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sweetsxrrxw 's review for:
La novela del verano
by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was my first emily henry book. i know she's a very loved author but i tried to get into the story with no expectations. i was only hoping to find a cute summer read to give me a bit of escapism, lmao.
let's start talking about the things i loved from this book! the first one, even though it's not plot-related was the dedication page. i just thought it was so endearing <3 then we have the contrast between the name of the two main characters. january and augustus. for me, it was a funny way to show some of their differences without even knowing them. the first pages were great, i absolutely loved it and i felt like emily was psychoanalizing me lmao. ngl i felt disappointed by january's dad behavior cause i was starting to like him and he decided to be an asshole lol.
but when the main characters began interacting was kinda scared, cause their relationship was being nice and sweet so i was expecting a breakdown anytime soon. luckily, there wasn't any! and instead, we got stuff that made me smile/scream internallysuch as gus confessing he had read january's books and even remembering them or the "why do you think, january?" OR when january realizes the way gus looks at her sometimes. therefore the romance (and also the comedy, btw! i have so many quotes underlined in yellow) were great.
on the other hand, i liked the fact that the book had other themes besides the januarygus relationship. i think this was the first time i've read a book where the main characters are authors and i completely loved that! the whole cult subplot was also interesting imo, and don't even get me started on their reflections about love because as a hopeless romantic with no love life i related to both of them. idk, it was enjoyable to read the whole bet thing and either reading very sad stuff or very cute things, and the characters getting to know each others' traumas in the meantime.
last but not least, as a daughter of moroccan immigrants, i absolutely ADORED the fact that the author mentioned my country several times <33
however, the reason why i can't give this 5 stars is because of the smut. like, okay, i know they're adults and everyone loves smutty books and blah blah blah but it just isn't for me, alright? and also because, although i ended up liking the story, i didn't really get the summer-themed read i was expecting. moreover, even though i love their relationship, the way they just get to date each other was a bit flat tbh.
so yeah i think it's a great mix between grief, love, loss, getting out of one's comfort zone and real and flawed characters. im looking forward to read more of emily henry's books!
let's start talking about the things i loved from this book! the first one, even though it's not plot-related was the dedication page. i just thought it was so endearing <3 then we have the contrast between the name of the two main characters. january and augustus. for me, it was a funny way to show some of their differences without even knowing them. the first pages were great, i absolutely loved it and i felt like emily was psychoanalizing me lmao. ngl i felt disappointed by january's dad behavior cause i was starting to like him and he decided to be an asshole lol.
but when the main characters began interacting was kinda scared, cause their relationship was being nice and sweet so i was expecting a breakdown anytime soon. luckily, there wasn't any! and instead, we got stuff that made me smile/scream internally
on the other hand, i liked the fact that the book had other themes besides the januarygus relationship. i think this was the first time i've read a book where the main characters are authors and i completely loved that! the whole cult subplot was also interesting imo, and don't even get me started on their reflections about love because as a hopeless romantic with no love life i related to both of them. idk, it was enjoyable to read the whole bet thing and either reading very sad stuff or very cute things, and the characters getting to know each others' traumas in the meantime.
last but not least, as a daughter of moroccan immigrants, i absolutely ADORED the fact that the author mentioned my country several times <33
however, the reason why i can't give this 5 stars is because of the smut. like, okay, i know they're adults and everyone loves smutty books and blah blah blah but it just isn't for me, alright? and also because, although i ended up liking the story, i didn't really get the summer-themed read i was expecting. moreover, even though i love their relationship, the way they just get to date each other was a bit flat tbh.
so yeah i think it's a great mix between grief, love, loss, getting out of one's comfort zone and real and flawed characters. im looking forward to read more of emily henry's books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity