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samanthaardenlockheart's reviews
52 reviews
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
<i>There <b>are</b> spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i>
Regarding Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley Wollstonecraft, I think that a good topic of interest to discuss might be the dangers of advancing science and technology and how the topic of morality and the sanctity of human life does not fit into objective scientific discoveries.
In this work of literature, Mary Shelley’s main scientific theme is galvanism, which essentially refers to bringing something to a conscious, sentient life through electricity and chemical reactions. For more context, according to Wikipedia, “‘galvanism’ is a term invented by the late 18th-century physicist and chemist Alessandro Voltra to refer to the generation of electric current by chemical action.” Relating back to Mary Shelley’s work, Frankenstein, her character Victor von Frankenstein creates a living being through the combination of body parts and is brought to life by electricity. Or at least, this is the current public perception of Frankenstein’s process. Mary Shelley does not actually specify what exactly brought the creature to life, however, the most accurate assumption is probably something like galvanism since this was such a common idea at the time. However, it is up to interpretation in the novel for the reader. One can assume that it was magic, a chemical, or something crazy like mind control that was the last “step” in officially bringing the creature to life. I have seen this literary technique done in many works of fantasy, for example, as it leaves more to the imagination when the author purposefully leaves out details and has the reader imagine them. As a writer, it is a brilliant mechanism of storytelling in the form of showing and not telling, and I can appreciate that here as well.
Unfortunately for Victor von Frankenstein, his lust for science seemed to have gotten way out of hand upon the “birth” of his creature. According to Audrey Shafer MD, “Shelley wrote the first novel to forefront science as a means to create life, and as such, she wrote the first major work in the science fiction genre. Frankenstein, a flawed, obsessed student, feverishly reads extensive tomes and refines his experiments. After he succeeds in his labors, Frankenstein rejects his creation: He is revulsed by the sight of the “monster,” whom he describes as hideous. This rejection of the monster leads to a cascade of calamities. The subtitle of the book, The Modern Prometheus, primes the reader for the theme of the dire consequences of ‘playing God.’” This insight is very important for science because it can demonstrate the dangers of taking scientific discovery too far. I think science is a field that is critical for society as it is directly related to medicine, which has excelled in improving human health and well-being. However, too much of something good might have dire consequences. This leads to the topic of human life, ethics, and science’s moral failings.
If you really think about it (which I never actually realized until just a few years ago) is that society’s entire system of morals and values does not and literally can not arise out of scientific discovery. I could make this about my faith in God and the fact that I think humans get their sense of morality from God, however, that is a separate topic. Also, as Dr. Audrey writes from Stanford Medicine Magazine, “But, as the frontiers are pushed further and further, the unintended consequences of how science and technology are used could affect who we are as humans, the viability of our planet and how society evolves. In terms of health, medicine and bioengineering, Frankenstein resonates far beyond defibrillation. These resonances include genetic engineering, tissue engineering, transplantation, transfusion, artificial intelligence, robotics, bioelectronics, virtual reality, cryonics, synthetic biology and neural networks. These fields are fascinating, worthy areas of exploration” (Shafer). What I take away from this is very personally fascinating.
I have always found the idea of cloning, especially human cloning, as horrendously wrong and immoral—and this feels like something closest to the scientific subject in this novel. Creating life in such a way by going outside of a living organism’s natural mechanisms of reproducing feels like “playing God,” and that is exactly what Mary Shelley wrote about Victor von Frankenstein doing when he created his poor creature. Not only do I think he created the creature out of narcissistic reasons borne from his god complex, but when he was finally created, afraid, and functioning, Frankenstein abandoned his creature! Not only was Frankenstein selfishly pursuing knowledge as a means to serve himself, but he could not even demonstrate reasonable parental duties to the poor creature. (Though, most parents don’t create their children from rotten body parts and possibly sparks of electricity and/or magic, so the possibility of Frankenstein being a Good Dad™ kind of went out of the window before you even opened the first page.) I think Mary Shelley purposefully includes these aspects of his character in the novel as it makes for a much more interesting read with all of these lessons to take away from it. It taps into her psyche as even she acknowledged the dangers of science going too far past its limits, and why that is fundamentally wrong.
