A review by marie_thereadingotter
When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

4.0

I received this book from NetGalley for review

The biggest let down of this book is that the illustrations in the ARC copy didn't always render properly, but the ones that do are stunning. I know the physical copy is going to be one of the most beautiful non-special edition out there. I may have to buy it even though this wasn't a new favorite, even though I did enjoy it

That aside, the pacing was a little slow for my taste at the start. It took about half the book for me to feel connected to the characters. And that's my main complaint for this book, the pacing. When I did start to get to know the characters more, I loved all of them. Even the antagonist, he was a good character to hate, and someone that in a lot of ways reminded me of people I've met in my life. 

The romance in this book was really well done. It's slow burn in a sense, and a little bit hate to love. I thought how they connected to each other was done in a very organic way, and it didn't feel forced. It was sweet, and I liked seeing Benny accept himself.
 This is a beautiful story of self acceptance and self discovery. 
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