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A review by cymshady
It Started with Paris by Cathy Kelly
4.0
Book 5/10 for the 2023 Goodreads Challenge.
My choice for the prompt "A book about divorce" for the 2023 Popsugar Reading Challenge.
TW: ED
Okay y'all, this was such a good book! It had me HOOKED with all of the varying storylines (there were at least 10 lol.. which did get a bit confusing at times but you learn who everyone is eventually).
The book begins with a couple getting engaged in Paris over the holidays.. and then everything that happen between then and the wedding. It involves the main characters who get engaged; their respective parents (and step-parent); the engaged female's best female friend and her respective mom, sister, and male partner(s); and the maker of the wedding cake and her family and new partner's family. However, all of the POVs compliment each other and it flows beautifully together.
The author including a young girl's desperate bid for attention by starving herself was not of bad-taste, which I appreciated. Anorexia is such a delicate topic and Kelly made really empathize with the young teenager and how that was the only way she felt to have control over her life. I appreciate that it was the best friend that noticed and initiated the intervention that both mother and daughter needed to have. She had such dedication and bravery to do that for her friend - mad respect.
Divorce played a big part in the novel via the relationship between the engaged male's parents - they had been divorced for over a decade and the dad had a new wife. The grace and respect the two divorced parties held for each other was admirable and it was lovely seeing their relationship re-grow throughout their son's short engagement period.
Loved Leila's (engaged female's bestie) storyline - helping her ailing mother, reconnecting with her estranged sister and nephew, leaving her toxic husband, and falling in love with someone unexpectedly close to her ;) Also about how poor Vonnie gets shit on by her beau's ex-wife. What a witch Jennifer was !!!!!
This was a 4.5 star book for me, rounded down. Total 5 star if not for SO MANY CHARACTERS. I definitely had to keep looking back to figure out who was who until maybe the last 2/3s of the book haha. Would recommend to all my romance lovers out there!
My choice for the prompt "A book about divorce" for the 2023 Popsugar Reading Challenge.
TW: ED
Okay y'all, this was such a good book! It had me HOOKED with all of the varying storylines (there were at least 10 lol.. which did get a bit confusing at times but you learn who everyone is eventually).
The book begins with a couple getting engaged in Paris over the holidays.. and then everything that happen between then and the wedding. It involves the main characters who get engaged; their respective parents (and step-parent); the engaged female's best female friend and her respective mom, sister, and male partner(s); and the maker of the wedding cake and her family and new partner's family. However, all of the POVs compliment each other and it flows beautifully together.
The author including a young girl's desperate bid for attention by starving herself was not of bad-taste, which I appreciated. Anorexia is such a delicate topic and Kelly made really empathize with the young teenager and how that was the only way she felt to have control over her life. I appreciate that it was the best friend that noticed and initiated the intervention that both mother and daughter needed to have. She had such dedication and bravery to do that for her friend - mad respect.
Divorce played a big part in the novel via the relationship between the engaged male's parents - they had been divorced for over a decade and the dad had a new wife. The grace and respect the two divorced parties held for each other was admirable and it was lovely seeing their relationship re-grow throughout their son's short engagement period.
Loved Leila's (engaged female's bestie) storyline - helping her ailing mother, reconnecting with her estranged sister and nephew, leaving her toxic husband, and falling in love with someone unexpectedly close to her ;) Also about how poor Vonnie gets shit on by her beau's ex-wife. What a witch Jennifer was !!!!!
This was a 4.5 star book for me, rounded down. Total 5 star if not for SO MANY CHARACTERS. I definitely had to keep looking back to figure out who was who until maybe the last 2/3s of the book haha. Would recommend to all my romance lovers out there!