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spencerc22's review against another edition
4.0
This book is the perfect example of why I can never get myself to DNF books.
The first 3ish chapters were SO wordy and descriptive. Like OVER. THE. TOP. At least for me. I almost put it down, but like always, decided to keep on going. I’m glad I did, because I ended up really enjoying it. It was one of those books that I found myself wanting to pick back up so I could know what happened next.
The book has two timelines, 25ish years apart from each other. I actually found myself liking the main characters more as teens than adults for the first half of the book, which surprised me since I’m not a big fan of YA books/books centered around teen characters.
I will say the description/book jacket does give one thing away, so I would go into the book not reading it. There are other things you will think it gives away, but SURPRISE, twists are on the way!
In the end, a pretty quick easy read.
mgleeson's review against another edition
4.0
Marisa de Los Santos has done it again! If you like low key love stories with a bit of family drama, betrayal, friend issues, and secrets, then you will love this book.
Ginny (Zinny) is a middle aged married mom of a sixteen year old girl, Avery. Ginny is reserved, quiet, and calm, but she didn't use to be. Things changed after a fire was set at her high school and the culprit was never caught, but Ginny knew their identity and planned to keep it a secret forever. But secrets create rifts in relationships, future and past, and when Avery finds her mom's high school journal and realizes she has a secret, she decides to get to the bottom of it.
Enough mystery to keep you reading but not too keep you up at night. A feel good story to warm your heart.
#idgiveanything #netgalley
Ginny (Zinny) is a middle aged married mom of a sixteen year old girl, Avery. Ginny is reserved, quiet, and calm, but she didn't use to be. Things changed after a fire was set at her high school and the culprit was never caught, but Ginny knew their identity and planned to keep it a secret forever. But secrets create rifts in relationships, future and past, and when Avery finds her mom's high school journal and realizes she has a secret, she decides to get to the bottom of it.
Enough mystery to keep you reading but not too keep you up at night. A feel good story to warm your heart.
#idgiveanything #netgalley
lisa_rwrmusings's review against another edition
4.0
It's been awhile since I've read a book by de los Santos. I loved the character development and the dialogue among the characters. This one deals with some heavier issues, but the way the book is written makes it a lighter read for the summer if that is what you are looking for. I was surprised to see that it is considered part of the Love Walked in series - you definitely do not need to read the other books in the series to follow along with this one!
goosegirl26's review against another edition
4.0
It was a compelling story. I enjoyed it, and it contained de los Santos' characteristic brilliance of putting together complex yet also compulsively readable sentences. However, it was a little harder for me to connect with the characters than it normally is, but I'm not sure why. I did really enjoy the story.
I won a free copy of this book in a giveaway, and this is an honest review.
I won a free copy of this book in a giveaway, and this is an honest review.
mmalone's review against another edition
4.0
This book captured me and slowly pulled me along without realizing it like the ocean does when you stand in the shallows. I was swept away by the language and the story and wanted to savor it forever while rushing toward the end. Marisa does it again!
malkarivka's review against another edition
4.0
I think the back cover synopsis sort of ruined the book for me, because the book structurally is very different than what it says it is, so telling a synopsis in chronological order of a character's point of view when it's revealed slowly over time in the book not chronologically is...an odd choice. The fire doesn't become an important part of the book until halfway through and there's supposed to be some mystery to whether or not the journal writer is Ginny. The first half really dragged on for me, and made me feel like maybe I was missing some context (I know this is a series but also standalone? I don't know how much of this confusion stems from that...) The resolution to the book is by far the best part, and brings up some very interesting emotions and moral conundrums to turn over in your mind. I really disliked how the scandal seems to not affect Ginny in the first half, and maybe because she has little emotional investment in processing what happened for herself beyond "how's this going to affect my daughter", it really feels low stakes. Which is confusing because oh boy is the scandal pretty high stakes and I think would cause at least some inner turmoil to find out your husband did that. Instead she just sorta shrugs, kicks hubby to garage and never really processes it, which to me feels like a wasted opportunity. And because her reaction is kinda a lack of one, it's hard for the reader to be emotionally invested too. The second half was great.
stacieh's review against another edition
4.0
Okay. Wow. I read this in a day. I have conflicted, complex emotions about this book. Typically this would be dark and sad enough that if it was anyone other than Marisa de los Santos I may not have finished it. I’m usually satisfied with her happy endings so that’s what kept me going. I’m not sure I was totally happy with this one.
