Scan barcode
lizzie_b99's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
4.5
I really enjoyed this! The writing is light and funny but occasionally deep as it dives into the charcters' deepest insecurities. The audio book is really well done - I found myself laughing at multiple points.
The novel is a mix of contemporary day in the life, enemies to lovers romance, and navigating complicated family issues. Waxman mixes all of these almost effortlessly.
I did find the ending a bit abrupt, but I think it also fits in with the day in the life novel style. We see Nina's life day to day, soit makes sense that the ending wouldn't be drawn out or look far into the future or that all the issues in the family would be magically resolved. I still would've liked an epilogue, though. And it would've been nice if the letter delivery portion of the novel took up more space. I'm curious what the other ones said and how everyone reacted. But hey, if the biggest critique I can make about a book is that it left me wanting to learn more about the characters and world, that's a good book and good writing.
The novel is a mix of contemporary day in the life, enemies to lovers romance, and navigating complicated family issues. Waxman mixes all of these almost effortlessly.
I did find the ending a bit abrupt, but I think it also fits in with the day in the life novel style. We see Nina's life day to day, so
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Stalking, and Pregnancy
kaylin5656'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
4.0
It was cute! Way too much talking about sex & virginity though, I mean really, who asked? But the main gal was funny & the family she gets saddled with is very entertaining but not horribly obnoxious in a cartoonish way. I liked all the side characters too, they may have been flat but they were fun to read about.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content and Death of parent
rosie_valadez's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content and Grief
e_l_thompson's review
I was into the book until chapter five. Chapter five is vulgar, disgusting, and unnecessary. I'm ashamed to have heard it, and would not want to have this book on my "Completed" list. Also, there's still 7.5 hours of the story left...not worth my time after what I heard in chapter five.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
booksanna's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.5
This is such a relaxing read. It was the perfect book for me to get back into reading, light-hearted, full of fun trivia questions, a feisty talking cat, and a very relatable main heroine.
I felt like the plot was secondary to the uniqueness of Nina Hill’s character. The focus of the story is pretty much her adulting and learning how to cope with sudden events in her life. I loved the way the planner at the start of each chapter would give us little details about her life. Especially because it showed the ups and downs of her mental health and how it impacted her mood. I thought it was such a nice touch to maintaining a strong bond between Nina and the readers. I also loved just the narrator because some of the times I burst out laughing was because of the funny inner dialogue and narration. Additionally, I loved all the funny references Nina was making, that was a really nice touch for those who consume lots of literature and media(Gum would be perfection). I did feel like the endign was a little dramatic, although it was a standard one for a rom-com.the fact that she begged Tom to get back with her and it was filmed in public at the trivia night, it was just really over the top.
I wouldn’t consider this a romance book much because the romance was a very small(yet very well-done) part of the plot. Tom is great no complaints, very human and flawed, and witty. I did kick my feet in the air and giggle, which is what I precisely wanted from this book, so no complaints in that department. But I liked how the two although had great communication still struggled to understand each other’s needs in the relationship. It was really realistic from that.
I liked the added family and all the different characters. I did feel like familial-genetic traits were overly emphasized in this book to the point it was unrealistic. Family members aren’t mini copies of each other Another thing that bothered me was how Nina called Archie and Becky her siblings while calling Millie her half-sibling. They are all half siblings because they have different moms, so why make note of that with Millie, but not Archie. I didn’t understand that I also felt like the instant family connection Nina had with other people wasn’t realistic. I was looking for a messy and awkward representation rather than her meeting people who were almost just like her.
Oh and the setting of LA was pretty nice, I’ve never been, but the way it was portrayed made me want to visit one day.
I felt like the plot was secondary to the uniqueness of Nina Hill’s character. The focus of the story is pretty much her adulting and learning how to cope with sudden events in her life. I loved the way the planner at the start of each chapter would give us little details about her life. Especially because it showed the ups and downs of her mental health and how it impacted her mood. I thought it was such a nice touch to maintaining a strong bond between Nina and the readers. I also loved just the narrator because some of the times I burst out laughing was because of the funny inner dialogue and narration. Additionally, I loved all the funny references Nina was making, that was a really nice touch for those who consume lots of literature and media(Gum would be perfection). I did feel like the endign was a little dramatic, although it was a standard one for a rom-com.
I wouldn’t consider this a romance book much because the romance was a very small(yet very well-done) part of the plot. Tom is great no complaints, very human and flawed, and witty. I did kick my feet in the air and giggle, which is what I precisely wanted from this book, so no complaints in that department. But I liked how the two although had great communication still struggled to understand each other’s needs in the relationship. It was really realistic from that.
I liked the added family and all the different characters. I did feel like familial-genetic traits were overly emphasized in this book to the point it was unrealistic. Family members aren’t mini copies of each other
Oh and the setting of LA was pretty nice, I’ve never been, but the way it was portrayed made me want to visit one day.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cursing, Hate crime, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Death of parent
rainbowrocky's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
If you are a cisgender straight white millennial woman, this book is for you. If you are not, then you might want to skip this one. It wasn't written for me, and normally I don't have a problem with that if a book is well written, but this one is not. The millennial speak was too strong. For a character who is supposedly neurodivergent, Nina speaks pretty much exclusively in sarcasm, along with everyone else around her. It made all the characters come across as inauthentic to me.
