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gbrolsma16's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
4.75
I loved this book so much. It was a random one I grabbed off the shelf in the library to tide me over until my waiting list books were ready and I’m so glad I picked it. The character development is so thoughtful and done with care. I fell in love with the characters and their story. The depiction of mental health, the struggles that come with it, and the difference that a strong support network and meaningful work in your life can make was powerful. I laughed, I smirked, I cried (kind of a lot at one point). I haven’t loved a book this much since my last TJR book, and that’s hard to beat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer
mk_meow's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
2🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
ilysespieces's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Minor: Car accident and Suicide attempt
dianacoronado's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the first book to have me silently sobbing in the middle of the night.
Because it’s a romance novel, the ending is predictable given the genre but that didn’t make it any less impactful.
At times, I couldn’t stop crying because it felt like my own thoughts and emotions were on the page. This is the most accurate depiction of anxiety and depression I have read… well ever.
I am so thankful this book exists. What a lovely, tender story.
Because it’s a romance novel, the ending is predictable given the genre but that didn’t make it any less impactful.
At times, I couldn’t stop crying because it felt like my own thoughts and emotions were on the page. This is the most accurate depiction of anxiety and depression I have read… well ever.
I am so thankful this book exists. What a lovely, tender story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Car accident
headbangerhijabi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Okay so it's been a few days since I finished this book; I think I've finally collected my thoughts. I gotta say, it was a roller coaster of a book.
FIRST OF ALL IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE HEADSPACE TO READ ABOUT SUICIDE/SUICIDE IDEATION, NEGATIVE SELF TALKING, ANXIETY, PANIC ATTACKS, AND TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. It is a really great story, but if you are not in a good place mentally to handle that it can be a lot. I haven't had a book make me cry in less than 50 pages in a long time but this one did.
I'm going to put the rest of the review below the spoiler
So my thoughts.
1) i saw a lot of other reviewers complaining that Isla's anxiety almost seemed like a whole character. Like it was the villain waiting in the wings. And here's the thing, Anxiety irl presents like that a lot of the time. I have a little voice in my head that tells me a lot of the same shit that Isla was thinking to herself. I've gotten better but that whole "second character who's job is to belittle you" is very accurate to how my anxiety can present itself. One of the tricks I use to keep her at bay is to treat her like a Starbucks Karen. Isla's anxiety is a lot more severe than mine is but this story is about her learning to stand up to her own mental Karen, Ewan helps a lot but at the end of the day Isla is the one who needs to stand up to Karen.
2) I love Isla and Ewan's relationship. He's great at pulling her out of her shell, and she's someone that Ewan feels like he can be himself around. I get the feeling that Ewan feels judged by a lot of people in his life, and as a second gen kid in an immigrant community that feels so accurate. Being able to follow along with a conversation but not being able to contribute is definitely something that resonated in my personal life. Also, the way their little nerdy banter plays off one another was ADORABLE AF
3) I love the entire premise of the story and the writing was great! my ONLY complaint is that it wrapped up way too quickly. Maybe it's because this is a debut author, and she's still finding her stride, but to have the resolution to Isla's second attempt at resetting the timeline be sequestered to the Epilogue made it feel a bit rushed. I like that the overarching story was that Isla needed to learn to accept herself even when bad things happen, but at the same time we had to sit through the bad timeline where Ewan was gone and we got almost nothing from the good timeline where everything works itself out.
4) I LOVED EWAN. I even wrote in the margins when he first got the call from Future!Isla that if he was the one who dies I would riot. AND I FUCKING DID. the first 89% of the book I flew through in like a day and a half. The like 10 pages from the Accident to when Isla realized she could call him again took literally FOUR HOURS of me pacing and crying and screaming and cussing to get through 😅
5) I love that Future!Ewan was able to get Isla to a place where she was able to step out of her comfort enough to meet him in a different way than they had originally. I love that she was able to learn how to accept the issues that would come, and that Current!Ewan was quick to learn how to work with her quirks. Their relationship felt real. Ewan made mistakes, so did Isla, but they worked through them in a way that didn't feel too "Hollywood we've got five minutes to wrap it up" which I think is why the ending felt so jarring. like I didn't want to have to read the hospital scene again, cuz ooff, but if there was a few more scenes, like maybe their wedding or them moving in together after the accident would have been nice. (OR even an announcement that "the accident was x amount of years ago"). I do love that Isla did get to have her moment with the gallery, but I wanted a bit more......
6) I do wish we got more of Ewan's POV chapters. Like I would love to have a Future!Ewan chapter where he realizes what's happening with the messages. Or even just a bit more of Current!Ewan's thoughts. I also REALLY want to know if Isla ever actually tells Current!Ewan about Future!Ewan and Future!Isla...... like what was that conversation even like?!?!?!
Overall solid story, the rushed ending was my only real gripe.
FIRST OF ALL IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE HEADSPACE TO READ ABOUT SUICIDE/SUICIDE IDEATION, NEGATIVE SELF TALKING, ANXIETY, PANIC ATTACKS, AND TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. It is a really great story, but if you are not in a good place mentally to handle that it can be a lot. I haven't had a book make me cry in less than 50 pages in a long time but this one did.
I'm going to put the rest of the review below the spoiler
So my thoughts.
1) i saw a lot of other reviewers complaining that Isla's anxiety almost seemed like a whole character. Like it was the villain waiting in the wings. And here's the thing, Anxiety irl presents like that a lot of the time. I have a little voice in my head that tells me a lot of the same shit that Isla was thinking to herself. I've gotten better but that whole "second character who's job is to belittle you" is very accurate to how my anxiety can present itself. One of the tricks I use to keep her at bay is to treat her like a Starbucks Karen. Isla's anxiety is a lot more severe than mine is but this story is about her learning to stand up to her own mental Karen, Ewan helps a lot but at the end of the day Isla is the one who needs to stand up to Karen.
2) I love Isla and Ewan's relationship. He's great at pulling her out of her shell, and she's someone that Ewan feels like he can be himself around. I get the feeling that Ewan feels judged by a lot of people in his life, and as a second gen kid in an immigrant community that feels so accurate. Being able to follow along with a conversation but not being able to contribute is definitely something that resonated in my personal life. Also, the way their little nerdy banter plays off one another was ADORABLE AF
3) I love the entire premise of the story and the writing was great! my ONLY complaint is that it wrapped up way too quickly. Maybe it's because this is a debut author, and she's still finding her stride, but to have the resolution to Isla's second attempt at resetting the timeline be sequestered to the Epilogue made it feel a bit rushed. I like that the overarching story was that Isla needed to learn to accept herself even when bad things happen, but at the same time we had to sit through the bad timeline where Ewan was gone and we got almost nothing from the good timeline where everything works itself out.
4) I LOVED EWAN. I even wrote in the margins when he first got the call from Future!Isla that if he was the one who dies I would riot. AND I FUCKING DID. the first 89% of the book I flew through in like a day and a half. The like 10 pages from the Accident to when Isla realized she could call him again took literally FOUR HOURS of me pacing and crying and screaming and cussing to get through 😅
5) I love that Future!Ewan was able to get Isla to a place where she was able to step out of her comfort enough to meet him in a different way than they had originally. I love that she was able to learn how to accept the issues that would come, and that Current!Ewan was quick to learn how to work with her quirks. Their relationship felt real. Ewan made mistakes, so did Isla, but they worked through them in a way that didn't feel too "Hollywood we've got five minutes to wrap it up" which I think is why the ending felt so jarring. like I didn't want to have to read the hospital scene again, cuz ooff, but if there was a few more scenes, like maybe their wedding or them moving in together after the accident would have been nice. (OR even an announcement that "the accident was x amount of years ago"). I do love that Isla did get to have her moment with the gallery, but I wanted a bit more......
6) I do wish we got more of Ewan's POV chapters. Like I would love to have a Future!Ewan chapter where he realizes what's happening with the messages. Or even just a bit more of Current!Ewan's thoughts. I also REALLY want to know if Isla ever actually tells Current!Ewan about Future!Ewan and Future!Isla...... like what was that conversation even like?!?!?!
Overall solid story, the rushed ending was my only real gripe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Grief
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Injury/Injury detail
sleepybears4237's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
lishmo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol
arbertram10's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Car accident
nukie19's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
mountainside_reading's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Wow I loved this book. I’m a fan of differing timelines, and this book reminded me a lot of the movie The Lake House and Oona Out of Order. I loved how supportive Ewan was of Isla throughout, and the emphasis on mental health and how he encouraged her to want to live for herself. I think it conveyed a good message about the importance of loving yourself and getting help and being open with those you love. It’s a very emotional book for sure and make sure to take note of the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Car accident
Moderate: Cancer, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent