so funny story… the first books of emily henry weren’t for me and I was like mehhh, she’s not going to be that author for me, but I kept giving her chso funny story… the first books of emily henry weren’t for me and I was like mehhh, she’s not going to be that author for me, but I kept giving her chances and read the newest books she released and that’s when I was like wow.
Book lovers was the first book of hers where I was like, THIS IS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!!!
And now, I don’t hesitate that much to read her books cause I’ve been enjoying all the new ones. So yay!!
I loved this lol. The -1 star is mostly because I wasn’t a fan of the conflict and because the first third of the book felt loooong and it took me a while to really lock in. This feels longer than it is, but I kinda enjoyed that? It felt more real and it kinda felt like a big hug to me now that I’m in that “working adult who doesn’t have friends and is struggling to keep old friends and is also the happiest she’s ever been with the love of her life” era looooll. ...more
was this perfect? no did this have the best writing and dialogue? n2nd read - jan 2025 still amazinggggg
1st read - jun 2023
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
was this perfect? no did this have the best writing and dialogue? no did I loved it? yes, deal with it :)
this was so much fun omfg, I want more like right now? please?
I'll admit the enemies-to-lovers wasn't the best, cause like its obvious they liked each other after like one chapter, BUT, the backstory and feud between their families? chef's kiss, delicious!!!
I won't say much, but Liam? loved him adored him my sweet angel. Violet? badass LOVED HER, great MC. Xander? he is so nice, but like let me see more of him please, I need his POV next book. I do admit the romance was a bit weird, like how it was developed. I wish we could've seen them have at least a date and like talk about normal date things lol. But once they loved each other, I was IN. Tairn? BEST CHARACTER EVER ISTG!!!!! I WANT HIM AS MY DRAGON SO BAD. AND ANDARNA??? SWEET BABY I ADOREEEE HEEEERRRRR. Dain? he can drop dead.
This was so good, it's not perfect, but I just loved it. The whole training and then the dragon, jesus, it's so fun. And the whole plot and stories, damn, I really wanted more.
**spoiler alert** 5 heartbreaking stars, 5 STARS ALWAYS 5 STARS FOR MY FAMILY!✨
It took a long ass time for me to read this, life’s been busy but this **spoiler alert** 5 heartbreaking stars, 5 STARS ALWAYS 5 STARS FOR MY FAMILY!✨
It took a long ass time for me to read this, life’s been busy but this was so worth the wait. Im sorry in advance, but I am incapable of judging MY family, I am 100% biased and deal with it, this is MY FAMILY!!!
I’ll review both books here (Saving 6 and Redeeming 6)❤️
All in all, I loved it. In S6 i kinda had no notes. And I stand by that. Watching them both grow up from 12 up to 18 years of age was an absolute treat and even though they frustrated me and made me want to scream at them, I loved them and I enjoyed them so so much.
In R6, shit hit the fan, in the most cruel, raw and brutal way. We all knew it was coming, having read Johnny and Shan’s books, but being with Joey through those times? Actually knowing every deep thought?? it was brutal and it HURT. Really really hurt. But honestly? Watching their lives change, watching Johnny arrive and Edel and John?? My heart was soaring, I couldn’t wait for my baby Joey to finally have the parents the guidance, the love he deserved. Joey did the work, he did it and I love him and I’m so damn proud of him and I will always go to war for him. He is MY BABY. He is my Joey and I love him to death.
(it did get slow at the 30-40% mark but meh, still 5 stars✨ )
As for Aoife, she is MY GIRL. It was such a change and she was a fighter through and through. I appreciate soooo much her letting me be with her through these hard times and getting to know her deeply was such an honor. She was real y’all. She was so real and she made the whole thing lighter. She was light. I love her. Please don’t get me wrong, I do love her and I will always root for her and props to her for everything she did and for being a great mom, but Joey is just my boy. I’ve known him longer so I’m sorry but I’m just more connected to him...more
“I wanna be your anything.” “How about my everything?”
this took me for fcking EVERRRR, it’s the longest I’ve been wit‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.25 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
“I wanna be your anything.” “How about my everything?”
this took me for fcking EVERRRR, it’s the longest I’ve been with a book for YEARS, and I honestly loved it. Listen, I recently got myself a girlfriend (yay for me!...more
“You didn’t treat me like I was a bad man. You didn’t always treat me like a good one, either. But you made me want t‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.25 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
“You didn’t treat me like I was a bad man. You didn’t always treat me like a good one, either. But you made me want to be a better one. You make me want to deserve you.”
why are these so good?!???? I am loving this author. I’ve loved every book and I’m one away from finishing all she has and I’m sad.
• tropes • ✨age gap (7 years) ✨forced proximity ✨fake dating ✨rivals ✨small town romance ✨slow burn
Stefan was already a mystery from past books and I was intrigued by him cause I knew he wasn’t a bad guy. And I was right. He won me over so quickly like, I love this man with all my heart.
♡ romance ♡
I am living for these slow burns. I loved their relationship and how it progressed and I could actually see how they slowly fell in love. It was so amazing to see. The dates??? Each one took things a bit farther and by the third one they were gone. They were so gone for each other is not even funny ...more
I wasn’t a storybook princess, and Rhys wasn’t Prince Charming. I didn’t want us to be. Because while what we had wasn‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
I wasn’t a storybook princess, and Rhys wasn’t Prince Charming. I didn’t want us to be. Because while what we had wasn’t a traditional fairytale by any means, it was ours. And it was forever.
bye i loved this so much. I can not. Like, what the hell???? This was so much better than the first one!!!!! (This is probably more a 4.25 stars book, but I don't care, Imma bump it up. I loved it.) For starters, we got THESE TROPES:
✨frenemies-to-lovers ✨grumpy/sunshine ✨age gap (10 years) ✨bodyguard x princess ✨possessive H ✨slow burn (kinda) ✨forbidden romance
“If we do it, we do it together. You and me against the world, princess.”
so, I ate that up. I'm pretty sure this is my first bodyguard x princess book and I need more (if y'all got recs with this trope PLEASE gimme). I highlighted a shit ton of quotes, so bare with me.
**Let me start by saying, this is in no way a stand-alone.I don't know if it's being sold as one, but it's not. The book is divided in two parts and the first one focuses on events that happened during the timeline of the first book. There are a ton of time jumps and I'm not sure you can get the full grasp of things if you skip the first one. That's my two cents.**
Now, I was not really excited for this. The first one was fine, so I didn't have expectations with this one cause my problems were mostly with the type of writing. I gotta say, there was an improvement in that area. A really big one. Ms. Huang likes to write in a tell no show way, and while it really bothered me in the first book, here it didn't. Because there was a bit more showing and the story progression was smoother, way more entertaining and engaging than the first one.
Bridget was pretty cool. I thought she was gonna crumble under the new responsibilities, but she pulled through and grew into the new position, which I loved to see. Such a queen move. Loved her.
“A British lord once tried to grope me under the table at Monaco’s Rose Ball. He only stopped after I “accidentally” stabbed his hand with a fork”
Rhys Larsen was perfect for Bridget. He was a great H. I swooned every time he did something sweet and I would absolutely melt when he switch that for dirty talk. LIKE DAMN. The man can turn me on in a millisecond.
“Bridget was mine. She wasn’t mine to take, but I was taking her anyway. Her laughs, her fears, her joy and her pain. Every inch of her body and beat of her heart. All mine. And I’d had enough of watching her in another man’s arms.”
There were a few lines that resembled a lot of Alex, but I think every possessive H has the same script and sometimes they overlap lmao. OH!!! And the indoor concert??? the dance at the gazebo????...more
“And then we end—we end where we started. Just us. All six of us.”
BYE IM SAD.
i don’t know what to say. I was struggling‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.75 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
“And then we end—we end where we started. Just us. All six of us.”
BYE IM SAD.
i don’t know what to say. I was struggling in the first part cause this was long as fuck and it was mostly just everyday stuff. We see 10 years in this book and by the second half I didn’t want to go. I loved seeing the kids grow and their adventures and troubles and how everyone started to become their own person. I LOVE THIS FAMILY.
I’m sorry, but I GET IT NOW. I probably won’t be as harsh to Lily and Lo when I re-read this in the future (maybe just a little bit heh).
I adore this. I was on the fence about reading the next gen series cause I know it’s bad, but honestly, I will read it just for crumbs of the core six and the kids. I just… this place is such a comfort place. I’m so happy I read this.
AND THE FAREWELLS????!???? BYE I WAS SOBBING. THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD WRAP UP THANK U KBR...more
“I’ll love you until my heart gives out. I’ll be your man for a thousand years. Longer if I’m allowed.”
I— omg okay. ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.25 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
“I’ll love you until my heart gives out. I’ll be your man for a thousand years. Longer if I’m allowed.”