If you are an atheist and do not hold belief in God, your morals must come from somewhere… and it can’t be science. No one can measure in a lab the value of someone’s life. And thank goodness for that. At least society can take this novel and show how while science and medicine are great forces for good in the world, they can also too far. In the spirit of humility, I also know that religion has gone way too far, but since (again) that is a topic for another time, let’s just say that too much of anything always has the possibility of falling into unethical territory. Humans have a selfish nature, and Mary Shelley’s Victor von Frankenstein is a great example of how a societal good has been perverted.
Works Cited
Shafer, Audrey. “Why Issues Raised in Frankenstein Still Matter 200 Years Later | Stanford Medicine.” Stanford Medicine Magazine, 26 Feb. 2022, stanmed.stanford.edu/why-issues-raised-in-frankenstein-still-matter-200-years-later/#:~:text=Frankenstein%20by%20Mary%20Shelley%2C%20left,the%20monster%20coming%20to%20life.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus. Knopf, 1992.
Wikipedia contributors. “Galvanism.” Wikipedia, June 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment
just a pretty dark book! heed the warnings.
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
5.0
For romance, I thought the love story of Jack and Elsie was beautiful, honest, wonderful, and true! Their love was not perfect but I loved escaping into these pages. It was a great comfort to me as I navigated some life difficulties, and I always appreciate Ali Hazelwood's wonderful talent within romance. 🥰✨🥰✨💖💖💖✨💖💖💖💖💖
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
<i>There <b>are</b> spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i>
I thought that this novel was very enlightening, scary, and related to theology and philosophy (especially morals, human nature, and ethics).
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, published in 1886, something worthy of scientific discussion is the societal response to mental health in Victorian England (which was during the 19th century). Based upon this reading, Dr. Henry Jekyll seems to be an individual who allows his deep desire for his flaws to be covered up to take over his life. He poisons himself which gives him the scary ability to morph into Mr. Edward Hyde. At the outset, this seems like a basic human desire. But Stevenson demonstrates how Dr. Jekyll plays with fire and inadvertently goes too far after he initially sets out to remedy something as innocuous as his hidden insecurity.
Given the mental health context around this time period, it is fascinating that the author, Robert Louis Stevenson himself, seemed to have suffered from a split personality disorder. According to biographer Claire Herman from National Public Radio, “‘Myself and the other fellow’ is a phrase that Stevenson used to describe two states of consciousness that he experienced, in particular, when he was having a fever one time, you know, to do with his lung problems and his illness. And he wrote to a friend that when he was in a high fever, he felt that his mind split off into `myself' and what he called `the other fellow.' `Myself' was the rational side, and `the other fellow' was the sort of dark side, the creative, difficult, seething side of his subconscious. And he loved it. He loved the fact that he had these simultaneous and slightly conflicting states of mind going on. And obviously, he used it very much in his work. And it animated a lot of his ideas. You know, that you could be two people at the same time.” Taking this into account, I am at least very impressed with Stevenson’s ability to put his experiences with a split personality into literature. While this is not nearly the same thing as narcissistic personality disorder, I made that psychological connection anyway as his novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, focused on the dichotomy between good and evil. Having a split personality does not always mean that it is split between those extremes, however, those with narcissistic personality disorder do go about the world with a harrowingly false persona through living in a false reality.
In the Victorian Era, mental health was enormously stigmatized. Some people were confined to asylums for many years if they were deemed “crazy” or “mad” (Briggs). Family or friends would gain financially by treating even just eccentric or truly mentally ill people in this way. The innocent people in the asylums had to fight tirelessly for their liberty after being deemed insane. When I take this stigma into account and correlate it back to Dr. Jekyll, I think he was avoiding the stigma of being portrayed as mentally unwell (since he wanted to commit heinous acts) by splitting his personality into two. According to Helen Briggs once more, “Doctors treating the mentally ill were not called psychiatrists but were known as alienists, based on the belief that the self had become alienated from itself.” I think there is a clear correlation between Robert Louis Stevenson’s personality disorder and the stigma around mental health that his society was facing at this time.
