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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very raw, relatable look at relationships and the human experience. Love/hate relationship with all the characters honestly! This book was very interesting, it was simple in a sense, but oh so complex and reflective.
I really wanted to like this.
The strong female lead who is focusing on finding herself and not apologizing for putting herself first is a character I SHOULD love, but I could not love Vincent. She was so unlikeable.
The setting in Paris is beautiful and romantic, and I did love the family relationships between Vincent, her parents, and her siblings. The story itself is interesting, and I wanted to know what happened and how it ended.
But the ending was the worst. Absolutely no satisfaction, no closure, no epilogue. I hate feeling like I was left hanging by a book, and that’s exactly how I feel.
The strong female lead who is focusing on finding herself and not apologizing for putting herself first is a character I SHOULD love, but I could not love Vincent. She was so unlikeable.
The setting in Paris is beautiful and romantic, and I did love the family relationships between Vincent, her parents, and her siblings. The story itself is interesting, and I wanted to know what happened and how it ended.
But the ending was the worst. Absolutely no satisfaction, no closure, no epilogue. I hate feeling like I was left hanging by a book, and that’s exactly how I feel.
Beautifully written, but our protagonist, who claims to be upset over a lie (by omission) about something that happened before she even met her husband, spends the entire book lying by omission about the things she’s currently doing. I feel like she just used her husband’s issue as an excuse to go to Paris and create a new life for herself. She wasn’t likable at all and came across as a master manipulator.
This book was okay, but it took me WAY too long to read. It wasn't even about being interested in the story or that I didn't want to pick it up, it just made me fall asleep every single time! I was much more invested in the Vincent/Cillian/Loup love triangle than I was in any of the Tully drama, but without Tully, we wouldn't be in Paris I guess. I don't think this will be a book that sticks with me.
emotional
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had high hopes for this book because I saw some great reviews and I really enjoyed This Close to Okay, but it just didn’t do it for me. I was somewhat confused by different parts.. and that ending?!
I guess I was just expecting more of a straight forward story? I don’t have much more to say.. I hate saying “negative” things about a book, but I can see where others would enjoy!
I guess I was just expecting more of a straight forward story? I don’t have much more to say.. I hate saying “negative” things about a book, but I can see where others would enjoy!
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fives. Fives across the board.
When I started reading this...I was unsure. But I very quickly fell in love with this quirky, beautiful book - full of love, light, and personal exploration.
This book takes up shortly after Vincent, a 44-year-old woman, flees to Paris after her novelist husband, Cillian, makes a big life-changing reveal in a book he's just published. Vincent is searching for herself now that her kids are grown and she's not sure if she can trust her husband. Meanwhile, she meets Loup, a 24-year-old Parisian, full of passion and energy, and despite her best efforts, she isn't able to avoid him. Throughout the book, Vincent must decide who she wants to be with and who she wants to become.
Half-Blown Rose is just SUCH a work of art. Cross-Smith weaves in playlists, excerpts from Cillian's novel, journal entries, text messages, and so many little excerpts of life. In some ways it felt almost like a scrapbook entwined with the novel, bringing in these beautiful pieces of Vincent's life. The book is rich with references to music, food, art, travel, and more. Because of this, I think it would have been hard to jump right into the audiobook, but when I did, it was a feast for the ears.
On a deeper level, the book explores liminal spaces, or the spaces in between. To me, this is where the book came across as absolutely brilliant. The book highlights those in-between places and moments - trains and planes, life transitions, and so much more. Especially as my kids grow and I'm getting closer to 40, I found it so inspirational to see the ways in which life can continue to deliver, surprising you with new adventures and joys.
This book is slow and sensual and so beautifully descriptive. It places with sound and language, with repetition and absences, with feeling and all of your senses. In places, it's absolutely steamy and then it pulls back again to reveal the small joys of foods and places and sounds surrounding us.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: literary fiction with f/m romance
Location: Paris (mostly) with some London, Amsterdam, and other destinations
Reminds me of: You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
Pub Date: out now
Read this if you like:
⭕️ books filled with travel, food, music, art, etc.
⭕️ reading about the "in betweens" of life
⭕️ multidimensional women
⭕️ slow burns with lots of description
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and #netgalley for an e-copy and physical copies of this book!
When I started reading this...I was unsure. But I very quickly fell in love with this quirky, beautiful book - full of love, light, and personal exploration.
This book takes up shortly after Vincent, a 44-year-old woman, flees to Paris after her novelist husband, Cillian, makes a big life-changing reveal in a book he's just published. Vincent is searching for herself now that her kids are grown and she's not sure if she can trust her husband. Meanwhile, she meets Loup, a 24-year-old Parisian, full of passion and energy, and despite her best efforts, she isn't able to avoid him. Throughout the book, Vincent must decide who she wants to be with and who she wants to become.
Half-Blown Rose is just SUCH a work of art. Cross-Smith weaves in playlists, excerpts from Cillian's novel, journal entries, text messages, and so many little excerpts of life. In some ways it felt almost like a scrapbook entwined with the novel, bringing in these beautiful pieces of Vincent's life. The book is rich with references to music, food, art, travel, and more. Because of this, I think it would have been hard to jump right into the audiobook, but when I did, it was a feast for the ears.
On a deeper level, the book explores liminal spaces, or the spaces in between. To me, this is where the book came across as absolutely brilliant. The book highlights those in-between places and moments - trains and planes, life transitions, and so much more. Especially as my kids grow and I'm getting closer to 40, I found it so inspirational to see the ways in which life can continue to deliver, surprising you with new adventures and joys.
This book is slow and sensual and so beautifully descriptive. It places with sound and language, with repetition and absences, with feeling and all of your senses. In places, it's absolutely steamy and then it pulls back again to reveal the small joys of foods and places and sounds surrounding us.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: literary fiction with f/m romance
Location: Paris (mostly) with some London, Amsterdam, and other destinations
Reminds me of: You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
Pub Date: out now
Read this if you like:
⭕️ books filled with travel, food, music, art, etc.
⭕️ reading about the "in betweens" of life
⭕️ multidimensional women
⭕️ slow burns with lots of description
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and #netgalley for an e-copy and physical copies of this book!