I— omg okay. I didn’t know what to expect with this book. I figured it was just another chick lit contemporary romance. And it was, but with ✨spice✨. I thought The Love Hypothesis had went wild with that one scene BUT OMG THIS BOOK???? HOT HOT HOT ...more
I— holy shit okay, i can see why this book is THIS popular.
is it worth the hype?? abso-fucking-lutely
i didn’t know what‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.75 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
I— holy shit okay, i can see why this book is THIS popular.
is it worth the hype?? abso-fucking-lutely
i didn’t know what this was about when I started it. I just supposed it was about a woman with seven husbands and it is, but it’s also so much more than that.
╰┈➤quick summary: Monique is an average-level writer at a magazine and one day, her boss tells her that Academy Award Winner, legend and icon Evelyn Hugo is down for an interview about the dresses she donated to auction to the American Brest Cancer Foundation, but is requesting Monique herself to do the interview. She is shocked, but thrilled. Once she meets Evelyn, she comes to the shocking revelation that she actually wants Monique to write her biography, telling the truth about her life. And so the story about Evelyn Hugo and her seven husbands, her lovers, her friends, family, mistakes and wins, begin.
This is a raw, beautiful and real life story. It’s a love story, too. You have to know, these people are flawed. They are real. And they make mistakes, and they are selfish and they take advantage of others, but they’re also just trying to accomplish their dreams, they’re trying to achieve happiness, to be at peace.
I’m gonna be honest, when I started it I wasn’t sure I was going to loooove this, because I didn’t really like Monique lol. But once we got to Goddamn Don Adler, I was a goner.
”You start crying. And then he’s gone. And you stop. And you think, If only they gave out Oscars for this shit.”
I actually can’t fucking believe Evelyn Hugo and everyone else is not real. I actually googled some of these names wondering if they were real lmao.
I found myself unable to stop reading. Once the story begins, I was hooked. Having chapters this short didn’t help, cause I would say “one more”, but then it would be over too fast and I would read another and then suddenly is 4a.m. and I’m bawling my eyes out.
I’d like a moment to appreciate Harry. He was THE best character, period.
I didn’t always agreed with Evelyn, but I respected her. I had a bit more issues with Celia, but again, she wasn’t perfect. I can’t hold that against her, cause nobody is. She was a bit toxic, though… ...more
Re-read Dec 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.25 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ First read Aug 2021: 4.5 stars
“It’s okay if you’re only 99% a mother, at least save 1% for yourseRe-read Dec 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.25 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ First read Aug 2021: 4.5 stars
“It’s okay if you’re only 99% a mother, at least save 1% for yourself. I’ll still hang out with all percentages of you.”
This was so sweet, heartwarming and wholesome. I loved every single second of it. i fcking ADORE this family with all my heart. What a sweet way of ending the year ...more
Re-read Nov 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ Original rating July 2021: 5 stars
yeah i still love this book. “A2, S2.”
♡
OG review:
“You’re my untiRe-read Nov 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ Original rating July 2021: 5 stars
yeah i still love this book. “A2, S2.”
♡
OG review:
“You’re my until.”
I’m sorry, why did non of y’all recommended me this book?? WHY HAVE YOU DEPRIVED ME OF THIS BEAUTIFUL STORY??
THIS. WAS. PERFECT. I honestly don’t have words for how much I loved and adored this book. Yeah, there were a thing or two here and there that weren’t the best, but I DONT CARE. I honest to god don’t care.
I am speechless, I just loved every single things about this. Willow? Bravest person ever. Isaac? Most selfless kind guy EVER. The Hamlet scenes were exquisite. I usually get bored on books where they combine stuff like this, but not here. No sir. There were so many moments and scenes that I absolutely adored with all my heart.
I’d never had a religious experience in my life, but at that moment, I’d swear the light pouring down on him came from the Greek gods. He was divine. Otherworldly.
Willow’s first thought about Isaac.
I didn’t know this girl for shit, but I added Willow Holloway seeing me perform tonight to the birthday presents from Marty already in my pocket. And for the first time in my life, I felt rich.
Isaac the day he met Willow.
“I got the impression…” I shook my head. “Never mind.” “The impression I like him?” I looked back at her. “That he likes you.” “Oh,” she said, her brows coming together. “God, I hope not. He’s nice enough. I mean, he gives me a ride after rehearsal. But…” I felt myself craning forward for the rest of her sentence, my ego gleefully throwing out suggestions. He’s dumb as a brick. He secretly can’t read. He farts when he laughs.
