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beatriks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
Nice road trip of three Generations m. Everybody deals with their own challenges, although I felt most sorry for Hope.
I liked the ending.
This wasn’t marketed as romance to me and definitely isn’t a romance novel.
I liked the ending.
This wasn’t marketed as romance to me and definitely isn’t a romance novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying and Infidelity
Minor: Pregnancy, Child death, Car accident, and Sexual content
taylornelson's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.0
bpoirier's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.0
karaklos's review against another edition
2.0
Based on the description of Graceland, I was expecting a funny road trip adventure that would be the perfect in-between read. Instead it was a silly yet depressing read with none of the sparkle or warmheartedness promised by the cover quote (note to self: always ignore author cover quotes).
I wasn’t expecting the very dark reason behind the road trip for the eldest character Olivia or the very flippant attitude about it. There was a particular line about a famous actor that was appalling in how disrespectful it was.
While there were certainly funny moments in the book, the three women characters were so poorly written and unlikable that I found myself cringing more than laughing.
-Grandma Olivia the former soap star - selfish & melodramatic made fun of everyone and everything
-Mom Hope - clueless people pleaser who isn’t as cool as her mom or daughter
-Daughter Dylan - lots of teenage angst, thinks she’s going to change the world through slashing tires and throwing cupcakes at cops.
There’s a fourth character George/Jordan, Hope’s cousin and best friend who is a cross-dresser. Jordan tags along for the ride and puts some equilibrium in the characters’ personalities. She’s the most likable character but she is not fully developed. I felt like the author was trying to check the LGBTQ+ box with this character and with Dylan being a trans activist and some of the educational messaging around these classifications…but she almost does a disservice by making Jordan such a minor character.
The plot is full of coincidences and near misses, silly situations, and inexplicable encounters.
Dylan’s quick transformation at the end made me particularly mad, suggesting once her dad was in the picture she was able to be a normal, well-adjusted girl without pink hair and more of a life plan.
I wasn’t expecting the very dark reason behind the road trip for the eldest character Olivia or the very flippant attitude about it. There was a particular line about a famous actor that was appalling in how disrespectful it was.
While there were certainly funny moments in the book, the three women characters were so poorly written and unlikable that I found myself cringing more than laughing.
-Grandma Olivia the former soap star - selfish & melodramatic made fun of everyone and everything
-Mom Hope - clueless people pleaser who isn’t as cool as her mom or daughter
-Daughter Dylan - lots of teenage angst, thinks she’s going to change the world through slashing tires and throwing cupcakes at cops.
There’s a fourth character George/Jordan, Hope’s cousin and best friend who is a cross-dresser. Jordan tags along for the ride and puts some equilibrium in the characters’ personalities. She’s the most likable character but she is not fully developed. I felt like the author was trying to check the LGBTQ+ box with this character and with Dylan being a trans activist and some of the educational messaging around these classifications…but she almost does a disservice by making Jordan such a minor character.
The plot is full of coincidences and near misses, silly situations, and inexplicable encounters.
Dylan’s quick transformation at the end made me particularly mad, suggesting once her dad was in the picture she was able to be a normal, well-adjusted girl without pink hair and more of a life plan.
bcupp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
harleyb_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
4.5
mefrost's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
curlygirl71's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
courtneyward's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bookishlove85's review against another edition
2.5
This book….was kind of a hot mess. Lol it’s shelved as Romance but def is more women’s fiction with a mention of romance. We follow three women’s POVs and their relationships past and present. The amount of miscommunication and crappy family members in this book is unreal. I actually felt bad for Hope having to deal with her mom and teenage daughter the way she did. It had its moments but overall it wasn’t what I was hoping for and kinda was just ready for it to be over.