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kdailyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, and Medical content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, and Abandonment
amaranthingly's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
PROS
✨ the January Andrews mentions are giving me life! my girl will be forever famous.
✨ the portrayal of Nora and Libby’s relationship as sisters is something that hits close to home. I loved that their conflict was not depicted as “pros and cons” to having a sister; it was shown that there are ups and downs they have to face together despite the strength of their bond and how they’re each other’s person.
✨ Sally and Clint’s short scene times (get it, screen time?) were still so wholesome. sure, I would’ve loved to see more of them together, but it didn’t feel like I didn’t know who they were and their relevance to Charlie’s life.
✨ I see no red flags in the hero, Charlie Lastra. his humor was the perfect blend of snark and wit. he was organized, orderly, and neat. he had sense of style and understood the love for impractical shoes. he had good communication skills and expressed what he wanted. he was understanding, loyal, and empathetic to a fault. as if if Emily Henry was god, she sent Charlie Lastra to apologize for the creation of other men.
✨ I found Nora Stephens relatable. always composes lists (especially color-coded ones), checks emails and answers calls after work hours, thorough with her makeup and skincare, also has fashion sense and in favor of wearing impractical shoes. but despite being perceived as this cold, relentless, workaholic, fastidious, emotionless bitch, she had a “sunny” side. she loves her nieces, goes great lengths to make her sister happy, is a softie, snorts at really good jokes (particularly Charlie’s), and is surprisingly capable of falling in love.
✨ Nora and Charlie’s banters either had me chuckling or uncontrollably smiling.
✨ the grumpy-grumpy here is SPECTACULAR. well, this is the first book i’ve read of that trope, but Book Lovers did it so well, especially with such an underused archetype.
✨ despite being grumpy-grumpy, Nora and Charlie weren’t remotely close to one-dimensional. there were so much more to their attributes and manners that went deeper than being thunderclouds. it is, after all, a reality that everyone is not just grumpy or not just sunshine, we are all a mix of both.
✨ the third act conflict was so nuanced and fleshed out. their situation was so realistic and it was actually high stakes.
✨ oh, to be in the shoes of someone who’s going to read this for the first time. I would love to be torn apart and put back together all over again.
✨ not to be that person but this book felt like a love letter to me
CONS
💫 did too much of an excellent job of raising my standards with men
CONCLUSION
💡 still at odds with deciding my top emily henry book, but this is 6 stars.
TRIGGER WARNINGS
⚠️ adoption, anxiety and panic attacks, bullying, child neglect, death of a parent (recounted), drug abuse (mentioned), divorce, estrangement, grief & loss depiction, overdose (mentioned), pregnancy, stroke (parent)
✨ the January Andrews mentions are giving me life! my girl will be forever famous.
✨ the portrayal of Nora and Libby’s relationship as sisters is something that hits close to home. I loved that their conflict was not depicted as “pros and cons” to having a sister; it was shown that there are ups and downs they have to face together despite the strength of their bond and how they’re each other’s person.
✨ Sally and Clint’s short scene times (get it, screen time?) were still so wholesome. sure, I would’ve loved to see more of them together, but it didn’t feel like I didn’t know who they were and their relevance to Charlie’s life.
✨ I see no red flags in the hero, Charlie Lastra. his humor was the perfect blend of snark and wit. he was organized, orderly, and neat. he had sense of style and understood the love for impractical shoes. he had good communication skills and expressed what he wanted. he was understanding, loyal, and empathetic to a fault. as if if Emily Henry was god, she sent Charlie Lastra to apologize for the creation of other men.
✨ I found Nora Stephens relatable. always composes lists (especially color-coded ones), checks emails and answers calls after work hours, thorough with her makeup and skincare, also has fashion sense and in favor of wearing impractical shoes. but despite being perceived as this cold, relentless, workaholic, fastidious, emotionless bitch, she had a “sunny” side. she loves her nieces, goes great lengths to make her sister happy, is a softie, snorts at really good jokes (particularly Charlie’s), and is surprisingly capable of falling in love.
