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emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow wow wow this book is meaty and a delight and made me cry and smile and think and I wish I could read it for the first time again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse
Cults
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This spoke to me. I read a lot of fantasy and unrealistic fiction. This was refreshing. Grounded in real life emotions and experiences and humour. The final few chapters didn’t deliver as much as I’d hoped but I will be reading this again. Highlighting and annotating the humour and spice and most importantly the emotional and philosophical reflections.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Abandonment
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
I would say overall this book was good! I really enjoyed it, and definitely cried at some parts. I definitely didn't like the 'typical' parts where the girl assumes the feelings of the guy. I get why she did that, etc, but it's just hard to read. I feel like I've read it a million times. I would recommend this book to people that like 'grumpy-sunshine' tropes or 'rivals-to-lovers' (sort of, it's more like misunderstood rivals-to-lovers or one-sided). It had good writing, there are a few good quotes that I really loved that the writer includes during parts where the MC is being introspective. I would say that this story is more of a good one rather than an okay one, was a good read, but was predictable. And I kind of didn't like the ending either.
My rating system:
5 ⭐ = Great story, loved it, would definitely recommend to everyone
4 ⭐ = Good story, enjoyed it, worth the read, would recommend it to people that like this genre
3 ⭐ = Okay story, some predictable parts, it was fine
2 ⭐ = Lame story, boring, kept losing interest
1 ⭐ = Terrible story, couldn't finish
My rating system:
5 ⭐ = Great story, loved it, would definitely recommend to everyone
4 ⭐ = Good story, enjoyed it, worth the read, would recommend it to people that like this genre
3 ⭐ = Okay story, some predictable parts, it was fine
2 ⭐ = Lame story, boring, kept losing interest
1 ⭐ = Terrible story, couldn't finish
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity
Minor: Child abuse, Vomit
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I found January annoying for not being able to get over the fact that her father wasn’t who she thought he was. Of course parents have lives they don’t tell/share with their children, the same way children have parts they don’t share with their parents
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
I LOVED this book!! I was laughing out loud at points and literally screaming at the cute moments. ALMOST a 5 star, but the moments when they were off just bc January ASSUMED what he was feeling instead of just asking were annoying. and the fact they got engaged not even a year after his divorce lol. for all we know the divorce could have been finalized the month before. so I knocked off .25 stars for those two things. but otherwise, I loved it! I loved the deeper themes she explored within the infatuation she had for Gus as well as her own grief and trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
it’s always books with the silly little cartoon character covers that end up shattering your heart. what a feat of the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Religious bigotry
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes
Rating: 5/5 stars
January is reeling from the implosion of her personal life when she arrives in a lake house for the summer only to find her college rival Gus living next door. They agree to swap genres in an attempt to combat their mutual writer’s block, but they’re not prepared for the feelings developing between them.
I’m finally in my Emily Henry era and I could not be happier. This book was everything everyone promised it would be, and I’ll keep this review short and sweet because we all know the internet really doesn’t need my opinions added to the ten million reviews of this book already out there. That said, I LOVED this and I have to scream it from the rafters at least once, so consider this that scream. I cried SO HARD (from literally 3 pages in and then again all the way through the last 50 pages). The characters are SO good, and so many lines will live rent free in my mind forever (why say ILY when Gus Everett said WIWYSIFOTYE). I am so glad I finally read this and truly can’t wait to continue my EmHen journey!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: rivals to lovers; small town vibes; crying
CW: Loss of parent; grief; mentions of child abuse/domestic violence; infidelity
January is reeling from the implosion of her personal life when she arrives in a lake house for the summer only to find her college rival Gus living next door. They agree to swap genres in an attempt to combat their mutual writer’s block, but they’re not prepared for the feelings developing between them.
I’m finally in my Emily Henry era and I could not be happier. This book was everything everyone promised it would be, and I’ll keep this review short and sweet because we all know the internet really doesn’t need my opinions added to the ten million reviews of this book already out there. That said, I LOVED this and I have to scream it from the rafters at least once, so consider this that scream. I cried SO HARD (from literally 3 pages in and then again all the way through the last 50 pages). The characters are SO good, and so many lines will live rent free in my mind forever (why say ILY when Gus Everett said WIWYSIFOTYE). I am so glad I finally read this and truly can’t wait to continue my EmHen journey!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: rivals to lovers; small town vibes; crying
CW: Loss of parent; grief; mentions of child abuse/domestic violence; infidelity
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
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
Both a substabtial literary novel and a romance. Unexpectedly charming and funny, with some lovely descriptive lines. The characters are fully individually developed and have stories outside the romance plot. The banter feels genuine and personal (though book dialogue is never realistic) rather than generic and cheesy like so many others I've read. I so appreciate characters that actually speak to each other and express vulnerability, very refreshing. And a much more interesting deal than the contrived "pretend to be fiances" plot, and developed characters and story beyond the relationship between the main characters.
This book feels like a commentary on itself - the combination of literary and romance tropes - and I always love stories about the process of writing and how stories come out of so many pieces of us and what we're working through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Infidelity
Minor: Child abuse
emotional
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity, Murder