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A review by selbs2004
The Apple Diary by Gerri Hill
emotional
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? No
4.0
This is a really sweet story of love, grief, and acceptance.
But the story truly does not go far beyond being sweet and I think that is the main reason that this book doesn't reach a 5-star read for me.
The romance is beautifully written slow burn. The tension between Madilyn and Dylan is strong yet still feels so calm and steady that often I wondered if it was ever truly going to lead to that moment of passion, but when it did happen I was unfortunately still slightly underwhelmed. 😩I'm not exactly sure if it was the odd change of tone between chapters when it came to the romance and tension, or the fact that the romance relied heavily on the parallels between Madilyn and Dylan and Madilyns grandmother's love affair, but I didn't feel like there were enough hard conversations between them when it came to their romance. Internally and externally.
The book doesn't really broach into the topics that it should when it comes to class divide and the dynamics of an employee/boss romantic and sexual relationship and what it truly means to marry someone so far outside your class and status and I just didn't really feel like there is any honest conflict or hurdles that Madilyn and Dylan had to go through before finally getting their happily ever after. Everything was so easy and maybe that was the point to show that Isabelle and Loray could finally get a chance to have their love go on in this lifetime, but I guess I was simply expecting more.
I did overall enjoy the dynamic between Dylan and Madilyn and the story in all other aspects, especially when it came to the retelling of her grandmother's true love was so incredibly well done, a solid 4-star read for me.
But the story truly does not go far beyond being sweet and I think that is the main reason that this book doesn't reach a 5-star read for me.
The romance is beautifully written slow burn. The tension between Madilyn and Dylan is strong yet still feels so calm and steady that often I wondered if it was ever truly going to lead to that moment of passion, but when it did happen I was unfortunately still slightly underwhelmed. 😩I'm not exactly sure if it was the odd change of tone between chapters when it came to the romance and tension, or the fact that the romance relied heavily on the parallels between Madilyn and Dylan and Madilyns grandmother's love affair, but I didn't feel like there were enough hard conversations between them when it came to their romance. Internally and externally.
The book doesn't really broach into the topics that it should when it comes to class divide and the dynamics of an employee/boss romantic and sexual relationship and what it truly means to marry someone so far outside your class and status and I just didn't really feel like there is any honest conflict or hurdles that Madilyn and Dylan had to go through before finally getting their happily ever after. Everything was so easy and maybe that was the point to show that Isabelle and Loray could finally get a chance to have their love go on in this lifetime, but I guess I was simply expecting more.
I did overall enjoy the dynamic between Dylan and Madilyn and the story in all other aspects, especially when it came to the retelling of her grandmother's true love was so incredibly well done, a solid 4-star read for me.