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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Second read: 5⭐️(June 2024)
First read: (4.5 stars rounded down to 4)(Oct. 2022)
I have had this on my list for months, and I am so glad I finally picked it up! It was well worth the wait. Sam and Percy were absolutely adorable together, and I loved watching them grow up together, drift apart, and eventually find their ways back to one another. Their relationship was so innocent and beautifully crafted, and the writing instantly sucks you in.
Essentially, this felt like a much better told Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy all rolled up into one book (with a much less annoying main character). Percy (why on God's green Earth would you name her Persephone?!) was a relatable leading lady, and it was very easy to understand her and to feel every emotion she went through.
Sam is the high school sweetheart every girl dreams of, and I could not get enough of him! His moments in the flashback scenes were pure gold.
The romance in this book was top tier. I'm a sucker for friends to lovers, second chance romance, and slow burn, and this book delivered with all three! It does have one element that I’m never okay with, but ultimately the way it was handled was done well overall.
I thought the story did an amazing job diving into childhood/teenage innocence and romance, as well as the how important friendships and attachments are during those formative years. Everything went steadily step by step, nothing romantically was rushed, and the ending (even with the problematic element) made me extremely happy.
First read: (4.5 stars rounded down to 4)(Oct. 2022)
I have had this on my list for months, and I am so glad I finally picked it up! It was well worth the wait. Sam and Percy were absolutely adorable together, and I loved watching them grow up together, drift apart, and eventually find their ways back to one another. Their relationship was so innocent and beautifully crafted, and the writing instantly sucks you in.
Essentially, this felt like a much better told Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy all rolled up into one book (with a much less annoying main character). Percy (why on God's green Earth would you name her Persephone?!) was a relatable leading lady, and it was very easy to understand her and to feel every emotion she went through.
Sam is the high school sweetheart every girl dreams of, and I could not get enough of him! His moments in the flashback scenes were pure gold.
The romance in this book was top tier. I'm a sucker for friends to lovers, second chance romance, and slow burn, and this book delivered with all three! It does have one element that I’m never okay with, but ultimately the way it was handled was done well overall.
I thought the story did an amazing job diving into childhood/teenage innocence and romance, as well as the how important friendships and attachments are during those formative years. Everything went steadily step by step, nothing romantically was rushed, and the ending (even with the problematic element) made me extremely happy.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Dit boek is super vlot geschreven maar de verhaallijn vond ik minder. Ik vond het moeilijk om mij in te leven in de tienerjaar stukjes. Ik kon het einde zot snel voorspellen maar ze bleef de ontknoping maar uitstellen, waardoor ik begon te denken dat het echt iets zot ging zijn en ik was dan uiteindelijk een beetje teleurgesteld. Daardoor wou ik het wel uitlezen en dat was dan ook haar bedoeling maar toch, misschien kon ze het vervolg op het plot wat uitgebreider gemaakt hebben ipv de weg naar de ontknoping zo lang. Maar tis dus wel echt vlot geschreven en zou graag nog eens iets van haar lezen.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
challenging
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh boy do I have mixed feelings about this book. If you haven't read any Carley Fortune before, I don't think this is the place to start. I loved This Summer Will Be Different so much, but this one was very mixed for me.
This is a dual timeline story, and I really enjoyed the earlier timeline of the MCs friendship and love when they were kids. It was really sweet, and I loved the summer nostalgia.
The twist is a bit of a rough one though.I understand that they were young and Percy was hurt, but sleeping with his brother? If I were Sam I don't think I could have forgiven that kind of betrayal from two of my closest people. I also think a similar effect could have been had with Percy and Charlie not going as far, and the forgiveness would have felt more believable. I understand that Sam also made mistakes, but geez. Surprisingly I didn't find the twist as unredeeming as I would expect, but I think with something that monumental, there needed to be more book to resolve the issue after. It felt like it was wrapped up so quickly after the twist and it left things feeling unresolved as a reader. It didn't feel believable that it just resolved, especially with Sam having the hurt resurface so viscerally even after so many years.
This is a dual timeline story, and I really enjoyed the earlier timeline of the MCs friendship and love when they were kids. It was really sweet, and I loved the summer nostalgia.
The twist is a bit of a rough one though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Vomit
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes