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kelly_diaryofabooklover 's review for:

Truly, Madly, Deeply by L.J. Shen
3.5
adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

"๐“จ๐“ธ๐“พ๐“ป ๐“ซ๐“ป๐“ธ๐“ด๐“ฎ๐“ท ๐“ฒ๐“ผ ๐“ผ๐“ฝ๐“ฒ๐“ต๐“ต ๐“ฝ๐“ฑ๐“ฎ ๐“ถ๐“ธ๐“ผ๐“ฝ ๐”€๐“ฑ๐“ธ๐“ต๐“ฎ ๐“ฝ๐“ฑ๐“ฒ๐“ท๐“ฐ ๐“˜โ€™๐“ฟ๐“ฎ ๐“ผ๐“ฎ๐“ฎ๐“ท."

๐Œ๐ฒ ๐“๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ’ญ

This one took me a bit to get into, honestly. It started strong, veered off a little, and then found its footing again. I ended up enjoying it, but it definitely wasn't smooth sailing from the start.

Cal grew on me, but I never fully clicked with her. She felt younger than she was meant to be, and while I liked her quirky vibe, she came off a bit childish and immature at times, which threw me out of the story here and there.

Row was good. Grumpy, sarcastic, full of pining. He kind of saved the book for me. He could be a real ass, but it fit the character well. He was down bad for Cal, and I loved it. Teddy Hamilton nailed the narration and really brought Row to life. 

Their connection was unexpected but somehow worked. Total opposites, yet somehow it made sense. The slow burn was slow, but it was worth it once it hit. The chef kitchen scene? Definitely won't be forgetting that for a while, for better or worse ๐Ÿ˜‚

Overall, it was a quirky, banter-filled story with some underlying trauma and emotion. It took some time to find its groove and felt a little bit long, but once I got into the flow, I enjoyed it. Not a re-read for me, but Iโ€™m curious about the other characters, so I might give the rest of the series a shot.