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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
This book is so sad. I was sobbing a couple of pages in
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What on earth was this book trying to be? It felt like it wanted to cover everything at once and succeeded at absolutely nothing. Imagine one of those multi-function gadgets that tries to do it all but fails at every task—that’s this book.
The romance? Dull and unbelievable. It jumped from one stage to the next without any steady buildup. One page, he doesn’t see her romantically, and then—bam!—the next page, he apparently does. How? Why? No idea.
The plot, if you could call it that, was just the dying girl’s endless ramblings about her sister, her parents, her life. There was zero clear direction or goal, so I was left wondering what exactly I was supposed to be rooting for. Was I supposed to feel connected to the characters? Because that didn’t happen. The dad is a deadbeat, the mom is almost a ghost in the story, and the “what’s your purpose” love interest feels completely hollow. I couldn’t find a single believable connection or depth in any of them.
The portrayal of these “struggles” was painfully shallow. The parents are apparently aware that their daughter’s life is running out, yet they act like they’ve got all the time in the world. They come across as so emotionally detached that when they finally shed tears, it’s hard to care. It would be one thing if the daughter’s death was a shock—but these parents are actively ignoring her while she’s dying in slow motion.
Then there’s the main guy, whose sole purpose is to push the romance plot forward. Beyond that? A total blank slate. And as for the main girl, she’s every stereotype you’d expect.
I wish authors would move past these tired clichés and explore some actual diversity in how families and loved ones handle tragedy. There are parents who rally through, who find ways to bring joy and normalcy despite the horror, who grow closer or find their own ways to cope. But no, we’re back to the usual everyone’s-broken-for-maximum-tearjerker effect.
The romance? Dull and unbelievable. It jumped from one stage to the next without any steady buildup. One page, he doesn’t see her romantically, and then—bam!—the next page, he apparently does. How? Why? No idea.
The plot, if you could call it that, was just the dying girl’s endless ramblings about her sister, her parents, her life. There was zero clear direction or goal, so I was left wondering what exactly I was supposed to be rooting for. Was I supposed to feel connected to the characters? Because that didn’t happen. The dad is a deadbeat, the mom is almost a ghost in the story, and the “what’s your purpose” love interest feels completely hollow. I couldn’t find a single believable connection or depth in any of them.
The portrayal of these “struggles” was painfully shallow. The parents are apparently aware that their daughter’s life is running out, yet they act like they’ve got all the time in the world. They come across as so emotionally detached that when they finally shed tears, it’s hard to care. It would be one thing if the daughter’s death was a shock—but these parents are actively ignoring her while she’s dying in slow motion.
Then there’s the main guy, whose sole purpose is to push the romance plot forward. Beyond that? A total blank slate. And as for the main girl, she’s every stereotype you’d expect.
I wish authors would move past these tired clichés and explore some actual diversity in how families and loved ones handle tragedy. There are parents who rally through, who find ways to bring joy and normalcy despite the horror, who grow closer or find their own ways to cope. But no, we’re back to the usual everyone’s-broken-for-maximum-tearjerker effect.
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This book has left me torn.
I loved the book as a whole. Emery and Kaiden are beautiful both as individuals and a couple.
I loved their flirty banter and relationship. I laughed, I blushed, I cried.
It was so real and raw. The way it was written really impacted me.
However I feel like certain things could have been developed more. Certain plot points or characters. They sometimes felt a little one dimensional.
Also the ending. It all happened so quickly. Kaiden and Emery never had a real goodbye which devastated me. We saw and read their whole development and it ended with nothing...that hurt.
I do get why it was written that way. The whole book shows how people take time for granted. "Time is luxury we don't all have". Emery deteriorating and dying the way she did reinforced how quickly things can change, how little time people have to do things they want. Like say goodbye.
Despite this I still loved the book. In my mind Emery is watching over Kaiden and shines down on him when she can. And whenever Kaiden passes on they will reunite at peace(I'm a romantic at heart)
I could read this book over and over again which is why it has a high star rating however the ending will always disappoint me which is why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5.
☆☆☆☆
I loved the book as a whole. Emery and Kaiden are beautiful both as individuals and a couple.
I loved their flirty banter and relationship. I laughed, I blushed, I cried.
It was so real and raw. The way it was written really impacted me.
However I feel like certain things could have been developed more. Certain plot points or characters. They sometimes felt a little one dimensional.
Also the ending. It all happened so quickly. Kaiden and Emery never had a real goodbye which devastated me. We saw and read their whole development and it ended with nothing...that hurt.
I do get why it was written that way. The whole book shows how people take time for granted. "Time is luxury we don't all have". Emery deteriorating and dying the way she did reinforced how quickly things can change, how little time people have to do things they want. Like say goodbye.
Despite this I still loved the book. In my mind Emery is watching over Kaiden and shines down on him when she can. And whenever Kaiden passes on they will reunite at peace(I'm a romantic at heart)
I could read this book over and over again which is why it has a high star rating however the ending will always disappoint me which is why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5.
☆☆☆☆
Note: audiobook
B. Celeste wrote a beautiful, heartwrenching novel that depicts so many aspects of living with a chronic illness. My heart aches for all who have to go through this.
B. Celeste wrote a beautiful, heartwrenching novel that depicts so many aspects of living with a chronic illness. My heart aches for all who have to go through this.
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Idk man this started off okay but the RELATIONSHIP I was not vibing with 😭😭😭 they could’ve just been friendssss why did they have to start sleeping together and also Kaiden was such a bad person and got excused for so many terrible things he did even if he had a bit of a redemption arc (but not even)
I actually liked that the ending wasn’t happy though so that was a redeeming quality of the book for me
I actually liked that the ending wasn’t happy though so that was a redeeming quality of the book for me
emotional
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:
No