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gabrielastbr's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
anneroza's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Dementia, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
suerte_encantada's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent
sgrifgirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I almost put this book down 8 chapters in because it was marketed so badly and the plot twist completely took me by surprise, and not in a good way. I’m glad I kept reading, because it ended up being a good book with lots of insight into all kinds of relationships: romantic, familial, friendships, and even with oneself. However, there are definitely things I would say people should know going in.
In the back-of-the-book description, it mentions “in an instant, their lives are changed forever.” This is a sudden, tragic, and traumatic death of a loved one, and main character. A good portion of the book is spent describing, in vivid detail, the grief experienced by the narrator. The grief is very realistic and well written, and under different circumstances I probably would have appreciated the perspective. But I was expecting a fun, breezy romance, and this is quite serious content matter. As someone who recently experienced a similar unexpected loss, it was very hard for me to get through and I would have appreciated more of a warning. In my opinion, the book should have been marketed differently, or at the very least mentioned that grief is a main theme.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Dementia, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
Minor: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
abiigrl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
elyssam's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The tagline on this book is SO misleading. It is not a romance between two friends, it has a romantic subplot but it’s about grief and forgiveness and untangling a mess between a group of friends. It was good but not what I expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Child abuse, Dementia, and Death of parent
lenaricharz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Car accident
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
kaleys23's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child abuse
jg34's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
I most definitely judged this book by its cover. I had heard of Mhairi McFarlane and based on the context and later seeing she has written many books all with cartoon covers, I came to the conclusion that she must write mindless lighthearted romance books. That is what I was in the mood for when I picked this book out but I got way more than I bargained for!
Yes this book ultimately was a romance (very good one at that) but it was much deeper than that. It was a journey of grief and how to navigate life after tragedy and what happens when you learn secrets that change how you see those closest to you. It was poignant and honest. But also very funny!
The main character Eve is what you could call ‘quirky’ but there is a line between unbearably and embarrassingly quirky vs just a bit silly. Eve is the second. Each character in this book had layers and it was so interesting watching everyone interact and learn and grow.
And the romance! So good. I don’t want to give too much away but the way these two character banter and handle each others grief with such grace and brutal honesty was what made me fall in love with this. We love mature adults, no silly miscommunication or anything here. Also no spice! Which I usually prefer an under-seasoned romance myself but idk why I really expected there would be, I guess because I thought this would be more like a Tessa Bailey romance book. It was not do not let the cartoon cover fool you!
I also loved how well everything concluded. There is always room for some ambiguity but I felt every loose end that was important got tied off by the end which is so pleasing. Specifically I really really liked Eve getting to tell another character exactly how she felt after she had been mistreated for years. Maybe it went too well to a point where it was unrealistic but it felt very cathartic to me it’s really refreshing getting to see a character spell out exactly how she feels and for it to be a conversation not a fight. Like I said we are mature adults here!!
Maybe the 5 star rating which I rarely give out is in part due to my admittedly low expectations being blown out of the water, but I stand by it. This was a great book.
Yes this book ultimately was a romance (very good one at that) but it was much deeper than that. It was a journey of grief and how to navigate life after tragedy and what happens when you learn secrets that change how you see those closest to you. It was poignant and honest. But also very funny!
The main character Eve is what you could call ‘quirky’ but there is a line between unbearably and embarrassingly quirky vs just a bit silly. Eve is the second. Each character in this book had layers and it was so interesting watching everyone interact and learn and grow.
And the romance! So good. I don’t want to give too much away but the way these two character banter and handle each others grief with such grace and brutal honesty was what made me fall in love with this. We love mature adults, no silly miscommunication or anything here. Also no spice! Which I usually prefer an under-seasoned romance myself but idk why I really expected there would be, I guess because I thought this would be more like a Tessa Bailey romance book. It was not do not let the cartoon cover fool you!
I also loved how well everything concluded. There is always room for some ambiguity but I felt every loose end that was important got tied off by the end which is so pleasing. Specifically I really really liked Eve getting to tell another character exactly how she felt after she had been mistreated for years. Maybe it went too well to a point where it was unrealistic but it felt very cathartic to me it’s really refreshing getting to see a character spell out exactly how she feels and for it to be a conversation not a fight. Like I said we are mature adults here!!
Maybe the 5 star rating which I rarely give out is in part due to my admittedly low expectations being blown out of the water, but I stand by it. This was a great book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse and Car accident
Minor: Infidelity and Panic attacks/disorders
rachbreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
4.25
But no one wants to hear that your chance at happiness is time-sensitive. There’s very little interest in handling the truth that, sometimes, the diem is no longer the right one to be carped.
This book was a perfect blend of heartache and laugh-out-loud, I really really loved it. It was my first Mhairi McFarlane - I picked this one up because I've been impatiently waiting for a new Emily Henry or Abby Jimenez book and this was recommended as a comp. It's a great comp for both of those authors - really beautiful romance, but serious issues to work through as well. Eve is a great protagonist and I was really rooting for her and *some* of her friends...cough...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Minor: Child abuse