✨ Nora and Charlie’s banters either had me chuckling or uncontrollably smiling.
✨ the grumpy-grumpy here is SPECTACULAR. well, this is the first book i’ve read of that trope, but Book Lovers did it so well, especially with such an underused archetype.
✨ despite being grumpy-grumpy, Nora and Charlie weren’t remotely close to one-dimensional. there were so much more to their attributes and manners that went deeper than being thunderclouds. it is, after all, a reality that everyone is not just grumpy or not just sunshine, we are all a mix of both.
✨ the third act conflict was so nuanced and fleshed out. their situation was so realistic and it was actually high stakes.
✨ oh, to be in the shoes of someone who’s going to read this for the first time. I would love to be torn apart and put back together all over again.
✨ not to be that person but this book felt like a love letter to me
CONS
💫 did too much of an excellent job of raising my standards with men
CONCLUSION
💡 still at odds with deciding my top emily henry book, but this is 6 stars.
TRIGGER WARNINGS
⚠️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Medical content, Pregnancy, Cursing, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Miscarriage, and Drug abuse
akswhy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
Expertly crafted characters with incredible banter. Some of the more romantic dialogue was little too mushy for me, and at times there was almost too much plot, but the vibes were stellar.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Medical trauma and Medical content
Minor: Child abuse
ewalkergrace's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Drug use, and Medical content
eicart_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy and Medical content
wilybooklover's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
2.5
The romance trope and archetype references were really cute, and I loved the romance between Nora and Charlie. I loved how Charlie accepted Nora exactly as she is without trying to change her (unlike her sister) and how similar they were to each other. Sadly the romance was more of a subplot and I hated everything else in the book.
I couldn’t stand Libby. Like, I cannot even accurately convey the depths of my rage whenever she was on-page; she was AWFUL. I hated the plot surrounding her sisterly relationship with Nora and that was the central plot — publishers, authors, PLEASE stop marketing books as romances when the main plot IS NOT THE ROMANCE!! It didn’t even feel like 50/50 women’s fiction/romance; it felt like a book about grief and familial relationships wrapped up in superficial romance packaging. Even when Nora is WITH Charlie on page she is mostly thinking or talking about her sister. I thought romcoms (which, again, this is marketed as!) were supposed to be fun and lighthearted yet this was so heavy, especially from the 50% mark which had a weird tonal shift into angsting about parental trauma. That’s not to say you can’t cover heavy topics in a romcom, but when all I’m thinking about as I’m reading is how much your characters desperately need therapy, the tone is all wrong for the genre. When I pick up a romcom I want something light and fluffy and most of all focused on the romance. This had even less romance in it than Beach Read (in which the central plot was focused on grief, not romance), so I'm not sure why so many reviewers are saying this is her most romance-y book yet. I felt like I barely even got to know Charlie!
Also rivals WHERE? They’re working together, not in competition with each other?? They're not even enemies. And the heroine is not the ice queen she was promised to be; she’s actually quite warm and caring. You can tell me she’s a coldhearted bitch and that everyone refers to her as a shark all you want, but you also have to show me that for me to believe it. I feel like nothing about how this book was marketed (AKA my expectations) is related to what was between the pages. And honestly, I'm just baffled at the choice to make such a big deal over Dusty writing a character based on Nora to then never address it or confront her over it in the book. What was the point of its inclusion?