However, from my understanding of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde… one character is not trying to battle two personalities. Rather, Dr. Jekyll still wanted to preserve his impressive societal position as a scientist but still live on the edge through Mr. Hyde. Obviously this is only possible in the realm of fiction, but it is fascinating if one imagines it to be real. This is a transformation Dr. Jekyll did succeed in making, but clearly, it ended in disastrous consequences when his transformations into Mr. Hyde started happening against his volition. Looking at this through a philosophical sense think this is a metaphor for the fact that unbridled evil always has the capacity to overcome true goodness.
<b>Works Cited</b>
Briggs, Helen. “Inconvenient People: A Victorian View of Mental-health Treatment.” BBC News, 29 Apr. 2014, www.bbc.com/news/health-27148737.
Herman, Claire. “Robert Louis Stevenson’s Split Personality.” NPR, 27 Nov. 2005, www.npr.org/2005/11/27/5028500/robert-louis-stevensons-split-personality.
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850-1894. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
London: English Library, 1974.
I thought that this novel was very enlightening, scary, and related to theology and philosophy (especially morals, human nature, and ethics).
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, published in 1886, something worthy of scientific discussion is the societal response to mental health in Victorian England (which was during the 19th century). Based upon this reading, Dr. Henry Jekyll seems to be an individual who allows his deep desire for his flaws to be covered up to take over his life. He poisons himself which gives him the scary ability to morph into Mr. Edward Hyde. At the outset, this seems like a basic human desire. But Stevenson demonstrates how Dr. Jekyll plays with fire and inadvertently goes too far after he initially sets out to remedy something as innocuous as his hidden insecurity.
Given the mental health context around this time period, it is fascinating that the author, Robert Louis Stevenson himself, seemed to have suffered from a split personality disorder. According to biographer Claire Herman from National Public Radio, “‘Myself and the other fellow’ is a phrase that Stevenson used to describe two states of consciousness that he experienced, in particular, when he was having a fever one time, you know, to do with his lung problems and his illness. And he wrote to a friend that when he was in a high fever, he felt that his mind split off into `myself' and what he called `the other fellow.' `Myself' was the rational side, and `the other fellow' was the sort of dark side, the creative, difficult, seething side of his subconscious. And he loved it. He loved the fact that he had these simultaneous and slightly conflicting states of mind going on. And obviously, he used it very much in his work. And it animated a lot of his ideas. You know, that you could be two people at the same time.” Taking this into account, I am at least very impressed with Stevenson’s ability to put his experiences with a split personality into literature. While this is not nearly the same thing as narcissistic personality disorder, I made that psychological connection anyway as his novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, focused on the dichotomy between good and evil. Having a split personality does not always mean that it is split between those extremes, however, those with narcissistic personality disorder do go about the world with a harrowingly false persona through living in a false reality.
In the Victorian Era, mental health was enormously stigmatized. Some people were confined to asylums for many years if they were deemed “crazy” or “mad” (Briggs). Family or friends would gain financially by treating even just eccentric or truly mentally ill people in this way. The innocent people in the asylums had to fight tirelessly for their liberty after being deemed insane. When I take this stigma into account and correlate it back to Dr. Jekyll, I think he was avoiding the stigma of being portrayed as mentally unwell (since he wanted to commit heinous acts) by splitting his personality into two. According to Helen Briggs once more, “Doctors treating the mentally ill were not called psychiatrists but were known as alienists, based on the belief that the self had become alienated from itself.” I think there is a clear correlation between Robert Louis Stevenson’s personality disorder and the stigma around mental health that his society was facing at this time.
However, from my understanding of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde… one character is not trying to battle two personalities. Rather, Dr. Jekyll still wanted to preserve his impressive societal position as a scientist but still live on the edge through Mr. Hyde. Obviously this is only possible in the realm of fiction, but it is fascinating if one imagines it to be real. This is a transformation Dr. Jekyll did succeed in making, but clearly, it ended in disastrous consequences when his transformations into Mr. Hyde started happening against his volition. Looking at this through a philosophical sense think this is a metaphor for the fact that unbridled evil always has the capacity to overcome true goodness.
<b>Works Cited</b>
Briggs, Helen. “Inconvenient People: A Victorian View of Mental-health Treatment.” BBC News, 29 Apr. 2014, www.bbc.com/news/health-27148737.
Herman, Claire. “Robert Louis Stevenson’s Split Personality.” NPR, 27 Nov. 2005, www.npr.org/2005/11/27/5028500/robert-louis-stevensons-split-personality.
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850-1894. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
London: English Library, 1974.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, and Murder
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
5.0
<i>The Reason for God</i> by Timothy Keller was truly so beautiful, reflective, philosophical, intellectually accessible, and fascinating! As a soon-to-be Catholic convert, reading this has given me reasons for God’s existence that I had never once thought of before. It was a profound book that outlined various arguments against God, problems within religion, and morality, along with reasons for God that support His existence in a very coherent and accessible way. It has bolstered my belief in God significantly, and I feel very blessed and thankful to have read it. During moments like this, it is very important that I go back and remind myself of works such as that along with reading the Bible to remind myself of His goodness. On page 228, Keller writes, “God did not create us to get the cosmic, infinite joy of mutual love and glorification, but to share it. We were made to join in the dance. If we centre our lives on him, serving him not out of self-interest, but just for the sake of who he is, for the sake of his beauty and glory, we will enter the dance and share in the joy and love he lives in. We were designed, then, not just for belief in God in some general way, nor for a vague kind of inspiration or spirituality. We were made to centre our lives upon him, to make the purpose and passion of our lives serving, delighting, and resembling him. This growth in happiness will go on eternally, increasing unimaginably (1 Corinthians 2:7-10).” He also wrote, on pages 232-233, “The whole world will be healed as it is drawn into the fullness of God’s glory. Evil will be destroyed and all the potentialities in creation, latent until that moment, will explode into fullness and beauty. Compared to what we will be then, we are now mere vegetables. Even the trees will sing and make music before the face of the returning King, who, by his presence always turns mourning into dancing.”
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-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
4.5
<i>There may be spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i>
Written by Elena Armas, this book follows the story of Catalina (Lina) Martín and Aaron Blackford. They are both engineers at a company called InTech, meaning they work together. While I began to read <i>The Spanish Love Deception</i>, it became clear to me that Lina and Aaron don’t particularly like one another. He is extremely impassive and broody, while she is bubbly, fun, and outgoing (I will never get tired of the Grumpy x Sunshine trope in romance books/fics). Anyway, the book opens with Aaron agreeing to be Lina’s date to attend her sister, Isabella’s wedding all the way home in Spain. There are so many scenes full of sexual and romantic tension, including a part where Lina tells Aaron he reminds her of Clark Kent as he helps her work on a project, gives her homemade granola bars when he notices that she’s hungry, and drives her home instead of allowing her to walk all the way to the train station in the rain!! Ahh, I love Aaron Blackford so much, even just in the beginning 100 pages or so. ✨☺️
Maybe This Will Help?: A Field Guide to Feeling Better by Michelle Rial
medium-paced
5.0
This book is incredibly helpful for me when understanding my fears and anxieties. I ruminate, catastrophize, and worry about so many things even though not much in my life seems to be changing. It is not a “traditional” book, but is intended to exist for consistent use. I will be coming back to it many times. The drawings are so beautiful, but also cute. Michelle Rial did an outstanding job on creating this book. Hopefully, this will enhance my aspirations of having a future in psychology. 🥰🥰🥰
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
challenging
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
4.0
<i>There may be spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i>
While walking on the treadmill a few weeks ago, I decided to start listening to the audiobook of <i>Mere Christianity</i> in an attempt to get a better understanding of my Christain faith and better expose myself to the brilliance of C.S. Lewis’s writing. I have been trying to become more involved with my faith and I feel that this book helped me accomplish that. Each section of this book had a specific topic Lewis covered, making it fairly easy to comprehend despite its philosophical themes.
By a Thread by Lucy Score
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-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
4.0
<i>There may be spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i>
This romance novel is incredibly cute with an intense slow-burn plot that is very enjoyable and done well. I started the semester at my university, so getting through this book took me a lot longer than normal, but that does not mean it was not enjoyable—I am so glad to have found the time to finish it nevertheless. Things, in my opinion, really pick up between main characters Ally Morales and Dominic Russo around the 200-page mark. It begins with Dominic getting Ally fired from her job, and in a miraculous turn of events, she ends up working for Dominic’s company—extremely close to him and finding his annoying, domineering presence inescapable. Their romantic timeline is filled with a lot of depth, yet it is impassioned and emotional thanks to everything they had to deal with in their pasts, but I will not spoil all of that here. I admire Ally’s fierce independence, too. I thought the intimate scenes were done fairly well, but sadly they were not my favourite as compared to other romance novels I have read (but I guess that is me just being a bit nit-picky). Everything that led up to those scenes made it completely worth it!! The slow burn aspect of this book is definitely one of its greatest strengths, and for anyone looking for a romantic comedy, I think you would really love this one. 💖
It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
<i>There may be spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i>
Overall, I thought that this second instalment of the <i>It Ends With Us</i> series was very simplistic, interesting, warm, and satisfying. Colleen Hoover promised a much lighter read, and she certainly delivered. This book followed the love story between Atlas Corrigan and Lily Bloom as they navigate a rekindled relationship in the midst of Lily’s divorce from Ryle. It is written in a simplistic style just like <i>It Ends With Us</i>, and I actually appreciate that aspect of Colleen Hoover’s writing. As a very busy Psychology student, I appreciate being able to easily finish books but still keep up with my academics, and this was a perfect novel for doing just that. ♥️ My life has gotten a little bit busy and crazy, but I am still finding the time to read for leisure and even write book reviews, which is something I’m proud of myself for doing—on top of working on my romance novel (lol). Back to <i>It Starts With Us</i>, I must say that the plot was easy to follow and I think Colleen Hoover hit all of the notes she wanted to. This story showed Lily Bloom’s reality of what it is like to go through a divorce as a single mother, which is something almost unheard of in the romance genre!! Meanwhile, Atlas Corrigan was trying to figure out how to navigate his life upon finding shocking information about his past (a family connection that I will not reveal)—a subplot brought on by the reintroduction of his mother, Sutton. I thought that this aspect of the book was very interesting and gave Atlas an additional sense of purpose and identity through life to help someone, along with being a full-time chef and managing his two restaurants, Bib’s and Corrigan’s. All things considered, this book was very simple, romantic, and sweet. I have had a personally busy, emotional, and chaotic life so reading this helped me feel a strong sense of peace. Definitely looking to reading more of Colleen Hoover in the future. 🥰♥️
The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas
Luckily, this book had a happy ending that meant so much to me. Lucas Martín came back to Rosalyn Graham in the midst of her heartbreak on New Year’s Eve. He got ahold of the book she wrote, and through that, he was able to see for himself the depth of her love for him, and the man that she saw in him. It made Lucas realise that he deserved Rosie, even if he didn’t feel worthy of her. Ultimately, this is one of my new favourite romance books. It is a testament to love and truly accepting a person for everything that they are, and not what they have to offer. It is about becoming someone’s best friend, being their greatest adventure, and certainly their <i>true love</i>. One day, I hope my romance life turns into something like the love Rosie and Lucas share. It is currently January 15th, 2023 at 11:08 p.m. at the time of my writing this. Until then; I shall keep reading and living my loves out through these beautiful romance books.💖✨💖😊✨💖
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
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
5.0
<i>There <b>are</b> spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i>