It’s heartbreaking in so many ways! It also did a great job of sussing out relationships with people who either intentionally or unintentionally hurt us. That scene with Gray and Avery was deep.
I would agree the Daniel thing felt like a bit of a stretch. I need to know Adela’s story but also I don’t. I see where it ends. I feel like it would be a bit like Marissa Meyer’s Heartless (back story to the Queen of Hearts—-she still ends up mad and evil).
And did we REALLY need to know who set the fire. I am heartbroken over this. It was the fly in the honey for me at the end. Maybe I read it all too fast but I feel a bit sucker punched.
It’s heartbreaking in so many ways! It also did a great job of sussing out relationships with people who either intentionally or unintentionally hurt us. That scene with Gray and Avery was deep.
I would agree the Daniel thing felt like a bit of a stretch. I need to know Adela’s story but also I don’t. I see where it ends. I feel like it would be a bit like Marissa Meyer’s Heartless (back story to the Queen of Hearts—-she still ends up mad and evil).
And did we REALLY need to know who set the fire. I am heartbroken over this. It was the fly in the honey for me at the end. Maybe I read it all too fast but I feel a bit sucker punched.
megkc's review against another edition
4.0
Part of the fun of Marisa de los Santos's novels is how she spends time describing the setting of her books, so if you're familiar with the area you feel like you're right there. We get to know her characters' quirks in similar detail and both are true for this novel.. Readers who enjoy YA and contemporary fiction will like this story. Seeing things from Avery's perspective and Ginny's perspective gives the story depth. There were elements that reminded me of Katherine Center and Amy Mason Doan novels I have read, so fans of those authors will enjoy this book.
justacatandabook's review against another edition
4.0
At eighteen, Ginny "Zinny" Beale is a lighthearted, fun, brave girl with a close group of friends and brother with whom she can unite against their uptight mother. But one night changes all of that. Someone sets the town's high school on fire and in the aftermath, the father of Ginny's best friend, Gray, is dead. The townspeople look for someone to blame--leaving most of it on a troubled teen--but Ginny learns some news that changes her entire world. She tells no one, but the secret alters her life and leaves her an outcast among her friends and family. Over the next twenty years, Ginny transitions, settling down, returning to her hometown and marrying Harris, a professor. They have a daughter, Avery, and Ginny cares for her mother, who is dying. But when scandal rocks the town again--this time focused on Harris--Ginny has to make some choices. It's time to confront the past and the secret she's kept buried all this time.
"In one night, one night, I lost all of them."
I adore Marisa de los Santos and her writing, though this wasn't my favorite of her books. Still, she's just so good at capturing the little moments in life: nailing down the feelings and emotions of her characters. Ginny, Avery, and others spring to life in this one. The story swings between past and present, with older excerpts often told from Ginny's diary entries. It takes a while to learn Ginny's big secret, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine: I'm not always a fan of dragging out a secret.
This is a poignant and sad read, delving into marriage, love, and parenthood. My favorite character was fifteen-year-old Avery, who is hit hard by the incident involving her father, Harris. In many ways, I was far more invested in Avery's growth than Ginny's--I liked Ginny, but I couldn't quite find myself fully wanting to root for her. Although the juxtaposition between young Zinny and present-day Ginny was quite well-done.
Did you stop being your old selves? Did they fall away? Were you always only the self you were in the present?
The book explores how one secret can so change a person and the ripple effect it has on many lives. Ms. de los Santos examines her characters very closely via her writing, and I will always love picking up her books and getting an intimate look at her cast of players. In the end, this is a touching and well-written novel, even if I couldn't always find myself fully engaged in Ginny's world. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 here.
I received a copy of this novel from William Morrow in return for an unbiased review.
You can support indie bookstores and buy a copy of this novel here.
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"In one night, one night, I lost all of them."
I adore Marisa de los Santos and her writing, though this wasn't my favorite of her books. Still, she's just so good at capturing the little moments in life: nailing down the feelings and emotions of her characters. Ginny, Avery, and others spring to life in this one. The story swings between past and present, with older excerpts often told from Ginny's diary entries. It takes a while to learn Ginny's big secret, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine: I'm not always a fan of dragging out a secret.