Isaac being a jealous cutie.
“You’re the girl I want, Willow.” I said it as me, as Isaac Pearce. Not a line in a play written by someone else. Me. “You’re it. You’re the girl. I don’t want anyone else.”
Isaac stealing my heart.
“Act Two, Scene Two. A2, S2.” I pulled her close. “Remember?” Her lips parted, and her cheeks turned pink. “Of course I do. The letter. Never doubt…” “Never doubt, Willow.” I kissed her again. In that moment, it seemed so easy. So perfect, I could almost forget the words were written for a tragedy.
Isaac breaking my heart.
See what I mean??? They are perfect. And Angie oh my god don’t even get me started. She was THE best friend. And she was awesome AND hilarious!!!!!
Exhibit (A): her wardrobe Angie gave me a long flowing skirt with green and red flowers on it, and an oversize green T-shirt that said, IRONY, the opposite of WRINKLY.
Exhibit (B): The poem “A willow is stronger. It bends to the storm. Harsh winds whip it, its leaves are torn and carried away. It bends but doesn’t break. It may weep but it will never fall.”
Exhibit (C): THIS scene “You’re a life saver, McKenzie, okay?” I said. “You’re a fucking life saver.” Angie pulled me close again. “Do me a favor?” she asked, sniffling. “Anything.” “Tell Stanford that? Because it would save me a shit-ton in med-school tuition.”
Again, I loved her. And her mom, too. Bonnie and Marty and Brenda and Benny were ALL the best side characters. On the other hand, I HATE Xavier and Willow’s parents :) Willow has a much more kind heart than me cause girl... after all of that?? Yeah, no.
I don’t have anything else to say, but to tell you: please do yourself a favor and read this. It’s a heavy, emotional, sweet romance that you won’t regret reading.
Just please read the trigger warnings beforehand as this does deal with heavy topics. No book is worth putting your mental health through the wringer, learn your limits and take care of yourself...more
“At the end of the day whoever is alive is the side that wins. War doesn’t determine who’s right. War determines wh
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
“At the end of the day whoever is alive is the side that wins. War doesn’t determine who’s right. War determines who remains.”
holy fucking shit. That was my mind the entire book. Holy shit. That was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. And it's the author's DEBUT?!?!? HOW?!!?! btw, this is my first 5-star read of 2021. To say i'm happy is an understatment. I was really scared I wouldn't find one this year.
This ain't for the faint of heart, it's brutal, cruel and at times painful to read. I honestly don't know why i put this one off for months. I don't have words for how enthralled i was the entire time.
Quick summary, Rin is a war orphan child from the south of Nikan and at 14 is set to marry an old man in exchange for money for her adoptive family. She doesn't want to, so she starts studying for the exam that could get her into Sinegard Academy where they train soldiers for the Empress. She obviously gets in and starts her journey.
“Well, fuck the heavenly order of things. If getting married to a gross old man was her preordained role on this earth, then Rin was determined to rewrite it.”
CHARACTERS
Rin. She is NOT a heroine. She is a morally grey character that will keep you on your toes and make you frustrated to then later make you understand and root for her to then be speechless and unsure about where to stand. You will feel every bit of rage, fear, resilience, power hunger and growth.
“I have become something wonderful, she thought. I have become something terrible. Was she now a goddess or a monster? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both.”
Altan I was always in the fence about him. He is a very complex character. He went through a lot and it hurt to read that, but at the same time, the things he did and how he acted at times was difficult to accept. I was uncomfortable at how much Rin admired him and just accepted what he did to her as an act of loyalty.
Nezha He grew a lot. Honestly, he is my baby and i love him. His arc was delicious. The first time Rin punched him, i just knew... they would become friends. maybe even more...
Kitay He was THE character. He was the voice of reason and logic behind Rin, he was a good friend, no, an AMAZING friend.
WORLDBUILDING At first it may seem like a lot of info-dump and overwhelming, but once you get through the first chapter everything makes sense and starts getting easier to read. It's a lot, but it wasn't difficult to keep up. The time Rin was in the Academy helped a lot with this. And it wasn't boring AT ALL. I'm a fast reader, but found myself going slower to fully absorb every single detail. I couldn't help myself, the history and philosophical side of the book was an absolutely delight to read.
