This was going to be a 4 star read (and probably my favorite in this series) up until the 70% mark. I’ve never gone from 4 stars to 1 star in the blink of an eye like that.
Content warnings for the book and this review: near-dr*wning, description of dr*wning, grief, loss, fire
I was really enjoying this until I got to the end of chapter three and was blindsided by not just a near dr*wning (which I could have moved past) but a description of what happens to dr*wning victims in the moment. I know this is a me thing—and this is really the only thing I try to avoid in media I consume— but I’m sorry, why was this necessary? I didn’t think I needed to check content warnings for a 50ish page holiday romcom, but I will in the future, I guess.
The smut immediately afterwards just made my stomach turn and the ending was so abrupt, all I was left with was my feelings 🥲