It really grated on my nerves how insensitive and flippant the author was with a lot of subjects, dropping quick references to prove her "wokeness" without understand what any of it means. I should have known when "Transgender Support Bridge Night" had me side eyeing on page 9 that things would get worse from there (first of all, make it Drag Bingo Night, that's an actual thing). A trans person is not ever mentioned in this book again, and all the Harry Potter references have not aged well. Nina does have a lesbian friend at her book club we only see one time, and she is unfortunately witness to some pretty graphic body shaming about male anatomy she shouldn't have had to be apart of. Again, she never shows up in the novel after that. Nina also inherits a gay nephew later on in the book who is a regular character and I did enjoy him, but her co-worker Polly makes some subtly homophobic comments about him becoming her Gay Best Friend TM. Big eye roll from me. Also I'm just realizing he mentioned having a fiancé when they first met, and then we never saw said partner. Hello? Why wasn't he at the will reading like the other spouses? Suspicious.
There is also a healthy dose of underlying but not explicit fat shaming and ableism in this book, for anyone weary of those themes. It's odd how the author discusses mental illness despite her main character having anxiety. Lots of words like "insane", "crazy", and "psycho" get thrown around, so if you're sensitive to that please pass on this book. I did not find my own experience with anxiety validated by this novel at all.
The romance itself was incredibly lukewarm for me. Tom never even got a physical description beyond that he's tall and has stong forearms and smells like sawdust lol. What color are his eyes? His hair? Is he white? I'm assuming everyone in this novel is, given the author is and didn't describe anyone in detail (except for Nina; for some reason we got a copius amount of descriptions on her slim figure and auburn hair, but how she's not "too pretty" like she's trying too hard--insert another eye roll).
The surprise family plot was interesting, and made me think about my own experiences with these kinds of things. Blended families are more common than you would think and it's fun so see that depicted on the page. The ending was, again, lukewarm. Nina's dad is a real piece of work and his letter, which I'm assuming was supposed to be heartfelt?, was again too flippant for me to take seriously.
Maybe I'm just not a fan of such a casual writing style. I probably would have DNFed it, and should have, if not for completing it for Book Roast's Orilium Magical Readathon 2024 for my Astronomy Class, prompt "recommendation based on your zodiac sign". As a Cancer, this book hurt my heart more than it healed it.
It really grated on my nerves how insensitive and flippant the author was with a lot of subjects, dropping quick references to prove her "wokeness" without understand what any of it means. I should have known when "Transgender Support Bridge Night" had me side eyeing on page 9 that things would get worse from there (first of all, make it Drag Bingo Night, that's an actual thing). A trans person is not ever mentioned in this book again, and all the Harry Potter references have not aged well. Nina does have a lesbian friend at her book club we only see one time, and she is unfortunately witness to some pretty graphic body shaming about male anatomy she shouldn't have had to be apart of. Again, she never shows up in the novel after that. Nina also inherits a gay nephew later on in the book who is a regular character and I did enjoy him, but her co-worker Polly makes some subtly homophobic comments about him becoming her Gay Best Friend TM. Big eye roll from me. Also I'm just realizing he mentioned having a fiancé when they first met, and then we never saw said partner. Hello? Why wasn't he at the will reading like the other spouses? Suspicious.
There is also a healthy dose of underlying but not explicit fat shaming and ableism in this book, for anyone weary of those themes. It's odd how the author discusses mental illness despite her main character having anxiety. Lots of words like "insane", "crazy", and "psycho" get thrown around, so if you're sensitive to that please pass on this book. I did not find my own experience with anxiety validated by this novel at all.
The romance itself was incredibly lukewarm for me. Tom never even got a physical description beyond that he's tall and has stong forearms and smells like sawdust lol. What color are his eyes? His hair? Is he white? I'm assuming everyone in this novel is, given the author is and didn't describe anyone in detail (except for Nina; for some reason we got a copius amount of descriptions on her slim figure and auburn hair, but how she's not "too pretty" like she's trying too hard--insert another eye roll).
The surprise family plot was interesting, and made me think about my own experiences with these kinds of things. Blended families are more common than you would think and it's fun so see that depicted on the page. The ending was, again, lukewarm. Nina's dad is a real piece of work and his letter, which I'm assuming was supposed to be heartfelt?, was again too flippant for me to take seriously.
Maybe I'm just not a fan of such a casual writing style. I probably would have DNFed it, and should have, if not for completing it for Book Roast's Orilium Magical Readathon 2024 for my Astronomy Class, prompt "recommendation based on your zodiac sign". As a Cancer, this book hurt my heart more than it healed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, Abortion, and Cultural appropriation
sariereads's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
amris's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content
vj_thompson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
3.0
I really wanted to like this book like I loved the second one, but I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I still liked aspects of this read. Learning more about Nina and her father’s side of the family. That was probably my favorite part.
Abbi Waxman’s books are similar to Emily Henry’s in the sense of the romance takes the back burner but it is still very relevant to the story. That’s what I was missing with this book. The romance was very dragged out and I hated the third act break up. I think there should have been more explanation or background between Nina and Tom instead of a quick they get back together like nothing happened.
I would still recommend the series as a whole. The second book was my favorite, and I cannot wait to reread it. Hopefully Polly gets her own story!!!
Abbi Waxman’s books are similar to Emily Henry’s in the sense of the romance takes the back burner but it is still very relevant to the story. That’s what I was missing with this book. The romance was very dragged out and I hated the third act break up. I think there should have been more explanation or background between Nina and Tom instead of a quick they get back together like nothing happened.
I would still recommend the series as a whole. The second book was my favorite, and I cannot wait to reread it. Hopefully Polly gets her own story!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Grief
fictionaladventures's review against another edition
4.0
this was cute as HECK. very adorable
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content