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A review by smolbean_reads
La notte più lunga by Leylah Attar
3.0
3.5 stars
'we’re all connected in strange, mysterious ways. Pull a thread here and a life unravels there'.
It is paining me to not rate this book higher.
The overall plot is AMAZING. A love story in Africa where two grieving people are bound together by tragic circumstances, not only that but they get involved in the most intense plan to save albino children from hunters (involving an epic train scene that reminded me of the Anastasia film). Amazing settings, and secondary characters with their own story arcs too. (Also our MC Jack is out here looking like Jason Momoa so I have NO complaints there. 'He had something more. Solidity. Substance. The kind of thing the moon does to the tides, making the waves rise to attention'.).
It was also really funny at times.
“Oh, my God. You’re shy. You’re coloring up like the Serengeti sunset.”
First half of the book was a solid 4 star rating. Really beautifully written, really emotional. I highlighted so many parts. And then...it became too indulgent, unbelievable, boring and just bleh. I skim read the rest. I did not enjoy the romance in this.
*spoilers ahead about everything I really didn't like*
1) YOU DO NOT FALL SO IN LOVE IN A WEEK.
Nope. No I cannot get on board with this. The span of this should have been at least a month at the minimum.
2) You are both grieving close family members, and at times that seems to be completely forgotten. I mean, yes, in the first half of the book this was dealt with really well, but the second half the characters seemed wildly distracted by lust. Seriously?...
3) I'm very surprised how weird the first sex scene was, despite being written by a woman. I was surprised she decided to make Ro a virgin and I was cringing over her describing the breaking of the hymen. It isn't some rigid penetrable thing ugh. Please, can we be talking about sex realistically.
4) I simply could not deal with Jack calling Ro 'sweetness' .
--
So basically, the concept was GREAT. The execution was a let down :(
'we’re all connected in strange, mysterious ways. Pull a thread here and a life unravels there'.
It is paining me to not rate this book higher.
The overall plot is AMAZING. A love story in Africa where two grieving people are bound together by tragic circumstances, not only that but they get involved in the most intense plan to save albino children from hunters (involving an epic train scene that reminded me of the Anastasia film). Amazing settings, and secondary characters with their own story arcs too. (Also our MC Jack is out here looking like Jason Momoa so I have NO complaints there. 'He had something more. Solidity. Substance. The kind of thing the moon does to the tides, making the waves rise to attention'.).
It was also really funny at times.
“Oh, my God. You’re shy. You’re coloring up like the Serengeti sunset.”
First half of the book was a solid 4 star rating. Really beautifully written, really emotional. I highlighted so many parts. And then...it became too indulgent, unbelievable, boring and just bleh. I skim read the rest. I did not enjoy the romance in this.
*spoilers ahead about everything I really didn't like*
1) YOU DO NOT FALL SO IN LOVE IN A WEEK.
Nope. No I cannot get on board with this. The span of this should have been at least a month at the minimum.
2) You are both grieving close family members, and at times that seems to be completely forgotten. I mean, yes, in the first half of the book this was dealt with really well, but the second half the characters seemed wildly distracted by lust. Seriously?...
3) I'm very surprised how weird the first sex scene was, despite being written by a woman. I was surprised she decided to make Ro a virgin and I was cringing over her describing the breaking of the hymen. It isn't some rigid penetrable thing ugh. Please, can we be talking about sex realistically.
4) I simply could not deal with Jack calling Ro 'sweetness' .
--
So basically, the concept was GREAT. The execution was a let down :(