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kelliereadsabit's review
funny
lighthearted
tense
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? No
3.5
I thought this book was very cute in an early 2010s kind of way. Some people have said they struggled to get into the book until about halfway through, but I felt the opposite. I was drawn in by the characters up until about 60% into the story. At that point I felt very bogged down by the slow moving plot and the fact that the two main characters hadn’t Even talked yet. I think the premise of the book was amazing, and I love Rowell’s writing style. I almost wish this book could be rewritten to feel more modern, and to embrace a more open and connected romantic style, popular in more recent romance books. I don’t know how to describe it exactly, but I felt that this book was missing depth. There are many times, when even though I felt connected to the characters, I felt the majority of the book was pretty hollow.
Overall, I would recommend this book if you want something easy to read with a semi slow burn, but I would say a majority of romance novels written within the past five years will surpass this book just because the genre itself has developed greatly since this was published. If you’re a fan of rainbow browse work, so you would probably enjoy this. If you like romance books with low to know spice, this is a great book for you. If you like books that feature a lot of emailing or texting between characters this will also be a great book for you.
Trigger warning:
Mentions of a suspected narcissistic relationship
Infidelity in a long-term relationship
Miscarriage or general trauma around pregnancy
Use of the R word as a self deprecating insult
Overall, I would recommend this book if you want something easy to read with a semi slow burn, but I would say a majority of romance novels written within the past five years will surpass this book just because the genre itself has developed greatly since this was published. If you’re a fan of rainbow browse work, so you would probably enjoy this. If you like romance books with low to know spice, this is a great book for you. If you like books that feature a lot of emailing or texting between characters this will also be a great book for you.
Trigger warning:
Mentions of a suspected narcissistic relationship
Infidelity in a long-term relationship
Miscarriage or general trauma around pregnancy
Use of the R word as a self deprecating insult
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Infidelity, and Ableism
Minor: Infertility and Toxic relationship
conina's review
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Infidelity
illgiveyouahint's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Vacation book #2
I'm trying to finish off books I've owned for more than a decade but never actually read.
Honestly i just didn't vibe with it. I found the main character creepy and I'm really over these love at first sight stories. Especially when it's not followed by "and now we have to actually work on our relationshil" but is rather the "love at first sight will make me ignore all the 🚩🚩🚩"
I get that this is rainbow's first book but jeez I'd rather not
I'm trying to finish off books I've owned for more than a decade but never actually read.
Honestly i just didn't vibe with it. I found the main character creepy and I'm really over these love at first sight stories. Especially when it's not followed by "and now we have to actually work on our relationshil" but is rather the "love at first sight will make me ignore all the 🚩🚩🚩"
I get that this is rainbow's first book but jeez I'd rather not
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Stalking
Moderate: Infidelity and Miscarriage
emscatchard's review
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
When I started this book, I was thinking "Oh god he reads her email without her knowing, that is so weird and creepy" and wondered how a romance could possibly turn out decently after that, but when Lincoln went "Oh god I read her email without her knowing, I am so weird and creepy" it made me think maybe it'd be okay after all. I liked Lincoln (you're very obviously supposed to, to the point where it's like jesus I get it already) but I also found myself able to relate to his feelings of awkwardness so it was comforting to read. I was really glad that they had a conversation at the end about what they'd both done, but it felt a little empty somehow so I took away points for that. It was a very nice book that I found myself reading quite quickly and enjoying the whole way through, but I don't think it's a book I'll remember much about in 6 months.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Stalking
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Infidelity
ishouldbereading's review
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
3.0
I really liked this book but the end didn't click for me. Also the way Lincoln's pov is written seems like he's a sociopath which was kind of creepy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Fatphobia, Cursing, and Infidelity
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Miscarriage
mykes's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Stalking
higgidigs's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Stalking, Infidelity, and Emotional abuse
deliriah's review
emotional
funny
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Minor: Infidelity
skeesling's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love all of Rainbow Rowell’s books, her writing is soft and easy and feels childlike, even when it’s not. But I hated the infidelity, the lying, and cheating. The end felt rushed and strange but the characters were complex and they felt real. I think this concept would’ve been better set in the 1800s or something.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
the_escapist's review
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.75
I appreciated the characters, along with their backstories. It sucked me in very quickly and was difficult to put down, while being easy to read and not dumbed down either. I appreciated the nuance that was there with pretty much all the characters (even those who could have easily been shallow antagonists but weren’t). There was a self-awareness to the story and the characters, which I wasn’t sure it would pull off with the premise but it did. I liked that it wasn’t actually filled with much romance (mostly pining). There were only two things I disliked/took issue with:
1. The last 10% of the story.The two love interests don’t even talk face to face until almost the very end. It felt unsatisfying that while he knew her very well due to reading her emails, you never get the journey of her getting to know him well in return, so I felt fairly indifferent about them operating as a couple, even though I still liked both their character arcs.
2. A subplot with a side character.She had no interest in being pregnant and having children (she explicitly found the idea repulsive) but her husband wanted them and she was scared he’d leave her because of it. I was expected something better than the old story of ‘and then she allowed herself to become impregnated because everyone told her she’d be glad she did it and it suddenly turned out she wanted a baby after all’. Also it really felt like that character would realise her husband only seemed to start appreciating her again because she gave in and agreed to have a child, but that... never happened. She loses the baby in a miscarriage after never having much of a connection with it, then decides she wants a baby after all. I’d love for characters not wanting children to not be told by other characters and/or the narrative that they’re wrong, actually, and they should jump in and become parents even if they don’t want to be parents. Sadly, this never seems to happen and I thought this book would do better since it seemed to have the perfect setup for it, but it ultimately didn’t. I know, I know, some people in real life do change their minds on children. I’m just sick of never getting to hear stories from people who don’t change their minds.
1. The last 10% of the story.
2. A subplot with a side character.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Stalking
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