Scan barcode
ukponge's review
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, and Dementia
jillkaarlela's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Taylor Swift songs: “labyrinth”, “you’re on your own kid”
Age rating: 16+ (fade to black, no spice)
This is definitely giving “People we meet on vacation” vibes, except slow burn enemies to lovers! This definitely feels more like women’s fiction than romance, because it focuses mostly on Natalie’s character growth throughout her twenties. She is definitely more on the “messier” FMC side, which, to me, means she’s more realistic. I loved the Bi/pan rep with Natalie! I really liked their chemistry and tension, and the reasons that they didn’t get together made a lot of sense for who they are as people. I also loved the exploration of female friendships as you’re in your twenties and people move on and have kids/families of their own. That was heartbreaking! This is definitely a little more emotional as well. Please be advised of the CW (I will list them at the end)! Overall, I did really enjoy it and I would recommend it!
CW: dementia, cancer
Age rating: 16+ (fade to black, no spice)
This is definitely giving “People we meet on vacation” vibes, except slow burn enemies to lovers! This definitely feels more like women’s fiction than romance, because it focuses mostly on Natalie’s character growth throughout her twenties. She is definitely more on the “messier” FMC side, which, to me, means she’s more realistic. I loved the Bi/pan rep with Natalie! I really liked their chemistry and tension, and the reasons that they didn’t get together made a lot of sense for who they are as people. I also loved the exploration of female friendships as you’re in your twenties and people move on and have kids/families of their own. That was heartbreaking! This is definitely a little more emotional as well. Please be advised of the CW (I will list them at the end)! Overall, I did really enjoy it and I would recommend it!
CW: dementia, cancer
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Dementia
jennifer_bush_73's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
4.25
This story was much more than I’d expected. It was as much about the love shared between friends as it was about romantic love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Dementia
juanat77's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The cover and title kind of insinuate this is a romm -comm but it has more depth to it. This is a romance which makes you want to shake the characters at times especially the FMC and also a story about the deeper reflections on friendship. Laura Hankin seamlessly blends in romance, humor with life complexities. Great character development. Exceptional story telling. The author captured the characters’ growth exceptionally well. Four stars!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
hardbackhoarder's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
slow-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
I may add a higher rating after reflection considering how much I can't stop thinking about this book!
Do not be fooled by the cute, rom-com like cover, this book will pull at your heart strings in some serious ways. This has so little to do with romance and more to do with the complexities of friendships over time and coming-of-age into adulthood when you have no clue where you are headed.
The beginning felt like a normal romance novel, pulling me in with the comfort of the knowable happy ending and then the year gaps made me realize something was up. I'm a sucker for a right-people, wrong-timing trope and this delivered on that and so much more.
We focus a lot on insecurities throughout on with different characters, even those who aren't the main characters, and I found myself crying out of relating to them, out of hope, and out of fear and sadness at times.
This was such an unexpected experience and I am thrilled it turned out as such (even if I do feel a bit bamboozled thinking I was about to read a quick cute little romance).
Do not be fooled by the cute, rom-com like cover, this book will pull at your heart strings in some serious ways. This has so little to do with romance and more to do with the complexities of friendships over time and coming-of-age into adulthood when you have no clue where you are headed.
The beginning felt like a normal romance novel, pulling me in with the comfort of the knowable happy ending and then the year gaps made me realize something was up. I'm a sucker for a right-people, wrong-timing trope and this delivered on that and so much more.
We focus a lot on insecurities throughout on with different characters, even those who aren't the main characters, and I found myself crying out of relating to them, out of hope, and out of fear and sadness at times.
This was such an unexpected experience and I am thrilled it turned out as such (even if I do feel a bit bamboozled thinking I was about to read a quick cute little romance).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Dementia
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
thepassivebookworm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Dementia
amesgeliebter's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I was living for a romance with a published author main character. But honestly I struggled to ever really like Natalie. That said, her chemistry with Rob was palpable and I found myself enjoying their romance (and rooting for it too).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Infertility, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
livaausma's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Gaslighting
mrscorytee's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Dementia
katiewo's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
This book has some very heavy topics with some fairly flat characters to navigate through it poorly. The romance was definitely a B-plot and the couple didn't have much chemistry. But at least it was overly long.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Medical content, Dementia, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Pregnancy