A review by ejmealer
Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao

funny reflective relaxing medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

What started out as a great slice-of-life novel on an aspect of society most people don't think twice about, ended flat and rushed. There are gaps in the story timeline that were great opportunities to further develop secondary characters and their relationship to the main, or to bring more vibrancy to the settings, but they were left empty. I am hopeful it is more due to sections being removed for the ARC than it being the finished product.

Pros: Great cast of diversity, with well-done humorous moments; brought the behind-the-scenes of fashion into the spotlight and also showed how art and science can merge into a beautiful product; so, so lovely to have the romance as a minor plot point and not the main focus; nods to real-life people such as Courtney Quinn of the Color Me Courtney/Magic brands; the way some of the food scenes were described created intrigue and a desire to try the foods or find a location similar to the novel; a moment that could go very badly for the main does not happen and it was nice to have a harassments acknowledgement without the actual scene. Overall an excellent break between heavier reads or in life moments that are just hard. 

Cons: The aforementioned plot jumps really snap the reader out of the flow of story and force a reorientation to the timeline; some of the moments for character development or reconciliation don't happen; a depressive spiral comes across trivialized and invalidated; there was enough lead-up to the harassment scene [which again, does not happen!] it was a bit stressful and for other humans might be too much without warning.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings