You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
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:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I can definitely understand frustrations with the main character & how she handles things but I loved this book so much. The vibes are immaculate. I loved being in Paris and exploring so many places with Vincent, the writing was so gorgeous and the whole book was hard to put down. Very different from This Close to Okay of hers I read before. Most importantly, Loup is one of my favorite characters ever, I loved him so much, and was so invested in their romance. The ending has me feeling some type of way but I'll keep that part to myself hmmm
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really did not enjoy this book. At one point I even put it down because the MC was so annoying to me.
Vincent finds out her husband Cillian fathered a child when he was a teenager in Dublin through a tell all book he writes. Vincent is hurt he didn’t tell her or warn her prior to release of the novel and jets off to Paris. Their marriage prior to this was a very happy and fulfilling marriage. Vincent then meets Loup, a man almost half her age and the same age as her son, and proceeds to have an affair with him. Cillian is doing everything he can to get back in Vincent’s good graces, but will it be enough??
Ok my thoughts here what Cillian did was wrong yes and I can see how Vincent would maybe want some space, HOWEVER she felt justified in what she did because of what he did and I just felt they were two completely different crimes. And let me tell you by the end of the book her crime is way worse because she is obviously still very much in love with her husband and leads on both men. Do I like a good romance especially when it takes place in Paris?? Yes. But the romance was ruined for me with Vincent’s indecision and how self centered she was.
Vincent finds out her husband Cillian fathered a child when he was a teenager in Dublin through a tell all book he writes. Vincent is hurt he didn’t tell her or warn her prior to release of the novel and jets off to Paris. Their marriage prior to this was a very happy and fulfilling marriage. Vincent then meets Loup, a man almost half her age and the same age as her son, and proceeds to have an affair with him. Cillian is doing everything he can to get back in Vincent’s good graces, but will it be enough??
Ok my thoughts here what Cillian did was wrong yes and I can see how Vincent would maybe want some space, HOWEVER she felt justified in what she did because of what he did and I just felt they were two completely different crimes. And let me tell you by the end of the book her crime is way worse because she is obviously still very much in love with her husband and leads on both men. Do I like a good romance especially when it takes place in Paris?? Yes. But the romance was ruined for me with Vincent’s indecision and how self centered she was.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm going to be really honest even though I don't like having to be... Half-Blown Rose really wasn't my cup of tea. I was so excited for Cross-Smith's latest- the cover is beautiful, the plot description sounded dreamy, and I adore Cross-Smith's writing style. However, I just felt like this wasn't her best- it was a little predictable, a little drawn out, and honestly a little scattered. I didn't love the flashbacks and the interwoven excerpts. I didn't love Vincent constantly second guessing herself. I disliked Cillian entirely. Unfortunately, this was a real dud for me.
Words cannot express how deeply I fell in love with this story, the characters, and the vibes were immaculate. This story gave me a certain feeling that no other book has done before. I cried when the book ended because I didn’t want to depart lol. THANK YOU Leesa Cross-Smith, you beautiful beautiful human.
Cross-Smith's prose is the only thing that made it possible for me to finish this book. I'm not a fan of age gap stories and for me a 44 year old woman talking herself into an affair with a 24 year old man-child was cringy. Loup is literally described as carrying a skateboard around Paris and to impress Vincent he walks on his hands. These, at least for me, were not the actions of a sexy young man that would tempt an older woman but are instead those of a rambunctious child seeking attention. Vincent came off as pretentious and shallow and her actions were mostly questionable. Even with the big secret that her husband kept from her, I couldn't understand her need to disconnect herself so completely from a man that she claimed to love so completely. Also, the way her husband handled his secret and how he revealed it to the world before his wife was pretty outrageous. I was so excited for this story and am really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped.
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
Yes
If you want to travel to Paris for the cost of a hardback, read this book. I felt like I'd taken a train ride through Europe by the time it was done. It has beautiful prose and moments of extreme hotness between multiple parties. Also, despite the high conflict premise and a ticking time clock, this is a relatively low conflict book. The journey is more reflective and immersive, rather than propelled by constant tension.