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livbreading's review
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Pregnancy
abbyblaine13's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Slow at the beginning, end pulled through, epilogue was kind of disappointing. Romance was kind of boring honestly. I kept reading more for the sister relationship versus the romantic relationship. Really relatable and made me think about my own relationship with my siblings.
Content Warnings
Minor: Pregnancy
juliareste's review against another edition
funny
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 have only read two other Emily Henry books so I only have those to compare with this one in terms of her writing. I liked this far better than Beach Read and a bit worse than People We Meet On Vacation. There were loadsssss of unrealistic things that happened that really snapped me out of the book, and I definitely think it struggled with pacing for a portion of it (definitely the end of the first act moving into the second). I appreciated the sister relationship and the romance was really sweet. The ending was super rushed, but then again aren't they all for romance books? Ironically, I feel like this could've gone through a couple more rounds of editing to become a five-star read.
4/5 stars
4/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body shaming and Medical content
Minor: Miscarriage
tania_mybookishsecret's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing and Pregnancy
fairytalefootnotes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator(s): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes, etc: Rivals to Lovers, Small Town
POV: Single, 1st Person
3rd Act Breakup?: Yes
Song Association: State of Grace by Taylor Swift
Notable Quote: “Until you got here,” he rasps, “all this place had ever been was a reminder of the ways I was a disappointment, and now you’re here, and—I don’t know. I feel like I’m okay. So if you’re the ‘wrong kind of woman,’ then I’m the wrong kind of man.”
Brief Summary: In an effort to reconnect with her younger sister, literary agent Nora Stephens spends a month in Sunshine Falls, the small town setting of her client’s newest book. Little did she know, Sunshine Falls is the hometown of her rival, Charlie Lastra.
The Praise: I absolutely loved this book. I was giggling, blushing, kicking my feet. I was outright cackling. I was crying my eyes out. Charlie and Nora were hilarious and so sweet together. As the oldest sister, I really related to Nora’s struggles, and I was so touched by her relationship with Libby.
I listened to the audiobook as well as reading the print copy, and Julia Whelan was phenomenal. She did a fantastic job conveying the characters’ emotions. It’s always a joy to see her name on an audiobook!
The Critique: My only critique is for myself, and it’s that I took so long to finally read this.
Final Thoughts: Hilarious, heartwarming, and just a joy to read in general. Truly a favorite of 2024 and a favorite of all time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
animamellita's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Alcohol
Minor: Misogyny, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
ndheredia2's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Toxic relationship
sazzzberry's review against another edition
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Gaslighting
fanboyriot's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Read For:
✓ Book Editor
✓ Good Humor
✓ Amazing Banter
✓ Entertaining Read
✓ The Woman Stays in the City
˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗
Want a book with bookish tropes but with a twist? If this ever got a Hallmark movie adaptation I would for sure watch it… they might just have cut the spicy parts 😂
The banter was like most of this author’s other works, and absolute hit. It was a fun read with detailed and lovable characters. I loved how this ended and really enjoyed finally reading a romance where the woman didn’t give up the career she clearly loved just to move to a small town after two seconds of an insta-love romance.
Truly loved the vibe of this book so much. All the shark comments and the mentions of Bigfoot erotica had me laughing so hard.
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Angst Level: 💧
POV: First Person
Release Date: 03, May 2022
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
hr1245's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy