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documentno_is's Reviews (1.29k)
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one was alright, romance fluff peace
I like how much he liked her and I thought the bratty girl / pleaser dynamic was funny for a minute but that sort of fell apart when she lost her spoiled nature halfway through because I guess in order for her to be lovable we have to believe she is just ‘oh so selfless’ … yawn.
the spicy scenes were giving … parody.
the spicy scenes were giving … parody.
I'm ... not ready for this book. It's incredible but its an encyclopedia.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Incredibly realistic foray into the mediocrity of men I suppose. Also for a story that focuses so much on systems of wealth and inequality, I really didn’t care for its messaging?
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An entangled web of characters experiencing the messiest and most convoluted aspects of life
Beautifully written, poignant but frank
The romance feels more like a subplot throughout, so if that’s what you’re here for maybe not your best choice, for me I found the novel had much more interesting things to say about grief and betrayal.
The final moments of them getting together seemed a bit rushed for a tie it all together and the author chose to sacrifice more time in that decision to a moment of them all in the future, but this was my only complaint because for 98% of reading I was completely gripped.
Beautifully written, poignant but frank
The romance feels more like a subplot throughout, so if that’s what you’re here for maybe not your best choice, for me I found the novel had much more interesting things to say about grief and betrayal.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a potential 5 star book for me that I felt fell off a little in the end.
The way the author tied together the conflict felt a bit forced and a bit too neat all in one.
I would have given them 4.5 if they just hadn’t gotten engaged I felt like that really took away from all the complex character work the author layed out in the rest of the novel. All the time spent delineating that Leon needed to listen to her and not others about how she wasn’t ready and then suddenly were getting an engagement two years later…idk I just didn’t find it necessary
The rest of the novel was fantastic however. The narrative devices of the post it’s and the search for Johnny. The fact that they have other complex relationships and don’t just exist immediately for each other. The way their connection was grown took great care and it was very successful for me. Also the prose was very funny and very tender and clearly took its audience seriously.
The way the author tied together the conflict felt a bit forced and a bit too neat all in one.
The rest of the novel was fantastic however. The narrative devices of the post it’s and the search for Johnny. The fact that they have other complex relationships and don’t just exist immediately for each other. The way their connection was grown took great care and it was very successful for me. Also the prose was very funny and very tender and clearly took its audience seriously.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Normally I might not have rated a book like this so high- I mean, it was nothing revolutionary and I think at least in terms of baseball metaphors and grieving widows I'm not quite the audience. Still, it was remarkable to read a romance novel that was well-written, which seems painstakingly more rare very day. Not to mention I would say it was contemporary fiction with romance rather than half baked smut that should have stayed on a fan fiction site.
The characters were so charming, flawed but desperately clawing to better themselves and put back the pieces of their life. Their insecurities and foibles were so human and slightly tragic without being *too much* which is quite hard to accomplish when you're dealing with subject matter a monumental as the death of a partner.
It was a little hard to buy into their specific romance, their friendship felt natural but there wasn't quite enough space to transition into feelings or attraction that seemed to come from nowhere. Still, easily the best romance book I've read so far this year and I'll be checking out other things the author has worked on without a doubt. It lost a little steam in the end- it felt like the author lost the beautiful descriptive prose of the entrance of the novel in exchange with "you look hot" by the end and I think if not for this it would have been a 4 stars for me.
The characters were so charming, flawed but desperately clawing to better themselves and put back the pieces of their life. Their insecurities and foibles were so human and slightly tragic without being *too much* which is quite hard to accomplish when you're dealing with subject matter a monumental as the death of a partner.
It was a little hard to buy into their specific romance, their friendship felt natural but there wasn't quite enough space to transition into feelings or attraction that seemed to come from nowhere. Still, easily the best romance book I've read so far this year and I'll be checking out other things the author has worked on without a doubt. It lost a little steam in the end- it felt like the author lost the beautiful descriptive prose of the entrance of the novel in exchange with "you look hot" by the end and I think if not for this it would have been a 4 stars for me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
*sigh*
I came in expecting a fun fluffy romance novel and what I got was... even less than that and my bar was on the floor. I have so many problems with this book I don't even know where to begin.
Jk, I'll begin with the writing. I KNOW I was reading a fun fluffy paranormal romance novel, I wasn't expecting it to be literary. However, this still is a novel for adults, or at least I hope that is the intended audience given all the smut. So, I'm not really sure why this read like middle grade fiction?
"Vivienne belonged in this setting, fitting as perfectly as a jewel," it's almost parodying to the point where I feel this sentence could be used to teach a fiction class about useless metaphor.
