hanwanreads 's review for:

Picking Daisies on Sundays by Liana Cincotti

4.5

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

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this was actually absolutely adorable; got me kicking my feet and giggling

people have said that the FL (Dani) is frustrating and annoying, but to be honest, she's just like me. i felt her insecurity and her disbelief -- the way she continuously tried to convince herself otherwise despite so many signs of his feelings. the way she would not let herself get her hopes up just to be disappointed again. the way she overthought everything she noticed about him and his actions/gaze. and the way she felt self-conscious but also so desperately wanted to be seen by someone - to be the only one someone saw in a crowded room. yes, she made frustrating decisions, but that was also something that was so real and raw about her. and so in the end, when she

finally saw herself as someone who was loved and felt PROUD of herself

, i nearly cried in happiness for her. 

and the ML (Levi) bro... ehehehehe i actually have no words 🤭
when i found out that

he named his book "Picking Daisies on Sundays"

and that the blurbs under the title of each chapter was

a line in his poem

, bro. and the way he cares for her, sees her, understands her,

makes strawberry shortcake for her

, YEARNS, and REMEMBERS EVERYTHING she talks about and likes... actually perfect for her.
and don't get me started on that scene in the Met with the painting

i also love how this book and the author describes love and the feeling of it - actually so beautiful 
for instance (these are not really spoilers):

• "flowers growing in my heart and sprouting through my chest"
• "a thousand flower petals falling to the bottom of my stomach"
• "night swimming in a summer ocean"
• "like my heart is about to take off down a runway before catching air
• "a candle softening from the heat of its flame"

and some other favorite quotes:

• "intimacy was to be seen by you; free falling was to be touched by you"
• "there was no such thing as a crowded room where you stood"
• "'moving on' was a broken record that I never had the strength to lift the needle off of"
• "She lives in between the pinks and yellows of the world / where a beautiful color is unknown to others / and when she speaks, I become enthralled in a field of daisies"
• "'I've never felt this conscious of the beat of my heart before, it was like it was sleeping without you'"
• "I tried to stop loving you, but along the way, you found your way into the sound of my laugh, the style of my writing, and the threads of my clothes."

i think my only 'complaints' were that some of it didn't feel super realistic, especially at the end & it didn't feel like the grief that she had really contributed to much of the plot itself or her character -- but overall, i really enjoyed reading this book & it was definitely heartwarming and also a little healing