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chaptersofmay 's review for:

The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon
5.0

This ARC has been generously provided in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the author and publisher!

The Minute I Saw You is the ultimate summer read. It has the sweet romance, the lovable characters, the strong narrative, and all the feels!

The story begins when Hannah meets Sonny. Hannah is a dispensing optician in Cambridge. One day, Sonny arrives in the shop as one of her customers. The connection between them is instant. Not just a surface level crush, but a heart-stopping connection. Their first moments feel deeper than a standard meet cute. But when Hannah sees Sonny for a second time, everything is different. He’s not charming or flirty, but distant and cold. Still, a friendship grows between the two, with their natural chemistry acting for them. Before you know it, you’re rooting for these characters.

I really like the protagonists in this novel. Both Hannah and Sonny are very authentic personalities. They have good days and bad, they struggle with the idea of not being ‘normal’ and their individual pasts weight them down. The secondary characters are also a huge support to the overall story, fleshing out the side plots and adventures. Even the smallest of roles felt relevant to the narrative. I always know a book is good when I feel like I miss the characters. And because you get to know each of these voices so well, it really is saddening when the story reaches its end.

The Minute I Saw You definitely has the characteristics of a slow burn. But like most books with this trope, it’s well worth the wait. The dynamic between Hannah and Sonny is established from the beginning and tensions only begin to build as the chapters go on.

This is an incredibly difficult book to review, because it has so many secrets. The backstories of the characters bring so much to this read. I was expecting a light, summery, novel. And this is great in that sense. But it also has so much weight and emotion, it became a pleasantly unanticipated complex read. Every single time I thought I knew where this story was going, it totally shocked me. However, every twist, even the emotional ones, contributed to the entertaining plot. I didn’t see the backstories of the characters coming at all, but they really layered the story.

This book feels like more than a romance. It’s a poignant love story. It’s humorous and moving, an ideal combination for a compelling summer read. It dives beyond the surface and explores loss, trauma and heartache. Paige Toon’s writing has always had a heart-warming quality and The Minute I Saw You is no different. In fact, it might be my favourite Toon book yet.

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