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chloemakesbooks's review
adventurous
hopeful
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
3.25
Enjoyable beach read. Lots of unfinished story threads, and a forced/overly convenient love story. Love that the descriptions of food were very real and period accurate. As with all historical fiction, you can't think too hard when all the famous people show up. Clearly very autobiographical. As usual, the wide eyed ingenue routine was fairly irritating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexism
librarybribery's review
The main reason I didn’t finish the book was the large role that the main character’s suffering from repeated childhood sexual assault played in her actions. It’s described in a decent amount of detail right at the beginning, and I was hoping to get past it but like others have said it is a driving part of her character. Which to me leads to a weird juxtaposition, between this horrific thing that happened and the lighter, touristy travel novel that the book is advertised and otherwise reads as. The touristy stuff seemed superficial, the coincidences that drove the plot became eye-rolly, and the mom didn’t need to be as cruel for the plot to still work. It just didn’t work for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Vomit, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
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