A review by sophiegrubben
Lovely War by Julie Berry

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

To my dearest sister, who lent me this book: yes I liked it. It's a good book! It just missed that little bit of je ne said quoi. 

I liked and felt the most for the characters that we spent the most time with: Hazel and James. That is not to say I didn't like Aubrey and Collette (although I liked Aubrey a bit more than Collette) but we simply didn't spend as much time with them or their romance. It felt just placed there at times. Hazel and James's story just seemed more fleshed out, more thought out and more lovely put on the page. 

Overall it was a very well written and researched book, but it missed a sprinkle of magic for me, especially in the Aubrey and Collette parts. I wanted more time with them and more care put into their characterisation. But not a bad book at all!
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