If this had been a bit lighter and there had been more focus on the romance or maybe dual POV with more of Charlie’s life for balance (and a lot less of the sister) I think I would have really liked this but as it is... meh. This is my favourite of her three ‘romances’ but that really isn’t saying much. I just don’t think Emily Henry works for me, although I’ve said this before and every time I get lured in by the hype.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Medical content, Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Chronic illness
Minor: Body shaming, Miscarriage, and Drug use
meeklovestoread's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
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
3.5
I'm not gonna lie this wasn't my favorite Emily Henry book. I'm not sure if it was because I was extremely stressed, busy, and was feeling pretty slumpy, and read it in sporadic intervals when I read it or what, but it wasn't my favorite. I defintely enjoy her writing of course, but I think the storyline just wasn't for me or lack there of for that matter. I mostly prefer more plot oriented books and this book didn't really have one. It didn't have much direction, but it I understood what she was going for. The whole reverse hallmark movie small town romance thing. I liked her version of it and how the main character never hated on the city for the small town because I'm so tired of seeing that trope.
I liked the romance and the banter, but I honestly did get bored a couple times. And although I like the sisterhood dynamic I couldn't help but not like Libby that much. I felt like some of her actions were kind of manipulative toward Nora. And I couldn't help but scream at Nora because she always felt compelled to put her sister first above everything even herself which I know was apart of her character development and what not, but it still annoyed me. I also liked hearing about the editing process of how a book gets developed so I found that part pretty cool.
Overall, I found the book okay. I was originally gonna give a 3.5/5 but I like Emily so I bumped it up by 0.25, but it's not my favorite from her.
Update: I've had time to sit on it and I'm gonna give it the orginal rating that I wanted. I don't think I should alter my rating of a book just because of my feelings towards the author. So this book is a 3.5/5 for me.
I liked the romance and the banter, but I honestly did get bored a couple times. And although I like the sisterhood dynamic I couldn't help but not like Libby that much. I felt like some of her actions were kind of manipulative toward Nora. And I couldn't help but scream at Nora because she always felt compelled to put her sister first above everything even herself which I know was apart of her character development and what not, but it still annoyed me. I also liked hearing about the editing process of how a book gets developed so I found that part pretty cool.
Overall, I found the book okay. I was originally gonna give a 3.5/5 but I like Emily so I bumped it up by 0.25, but it's not my favorite from her.
Update: I've had time to sit on it and I'm gonna give it the orginal rating that I wanted. I don't think I should alter my rating of a book just because of my feelings towards the author. So this book is a 3.5/5 for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Gaslighting and Medical content
quelr11's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Lots of cute moments, and I liked the exploration about balancing family life vs career life. I also loved the relationship between the sisters within this book. Personally, I think the main character could have fought a little harder to make the relationship with Charlie work. It kind of felt like she gave up a bit in the end. I understand she loves the city and is passionate about her career, but I suppose at the end of the day, I feel family and love is most important, so I think my personal values conflicted a bit with parts of the story . However, I can appreciate the fact that this book seems to be exploring the importance of following your dreams and not always having women be the ones to compromise. It’s not easy to make these decisions when it comes to work vs love/family life. This book was more of a realist approach to love, which can be great! I think I’m just more of a hopeless romantic at heart. Still very fun and enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, and Death of parent
m4rtt4's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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? Yes
3.75
Finally a contemporary romance novel that actually had me rooting for the main couple, dying even... I feel like my identity as a romance-hater is being threatened, but perhaps not in a bad way? There definitely were so many cliché tropes in this book, some of which melted me *cough* the moonlight swimming scene *cough* and some others that were predictable and boring. Also both of the sisters were really insufferable at times, I didn't really like all their interactions very much, but I also have to praise the "mandatory" third act conflict for it not having been between Charlie and Nora — first of all I'm glad they didn't have serious drama and secondly, the conflict made me like the sisters more. It was also a necessary element for character growth and overall gave more depth to the story.
I'm still doubtful of whether a romance book worthy of MY five stars even exists, and while this one was not perfect either, it was still so very enjoyable that I binge-read like 75% of it in one sitting. No regrets <3
I'm still doubtful of whether a romance book worthy of MY five stars even exists, and while this one was not perfect either, it was still so very enjoyable that I binge-read like 75% of it in one sitting. No regrets <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Medical content and Vomit
eligru's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Alcohol, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Bullying