This excellent romance book by Elena Armas is about two very lovable characters named Rosalyn Graham and Lucas Martín. Rosalyn Graham, better known as Rosie, was staying in her best friend Catalina Martín’s apartment as there was an accident at her own place, leaving her unable to stay there. She could not even go home and see her father since she was hiding the secret of quitting her entire career. And as a young woman who recently abandoned her promising said career as an engineer to be a romance writer, it was clear that she was in a rather difficult time in her life. So when the opening scene revealed someone trying to break into that very apartment, her problems seemed to compound tenfold. In a panicked state, Rosie had dialled 911 and was convinced someone was going to come in and harm her—a very rationally thought, mind you. But as it turns out, our other main character, Lucas Martín himself was the one trying to break in. <i>Yes</i>, the very same Lucas that Rosie had a secret crush on for well over a year, keeping up with him on social media without him knowing. At first, things were pretty awkward, but the two of them ended up growing very close with one another, divulging secrets, Lucas cooking dinner for them, and them watching Netflix together. Their chemistry was completely clear from the start, and the fact that they had to deal with forced proximity was something I loved immensely!! 🥰
However, this proximity is an important plot point. See, as Rosie is a romance writer, she was not feeling very inspired throughout the first hundred-or-so pages of this book. But then, when she was on the phone with her best friend Lina, she thought of the idea of getting a muse to inspire her writing—specifically, the idea of going back on dating apps and finding someone on Bumble or Tinder, for example. Funny enough, Lucas eavesdropped her <i>entire</i> conversation, much to Rosie’s dismay as she revealed many of her secrets to Lina making her madly blush at the thought of him hearing those things. But Lucas overheard it, he casually proposed a plan for her to find a muse: go on four dates together that mirror stages of falling in love and getting to know a person. In other terms, this was considered Rosie and Lucas’s experiment, hence the title of this book. Their first date was a cute trip to a record store, then a date night at a pizzeria named Alessandro’s, a Halloween Masquerade Ball, and finally, a rooftop date. I will not go into all of the details about the dates since you must read them for yourself. You best believe that Lucas went over the top to fill Rosie will love and inspiration for her new novel. ✨💖
Additionally, the main plot point of this story involved the romantic, sexual, and emotional tension that these dates created between the two main characters. Although Rosie and Lucas knew they were supposed to be “experimental” dates, both of them couldn’t help but feel very real emotions, which of course led to them falling in love with one another. I think both Rosie and Lucas fell in love with each other long before either of them could admit it; their friendship and relationship were so similar that it is hard to tell the two apart. But Elena Armas did an excellent job at articulating heartbreak towards the end of this book when Lucas had to leave Rosie standing in the airport, even though she wanted him to stay with everything that he was as a person, and not what he could offer. The feeling of sadness and missing someone against your best interests is a human thing, and I <i>sincerely</i> appreciate how she wrote about that concept. Heartbreak is a part of life, as long as you have a heart. It is irrational, messy, and sometimes stupidly inexplicable. But once again, it is life.
Luckily, this book had a happy ending that meant so much to me. Lucas Martín came back to Rosalyn Graham in the midst of her heartbreak on New Year’s Eve. He got ahold of the book she wrote, and through that, he was able to see for himself the depth of her love for him, and the man that she saw in him. It made Lucas realise that he deserved Rosie, even if he didn’t feel worthy of her. Ultimately, this is one of my new favourite romance books. It is a testament to love and truly accepting a person for everything that they are, and not what they have to offer. It is about becoming someone’s best friend, being their greatest adventure, and certainly their <i>true love</i>. One day, I hope my romance life turns into something like the love Rosie and Lucas share. It is currently January 15th, 2023 at 11:08 p.m. at the time of my writing this. Until then; I shall keep reading and living my loves out through these beautiful romance books.💖✨💖😊✨💖