This is a poignant and sad read, delving into marriage, love, and parenthood. My favorite character was fifteen-year-old Avery, who is hit hard by the incident involving her father, Harris. In many ways, I was far more invested in Avery's growth than Ginny's--I liked Ginny, but I couldn't quite find myself fully wanting to root for her. Although the juxtaposition between young Zinny and present-day Ginny was quite well-done.
Did you stop being your old selves? Did they fall away? Were you always only the self you were in the present?
The book explores how one secret can so change a person and the ripple effect it has on many lives. Ms. de los Santos examines her characters very closely via her writing, and I will always love picking up her books and getting an intimate look at her cast of players. In the end, this is a touching and well-written novel, even if I couldn't always find myself fully engaged in Ginny's world. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 here.
I received a copy of this novel from William Morrow in return for an unbiased review.
You can support indie bookstores and buy a copy of this novel here.
susanscribs's review against another edition
4.0
This felt more intense than Marisa de los Santos' previous books, as if someone took the beautiful, nuanced pace of her earlier work, turned the speed up just a bit (from 33 1/3 to 45 for those of you old folks) and threw in a few more plotlines, including a bit of suspense. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, but I wish there had been a little more room to breathe and appreciate her skill as a writer.
The first chapter is a great example of de los Santos' incisive writing. Our heroine Ginny runs into an acquaintance at a local market and slowly realizes that the news the acquaintance is telling her is going to change her life forever.
So yes, Ginny and her husband split up under devastating circumstances. Also, her mother, who has been a formidable but never warm or loving presence, dies. These events, plus the impending engagement party that will cause Ginny to come face to face with the high school friends she loved and then abandoned, cause her to think back on the wild, brave girl she once was. And with her teenage daughter asking questions both about her father's actions and her mother's history, Ginny wonders if it's not too late to become that person again.
Oh yeah and there's also a love story thrown in there.
I don't want to reveal too much about the plot but there is a lot going on for fewer than 300 pages. Some of the plotlines aren't fully developed, and there are a few too many coincidenceslike the fact that Ginny's brand new love interest turns out to have featured prominently in the pivotal event of her adolescence that caused her radical personality change . But fortunately this is a de los Santos book so it's heartfelt, beautifully written and ultimately uplifting without being treacly. I have yet to read a book by this author that I wouldn't recommend; I just wish her new releases were more frequent.
N.B. This book is supposedly #4 in a series but it is fine as a standalone. One of the secondary characters appeared in [b:Belong to Me|2113410|Belong to Me (Love Walked In, #2)|Marisa de los Santos|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441939798l/2113410._SY75_.jpg|2212314], but was not integral to the plot.
The first chapter is a great example of de los Santos' incisive writing. Our heroine Ginny runs into an acquaintance at a local market and slowly realizes that the news the acquaintance is telling her is going to change her life forever.
I watched until Dirk was out of sight, and only then did i look down and notice my hands. While the rest of me had been busy being cool and unruffled, my hands had been and were still undergoing what I can only describe as a miniature seismic event. I barely recognized them: racked with tremors, rigid as talons, gripping the tomatoes so hard that my nails dug in, and with wonder and horror, as I stared, I watched my right fingernail pop clean through the fragile flesh, a puncture wound that bled a rivulet of pinkish juice down my hand to stain my new, cream-colored cuff.I love the way that tells you so much about the character and creates such a visual image as well.
So yes, Ginny and her husband split up under devastating circumstances. Also, her mother, who has been a formidable but never warm or loving presence, dies. These events, plus the impending engagement party that will cause Ginny to come face to face with the high school friends she loved and then abandoned, cause her to think back on the wild, brave girl she once was. And with her teenage daughter asking questions both about her father's actions and her mother's history, Ginny wonders if it's not too late to become that person again.
Oh yeah and there's also a love story thrown in there.
I don't want to reveal too much about the plot but there is a lot going on for fewer than 300 pages. Some of the plotlines aren't fully developed, and there are a few too many coincidences
N.B. This book is supposedly #4 in a series but it is fine as a standalone. One of the secondary characters appeared in [b:Belong to Me|2113410|Belong to Me (Love Walked In, #2)|Marisa de los Santos|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441939798l/2113410._SY75_.jpg|2212314], but was not integral to the plot.