As romance fans we need to collectively raise the bar on what kind of writing we are willing to accept because I'll be honest, this really should have stayed on Watt-pad or whatever Sabrina the Teenage Witch fan-fiction platform that initially birthed it. I saw so many inflated and positive reviews about this novel series, and it was clearly able to be published, and I'm left here wondering how? How could anyone read this disconnected jumble of ideas and green-light this project?
Also the setting felt so cobbled together, a mix of Wales and the American South and yet still felt so New England to me? I'm from Atlanta and the kind of Georgia town the author implied just doesn't exist here. It's missing the corporate chains and lifted trucks. Maybe Athens (Georgia) could have been a fit but she didn't quite capture that vibe either. Now I live in New England and this type of town very much does exist here, so I wasn't quite sure about the Southern setting. She could have set this in the Catskills and it would have bothered me less. Starting off in Wales with references to London initially had me believing I was reading about a witch school in Georgia (the country) and that also would have been a better, less out of place setting for this novel.
Then finally, this flimsy excuse for a romance? We're supposed to buy into this unyielding and profound connection to... a man who lied to her about being married? Also the thing about the crystal necklace? The description immediately put him in the box of "men I could never find attractive ever" and the book was really a wash after that. I kept imagining him as Chris Angel. A magical cave that makes you horny? This needed to stay in the drafts, you could not get me to admit to writing this at knifepoint. I know I'm being a little harsh here, and this section of the critique is partially my personal preferences but it was a novel that brought me to write multiple sectioned critiques and that I think says all you need to know. Powered through because the writing was frivolous and easy to get through and I didn't want to have to add another book to my dnf list.
I came in expecting a fun fluffy romance novel and what I got was... even less than that and my bar was on the floor. I have so many problems with this book I don't even know where to begin.
Jk, I'll begin with the writing. I KNOW I was reading a fun fluffy paranormal romance novel, I wasn't expecting it to be literary. However, this still is a novel for adults, or at least I hope that is the intended audience given all the smut. So, I'm not really sure why this read like middle grade fiction?
"Vivienne belonged in this setting, fitting as perfectly as a jewel," it's almost parodying to the point where I feel this sentence could be used to teach a fiction class about useless metaphor.
As romance fans we need to collectively raise the bar on what kind of writing we are willing to accept because I'll be honest, this really should have stayed on Watt-pad or whatever Sabrina the Teenage Witch fan-fiction platform that initially birthed it. I saw so many inflated and positive reviews about this novel series, and it was clearly able to be published, and I'm left here wondering how? How could anyone read this disconnected jumble of ideas and green-light this project?
Also the setting felt so cobbled together, a mix of Wales and the American South and yet still felt so New England to me? I'm from Atlanta and the kind of Georgia town the author implied just doesn't exist here. It's missing the corporate chains and lifted trucks. Maybe Athens (Georgia) could have been a fit but she didn't quite capture that vibe either. Now I live in New England and this type of town very much does exist here, so I wasn't quite sure about the Southern setting. She could have set this in the Catskills and it would have bothered me less. Starting off in Wales with references to London initially had me believing I was reading about a witch school in Georgia (the country) and that also would have been a better, less out of place setting for this novel.
Then finally, this flimsy excuse for a romance? We're supposed to buy into this unyielding and profound connection to... a man who lied to her about being married? Also the thing about the crystal necklace? The description immediately put him in the box of "men I could never find attractive ever" and the book was really a wash after that. I kept imagining him as Chris Angel. A magical cave that makes you horny? This needed to stay in the drafts, you could not get me to admit to writing this at knifepoint. I know I'm being a little harsh here, and this section of the critique is partially my personal preferences but it was a novel that brought me to write multiple sectioned critiques and that I think says all you need to know. Powered through because the writing was frivolous and easy to get through and I didn't want to have to add another book to my dnf list.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cute digestible romance with lovable characters and a workplace setting.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book never quite "caught" me but I did love the writing style and teen angst. I might have rated it lower but I can see how impactful it could be to its intended audience (teens.) I really didn't have an issue with the stream of consciousness choppy writing style and appreciated Adelaide's narrative voice as a mature alternative that not all teens need to have "Ohmygawd stop" dialogue in their novels to be genuine. Her relationship with Jack reminded me a little of Looking for Alaska or Paper Towns and the teenage proclivity to build up relationships with others in your head. The parts fo this novel that really shined for me was her relationship with Toby and the exploration of that. It was a nice book, and a quick read.