“If your opponent was not human, if your opponent was a cockroach, what did it matter how many of them you killed? What was the difference between crushing an ant and setting an anthill on fire? Why shouldn’t you pull wings off insects for your own enjoyment? The bug might feel pain, but what did that matter to you?”
The author was not scared to go dark. The book gets darker each chapter and I had to take a break once. After chapter 21... I HAD to. That was absolutely brutal and painful and inhumane.
“Those weren’t lives. They were numbers. They were a necessary subtraction.”
There so much more to this world. A lot of myths and legends and gods and war and lives. There isn't any type of romance in this book, which is odd for me. I think this might actually be the first I read romance-less. And I loved it. I'm glad there wasn't. Rin is still growing and she is having the traumatic backstory that usually haunts the heroines/heroes. I'm not saying this is all leading up to this big romance story, cause I actually don't think this series will have one, but it's the best way to explain where we at.
I don't know what else to say, I'm scared of what's to come, cause according to some reviews I've read, the rest of the books just get more and more painful. Which is awesome, we love to suffer ...more
Re-read Dec 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ First read May 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.45 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
oh it hurts
p.s. do we get an explanation for Diego’sRe-read Dec 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ First read May 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.45 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
oh it hurts
p.s. do we get an explanation for Diego’s thingy at the end??? i can’t remember. i hope we do though _____
I decided to write a short review just to vent a little, cause I'm 20% into the 6th book and it's too much.
So listen, this book started GREAT. The first 40-50% is really good and I absolutely adored how the relationships were starting to develop. But then.... how dare you. HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY PARENTS!!!!!!! AND HOW DARE HE DOING THAT IN THE TRIAL!!!!!! FUCK YOU!!!!!! Listen, we knew. It's been something they kept telling us as a possibility and of course they can't be happy and have fcking rainbows around them all the time, I get it. But what Lance does?!? Yeah, it hurt like shit. It all goes down fucking hill from there. Literally everything that can go wrong, goes wrong.
The last 20-30% of the book is DEPRESSING. Like I cannot explain to you HOW depressing it is. I just want to hold and protect my Darcy girl. They all keep saying how "the stars are looking out for you" and shit, but with all due respe— FUCK THE STARS.
The Clara stuff was... awful duh, but I didn't pay too much attention to her UNTIL the end. I want to fcking MURDER her. IF they bring her back/heal her or whatever I still won't like her. She can die honestly. Besides, the "Daddy" stuff????????????
[image]
I'm sooo looking forward to the slow, PAINFUL and delicious death Lionel Acrux will suffer.
The Heirs now hold a very very special place in my heart. The way I've been all over the place with my feeling towards them...more
Re-read Dec 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.25 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ First read May 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.25 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
edit: i didn’t appreciate the classes the first timRe-read Dec 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.25 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ First read May 2021: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4.25 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
edit: i didn’t appreciate the classes the first time I read this, but I loved them. It gave me harry potter vibes and i was living for it✨
okay wow that ending was INTENSE. The last 20% of the book was FANTASTIC. The other 80% was okay, not in a bad way! It did felt a little bit stale at like the 30-40%, but the rest of the book is better.
This one is longer, but again, I don’t feel the length. The pacing is awesome, the flow of the conversations and the space between each important event is so great!!!
Again, Darcy and Tory were AMAZING. Ughhhh all the revenge filled my soul. The fact that they were a bit regretful made everything better cause it just added the perfect touch of humanity. UGH I LOVE THEM.
we have great Orion and Darcy moments THANK GOD. I just want to point out this scene cause oh my god:
“He finally extracted his fangs, but his mouth lingered on my neck a second longer than was appropriate. His lips pressed against the bite for what could only have been a millisecond but I felt it in every corner of my being, like the ground had just dropped away beneath my feet.
then also darius showed us his real side and he was even funny:
“Accidents happen.” He shrugged, refusing to rise to the bait this time.
“How exactly? Did you leave your scented candles burning too close to your silk pyjamas?” I asked.
“It was actually my curling iron too close to my bondage gear. The oil makes those suckers flammable as hell.”
third read Mar 2022: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ second read July 2021: 5 stars original rating Mar 2021: 4.75 stars
[2022] forever one of my favorite bthird read Mar 2022: ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ second read July 2021: 5 stars original rating Mar 2021: 4.75 stars
[2022] forever one of my favorite books ever.
[2021] you know what? i’m bumping this to 5 stars, cause it became one of my favorite books ever. I stand by my original review, I just want to add that I cried like a little bitch this time, it was so fcking SWEET. The quote I put at the end of my first review, DESTROYS ME EVERY TIME. I highlighted a few more, enjoy:
“It’s the packet stuff,” he explained in a damn near murmur like he didn’t want to say the words or something. “I don’t have any marshmallows, if you like that kind of thing.” He… He…. Oh, hell.”
Re-read Feb and Oct 2022:‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ First read May 2021: 4.75 stars
“She wouldn’t be my first, but she’d be the only one who ever maRe-read Feb and Oct 2022:‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ First read May 2021: 4.75 stars
“She wouldn’t be my first, but she’d be the only one who ever mattered. I think she could wait for the time to be right. I’d make sure she never regretted it.”
nope i’m not okay. i loved this one so much more the 2nd time around ...more
oh my gosh. I absolutely adored this. I LOVED THIS. This was so beautiful and I’m someone who isn’t fond of insta-love or s‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
oh my gosh. I absolutely adored this. I LOVED THIS. This was so beautiful and I’m someone who isn’t fond of insta-love or super quick love. This story develops in the span of TWO WEEKS. And it was so fcking amazing. I’m actually sad this is over. This was a very soothing love story. It feels slow, but I honestly enjoyed this sweet and calm ride a lot.
Ruby She was lovely. She had so many facets and layers! When I met her, I was smiling. She was a ray of light and I had so much fun with her. When we started to know her and learn her depth, I was so impressed by how human she seemed. I know she is a human, but she passed that thin line between seeing someone as a character and a person. She’s definitely real to me. Her fears and insecurities were real. I appreciated the fact that she didn’t let anyone step on her and put those people in their place. I just fell in love with her. It was so easy to do so. Her intimacy issue was so new to me. Well, no. I’ve read about that before, but this time it was dealt with in such a REAL way. She really grew in the story and I loved her two-week journey.
Boyd What. A. Man. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a MAN. He had NO issues being honest and upfront. He also surprised me A LOT. By how we meet him at the beginning, I thought he was going to be this broody, moody but sweet guy. But nope. He was just sweet. He was funny and nice and lovely. He was so selfless. I absolutely adored him and fell HARD for him. It wasn’t instant, but I fell for him alongside Ruby. Cause he just kept bringing and giving me more reasons to love him. He wasn’t as complex as Ruby. He was a simple man who knew what he wanted, didn’t try to rush things and was just letting things fly at their own speed. It was so calming. His mind was so calm. He was just going through life, enjoying every step. He was perfect for Ruby. I want someone like him. I hope someday I find someone like him.
Conflict I was worried about this. Cause I was loving the book and I didn’t want it to disappoint me with something silly. Even though, it wasn’t this HUGE heartbreaking conflict, it had just the perfect amount of angst. It made so much sense and it validated every single thing we had learned about them both. The issue with Ruby’s dad (I’m counting it as a minor conflict) was so well resolved. Like, the way Ruby told him all of her mind? YES OMG YES. I was so happy for her while hurting for her, too.
Other people Mitchell family. I can NOT wait to read every Mitchell book. I fell in love with their hometown and with the family. We don’t really see the dad that much, but everyone else? Perfect.
I swear to god I can’t find anything wrong with this. This had every bit of magic that comes along a small-town and big family romance. It felt nostalgic. At the beginning it was a bit overwhelming the way EVERYTHING was so well described and the drop of information we got every few dialogues, but I got used to it and actually enjoyed it a lot. It’s amazing how everything really came to life.
This is my first Jillian Liota book and it’s definitely NOT gonna be my last. This was amazing and I’m in love with this book. It’s not like revolutionary or shit, but it was just so well written. I’ve seen this story before, but at the same time it felt new. This is very heavily character driven and I’m glad. I got to know the depth and layers in these people had and it was my pleasure. I’m so glad I picked this book.
A quote I really liked:
“I’m not saying real love hurts you,” my mom says. “I’m saying the world hurts you. Life hurts you. People hurt you. Real love, though? Real love soothes you, wraps you up and protects you. The crying isn’t because someone who loves you has hurt you. It’s because you’ve been hurt, and the person who loves you was there for you. The crying is knowing you have someone precious, and you never, ever, ever want to let them go.”
And this one, too:
“Like his mother said, nobody is perfect. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be perfect for me.”
P.S. Read the extended epilogue, it was beautiful!!!...more