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A review by dinipandareads
The Time of Your Life by Sandra Kitt
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
TL;DR: My feelings on this vacillated greatly throughout my reading journey. There were moments when I enjoyed our characters and their burgeoning romance but the slow pace, lack of plot, and the total "what the heck is going on" moment of their final conflict almost made the not-so-enjoyable moments outweigh the good. As it is, I'd say this is a solid 3-star read—not bad but not great though I enjoyed it enough to want to possibly read other books by this author in the future.
What I liked:
- Eden was an admirable character. She's no-nonsense, hard-working (almost to a fault) and tough as heck! I loved how she spoke up for others and spoke her mind. The scene in the bathroom at the ball? *chef's kiss!* OML, I adored how she didn't let her insecurities engulf her, worked through her feelings, and stood up for herself because YES, QUEEN! I also enjoyed seeing her be her badass self defending people who can't defend themselves.
- Beck was charming and I enjoyed his backstory although it was heartbreaking. I wanted to see a little more emotion out of him, especially concerning his mother but I found his arc touching. I also liked how thoughtful he was when it came to the people in his life, even his mother whom he had a complicated relationship. The way he took care of Eden when she has always been the one to take care of others was very sweet, too!
- Some of their romantic moments had the butterflies going in my chest. I loved how sweet they were with each other and how they clicked. Watching them catch feelings and have realisations about the strength of those feelings made me feel just as giddy as they felt! Although it was predictable and I could see it coming from the moment this element was introduced, I still loved a particular scene at the end between these two—if you read this, you'll know what I mean!
- I felt like much of their romantic evolution was "told" and not "shown". They spent a good chunk of their time apart living their own lives, which is fair enough, but more of the times they spent together felt glossed over.
- Their lack of communication or should I say their lack of desire to communicate their feelings more was quite frustrating and I felt, led to unnecessary drama. Why couldn't they have just stated outright how they felt before they'd fight and have to make up when they could so easily do it after feeling guilty about a pointless argument? As much as I enjoyed that they just *got* what the other was feeling, this lack of communication felt incongruous with their natures.
- Holly. Straight up, I did not like this woman. She was spoiled, entitled, bratty and wildly immature. Even though I know from personal experience that sister relationships are complicated, I lowkey hated how Eden would let Holly walk all over her even until the end! Holly did not deserve it and I'm not taking these words back, I don't care, lol.
- I don't know if it was just the writing of the characters that was occasionally confusing to me but the resolution of some of their conflicts, both personal and romantic, felt off at times. I don't know how to describe it. It was almost as if these important moments were written passively and I struggled to understand why certain characters acted or reacted in ways that were very blasé. I think it again comes down to the lack of communication...