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abitofapoet's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this book made me cry on an airplane.
it was funny, heartbreaking, romantic, and adventurous. quite literally a PERFECT book. I’m so sad to be finished reading it, i wish i could stay with these characters forever. (i’ll DEFINITELY be buying book two after this!)
i don’t know what to say in this review because i don’t want to spoil a single line of the book. it’s THAT good. you just have to read it. i will say though that i love Calla’s heart and her strength, and the relationships she builds with everyone in Alaska. I also was giggling OUT LOUD at the banter between Jonah and Calla, which I almost never do when I’m reading.
Absolutely give this book a shot, you won’t regret it.
it was funny, heartbreaking, romantic, and adventurous. quite literally a PERFECT book. I’m so sad to be finished reading it, i wish i could stay with these characters forever. (i’ll DEFINITELY be buying book two after this!)
i don’t know what to say in this review because i don’t want to spoil a single line of the book. it’s THAT good. you just have to read it. i will say though that i love Calla’s heart and her strength, and the relationships she builds with everyone in Alaska. I also was giggling OUT LOUD at the banter between Jonah and Calla, which I almost never do when I’m reading.
Absolutely give this book a shot, you won’t regret it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Terminal illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity and Vomit
kenziewol's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Terminal illness
Minor: Infidelity
read_with_dan's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I didn’t love it, but it had a lot of potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Blood, Terminal illness, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Death of parent, Grief, and Pregnancy
reading_between_the_trees's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I hated the first 100 pages of this book. Both of the main characters were incredibly annoying, as was their interaction with each other. There was a lot of self-righteousness as well as gatekeeping of the outdoors. The book is set in Alaska, and there is a running idea that if you're able to deal with all of your basic comforts that you've grown up with (and might need for health reasons!?!) being taken away, then you're a worthwhile person. When the main character doesn't immediately meet this criteria, she is called "barbie" and harassed about her clothing and cosmetic choices. This leads into the idea that makeup is always cheap, inauthentic, and everybody is more beautiful and less shallow without it, which is a really harmful idea. Many people feel more comfortable and authentic with makeup, and you don't need to fit a specific personality type to be respected and be able to experience the outdoors and live a "rugged" lifestyle. To push this idea is exclusionary and unnecessary. My other main issue with this book was the constant forgiveness of the hurtful actions of male characters. It felt very "boys will be boys", and made it so that the female characters had to do the emotional work to process the consequences of those actions and the people who actually should have taken responsibility got to take their sweet time owning up to them, which they didn't always do.
Further into the book, the two main characters got more tolerable because they both got over themselves a little bit and the book became more about their present experiences than what they were trying to force one another to be. There were still elements of their interactions that felt manipulative and way too controlling to me, and there was a lack of basic respect and asking for consent which bothered me a lot, but I did like the (mostly) open communication they had, and the setting of the book was amazing. It added a lot to the story and makes me want to visit Alaska.
Finally, I liked the cyclical nature of the book, and how it addressed the ideas of loss, love, compromise, and being able to love multiple people at once. I also loved the ending. I won't give anything away, but I think it was the best possible way to resolve things and I was able to close the book respecting both of the characters a bit more.
I would recommend this book if you like relationships based on a lot of banter and teasing and if you like books set in the north and want to read scenes with a cozy, outdoors vibe.
Further into the book, the two main characters got more tolerable because they both got over themselves a little bit and the book became more about their present experiences than what they were trying to force one another to be. There were still elements of their interactions that felt manipulative and way too controlling to me, and there was a lack of basic respect and asking for consent which bothered me a lot, but I did like the (mostly) open communication they had, and the setting of the book was amazing. It added a lot to the story and makes me want to visit Alaska.
Finally, I liked the cyclical nature of the book, and how it addressed the ideas of loss, love, compromise, and being able to love multiple people at once. I also loved the ending. I won't give anything away, but I think it was the best possible way to resolve things and I was able to close the book respecting both of the characters a bit more.
I would recommend this book if you like relationships based on a lot of banter and teasing and if you like books set in the north and want to read scenes with a cozy, outdoors vibe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, and Terminal illness
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