeping the lightheartedness of it all. Emily Henry was able to address those themes without making the story dark or sad, she kept it real and very enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief
teeclecticreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a pretty good introduction to Emily Henry for me. The banter, romance, complexity of family relationships and overall concept was very enjoyable to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
snowflake121312's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, and Infidelity
flamesocks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, Cancer, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse
saskiahill's review against another edition
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, Death, Terminal illness, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, and Cancer
r_oy_s's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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? No
5.0
Somehow I had a hunch in the beginning that this book was meant to be savored, not rushed through to get to the end. And boy I wasn't wrong.
January Andrews, a popular romance writer moves into a lake house for the summer to spend her days by the water clearing her writer's block so that she can write her next bestseller and meanwhile comes face to face with some family secrets that upended her life. Coincidentally, she comes across Augustus Everett, a famous literary fiction writer as her neighbour who also happened to be her college nemesis. Lo and behold, Gus is also going through a tough writing process. So, together they strike a deal to get out of this rut by switching out their preferred writing genre with each other and help one another to understand the process of writing their newly assigned genre fiction. The only condition is that : they must not fall in love with each other. Righttt.
This was my first time reading an Emily Henry book therefore I wasn't sure what to expect. What drew me in was the promise of good old trope enemies-to-lovers romance. But, it was more than that. There was ample of witty, flirty and humourous banter between Gus and January that sure had me laughing but in between there were also family dramas, insecurities, betrayal, heartbreak, lust, angst, unconditional parental love, battle with terminal illness, abusive relationship, perseverance, friendship that withstand every ups and downs of life, grief of losing a loved one, joy, new found hope, second chance at love, trust, happiness and life - an amalgamation of contrasting experiences of human life skillfully captured by the author between the pages. I could relate with January on a personal level regarding her never ending grief of paternal loss. That's why when she started reading those letters from her father my heart felt like it was breaking into tiny little pieces. It was somewhat a cathartic experience nevertheless.
While January might be sometimes a little awkward, blunt who wears her heart on her sleeves, oftentimes her spurts of contemplation and maturity took me by surprise. Whereas Gus was the broody, mysterious one who prefers to keep his emotions in check and his considerateness proved that he's more than meets the eye. Although their perception of life, values, beliefs might not be the same but somehow they click together perfectly. Both of their journeys of self-discovery intertwined with the process from their disliking for one another to companionship and ultimately towards intimacy was beautifully woven. Even though the entire book is written from January's POV the few inclusion of Gus's POV made it worthwhile. The crackling tension between these two was so palpable that I was about to lose my goddamn mind. Every word coming out of Gus' mouth had me sighing, giggling, blushing and swooning! He's the true gem.
The title mi ht seem to be a deceiving one because it's not your typical fun, light beach read rather it consists of more substance and emotional depth than it suggests. It's another evidence of the author's incisive humour which was present throughout the book and her attempt to make a clever jab at the common perception of women's literary fiction. Even though the ending was wholesome, I was hoping to get more of January and Gus as a couple living together but I guess the author was mindful to pay attention to their need for happy-for-now. Regardless, the rollercoaster ride of emotions, infused with a healthy dose of sarcasm and love written with perfect pace made the journey of Gus and January and unforgettable read and they will always have a piece of my heart.
January Andrews, a popular romance writer moves into a lake house for the summer to spend her days by the water clearing her writer's block so that she can write her next bestseller and meanwhile comes face to face with some family secrets that upended her life. Coincidentally, she comes across Augustus Everett, a famous literary fiction writer as her neighbour who also happened to be her college nemesis. Lo and behold, Gus is also going through a tough writing process. So, together they strike a deal to get out of this rut by switching out their preferred writing genre with each other and help one another to understand the process of writing their newly assigned genre fiction. The only condition is that : they must not fall in love with each other. Righttt.
This was my first time reading an Emily Henry book therefore I wasn't sure what to expect. What drew me in was the promise of good old trope enemies-to-lovers romance. But, it was more than that. There was ample of witty, flirty and humourous banter between Gus and January that sure had me laughing but in between there were also family dramas, insecurities, betrayal, heartbreak, lust, angst, unconditional parental love, battle with terminal illness, abusive relationship, perseverance, friendship that withstand every ups and downs of life, grief of losing a loved one, joy, new found hope, second chance at love, trust, happiness and life - an amalgamation of contrasting experiences of human life skillfully captured by the author between the pages. I could relate with January on a personal level regarding her never ending grief of paternal loss. That's why when she started reading those letters from her father my heart felt like it was breaking into tiny little pieces. It was somewhat a cathartic experience nevertheless.
While January might be sometimes a little awkward, blunt who wears her heart on her sleeves, oftentimes her spurts of contemplation and maturity took me by surprise. Whereas Gus was the broody, mysterious one who prefers to keep his emotions in check and his considerateness proved that he's more than meets the eye. Although their perception of life, values, beliefs might not be the same but somehow they click together perfectly. Both of their journeys of self-discovery intertwined with the process from their disliking for one another to companionship and ultimately towards intimacy was beautifully woven. Even though the entire book is written from January's POV the few inclusion of Gus's POV made it worthwhile. The crackling tension between these two was so palpable that I was about to lose my goddamn mind. Every word coming out of Gus' mouth had me sighing, giggling, blushing and swooning! He's the true gem.
The title mi ht seem to be a deceiving one because it's not your typical fun, light beach read rather it consists of more substance and emotional depth than it suggests. It's another evidence of the author's incisive humour which was present throughout the book and her attempt to make a clever jab at the common perception of women's literary fiction. Even though the ending was wholesome, I was hoping to get more of January and Gus as a couple living together but I guess the author was mindful to pay attention to their need for happy-for-now. Regardless, the rollercoaster ride of emotions, infused with a healthy dose of sarcasm and love written with perfect pace made the journey of Gus and January and unforgettable read and they will always have a piece of my heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse