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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoy most books I've read from this author but sometimes, I think I just have a personality clash with the characters.
The only way I can describe the fmc is pathetic. Juliet continually throws herself at a man who has made it very clear he doesn't want a relationship. He ignores her at neighborhood get togethers. Yet no matter how hurt she is by his words/actions, she lets him waltz back in with very little effort on his part. She just came across as spineless.
Henley, unfortunately, just never sparked my interest. I was often bored reading this. The side characters were much more entertaining.
The book itself wasn't horrible. Just for me, these characters failed to grab my interest. The ending, well pre ending, almost brought tears to my eyes with the emotion. The actual ending had me seeing red on Juliet's behalf. Now if only those same feelings had been invoked earlier in the book, I may have enjoyed it.
The only way I can describe the fmc is pathetic. Juliet continually throws herself at a man who has made it very clear he doesn't want a relationship. He ignores her at neighborhood get togethers. Yet no matter how hurt she is by his words/actions, she lets him waltz back in with very little effort on his part. She just came across as spineless.
Henley, unfortunately, just never sparked my interest. I was often bored reading this. The side characters were much more entertaining.
The book itself wasn't horrible. Just for me, these characters failed to grab my interest. The ending, well pre ending, almost brought tears to my eyes with the emotion. The actual ending had me seeing red on Juliet's behalf. Now if only those same feelings had been invoked earlier in the book, I may have enjoyed it.
3.5 rounded down
The ending was quite abrupt with a resolution that felt too easy
The ending was quite abrupt with a resolution that felt too easy
Wow. I tried to think of tags for this book but failed. Henley is a very successful engineer but no mention was made of just how wealthy he was. Could be a billionaire, not sure. Juliet is a nurse and very good at her job, with an inheritance that enabled her to buy a run down house in a very wealthy neighborhood.
Juliet met Henley at an event in the first chapter, he asked her on a date, and it was the best first date of either of their lives. He then ghosted her, which crushed her, since she'd felt a real connection with him. Three years later, she buys a house with money left to her by her grandmother. Turns out it was next door to Henley. She initially pretends she doesn't remember him, but it isn't long before he's sneaking in through the back yard most nights.
Juliet soon realizes that Henley has some super heavy emotional baggage. He was there when his mother died when he was 15, and 18 years later, he's still caring for his aging father (who has dementia or alzheimer's and doesn't remember that his son isn't still 4 years old).
Henley has never had a relationship that wasn't just about sex. He has no idea how to deal with his feelings, and it doesn't take much for him to flip a switch mentally from caring & loving to domineering and controlling.
Juliet knows there's something between them. He blew their first chance, but she gave him a second, and a third. He eventually starts seeing a psychologist to figure out how not to lose the love of his life.
He's a total work in progress throughout the entire book. I struggled a little through the first third, then really enjoyed the rest. I know a relationship is never successful if one person is trying to change the other, but Juliet is really good about gently helping Henley learn how to accept being loved, and expressing his own loving feelings.
The ending felt rushed to me. I thought the scene with Jen at the end of ch 27/start of ch 29 was kind of sudden, and I think that it would have been nice in the epilogue to have Henley's family photo albums mentioned, since we KNOW that Juliet would have gotten them back like she said she would. I was hoping for some acknowledgement of that along with just a tiny bit of Henley telling her all about how happy his parents were, and some of the things he'd said to his dad in those last moments they had. I was also REALLY sad that Juliet wasn't able to get his dad to say "I love you too" on the phone that day in his room at the home.
Juliet met Henley at an event in the first chapter, he asked her on a date, and it was the best first date of either of their lives. He then ghosted her, which crushed her, since she'd felt a real connection with him. Three years later, she buys a house with money left to her by her grandmother. Turns out it was next door to Henley. She initially pretends she doesn't remember him, but it isn't long before he's sneaking in through the back yard most nights.
Juliet soon realizes that Henley has some super heavy emotional baggage. He was there when his mother died when he was 15, and 18 years later, he's still caring for his aging father (who has dementia or alzheimer's and doesn't remember that his son isn't still 4 years old).
Henley has never had a relationship that wasn't just about sex. He has no idea how to deal with his feelings, and it doesn't take much for him to flip a switch mentally from caring & loving to domineering and controlling.
Juliet knows there's something between them. He blew their first chance, but she gave him a second, and a third. He eventually starts seeing a psychologist to figure out how not to lose the love of his life.
He's a total work in progress throughout the entire book. I struggled a little through the first third, then really enjoyed the rest. I know a relationship is never successful if one person is trying to change the other, but Juliet is really good about gently helping Henley learn how to accept being loved, and expressing his own loving feelings.
Spoiler
The ending felt rushed to me. I thought the scene with Jen at the end of ch 27/start of ch 29 was kind of sudden, and I think that it would have been nice in the epilogue to have Henley's family photo albums mentioned, since we KNOW that Juliet would have gotten them back like she said she would. I was hoping for some acknowledgement of that along with just a tiny bit of Henley telling her all about how happy his parents were, and some of the things he'd said to his dad in those last moments they had. I was also REALLY sad that Juliet wasn't able to get his dad to say "I love you too" on the phone that day in his room at the home.
Henley is an toxic af
Not a fan of “gangbang” being used to describe polyamory
Not a fan of “gangbang” being used to describe polyamory
Book was fun and quirky, I enjoyed the characters.
I think it could have been shortened just a bit, there were a few places that were a bit repetitive. I would recommend reading over audio on this one.
CJ Bloom is wonderful and it's a blessing she narrates most of the book. Unfortunately the male narrator brought the production to a complete halt for me.
I think it could have been shortened just a bit, there were a few places that were a bit repetitive. I would recommend reading over audio on this one.
CJ Bloom is wonderful and it's a blessing she narrates most of the book. Unfortunately the male narrator brought the production to a complete halt for me.
emotional