booklover1974's review against another edition
4.0
The Key to Happily Ever After by Tif Marcelo
I won this novel from the publisher through Goodreads and I'm very grateful for that! This is a lovely story about sisterhood.
Mari, Jane and Pearl are sisters and have recently taken over the family business, Rings & Roses from their parents. It's a wedding planning business and they have all three been taught by their mom the handiwork of being able to plan the perfect wedding.
They have different roles in the company but Pearl, the youngest of the sisters, is not happy with hers. She wants to do lore, take on more responsibility but is she up for the task?
The sisters are stubborn and how do you resolve business matters with those you love the most? To not let the business side destroy the personal bonds?
Something I really liked was that while this is a cute story, the author didn't shy away from topics like abuse and mental health. It gives the novel depth and credibility.
I saw that a new book by the author is coming out later this year and I'm putting it on my TBR.
I won this novel from the publisher through Goodreads and I'm very grateful for that! This is a lovely story about sisterhood.
Mari, Jane and Pearl are sisters and have recently taken over the family business, Rings & Roses from their parents. It's a wedding planning business and they have all three been taught by their mom the handiwork of being able to plan the perfect wedding.
They have different roles in the company but Pearl, the youngest of the sisters, is not happy with hers. She wants to do lore, take on more responsibility but is she up for the task?
The sisters are stubborn and how do you resolve business matters with those you love the most? To not let the business side destroy the personal bonds?
Something I really liked was that while this is a cute story, the author didn't shy away from topics like abuse and mental health. It gives the novel depth and credibility.
I saw that a new book by the author is coming out later this year and I'm putting it on my TBR.
maddness22's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-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
I picked up this book for free and mainly read it as a palette cleanser in between my heavy hitting reads. It's a sweet story about sisters. I thought the cast was a bit too large which made the narrative hard to navigate (was there even a point or conflict to Jane's storyline) and can't believe there was a year time skip after a cliff hanger action scene. But it was still sweet and did the job of offering the light hearted distraction that I was looking for while not being super heavy on the romance aspect.
allee_waters's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars - it was ok.
This good was just ok - the two main characters each annoyed me and I felt like the story got very old, very quickly. It was pretty predictable what was going to happen, and the tidy ending was kind of boring.
This good was just ok - the two main characters each annoyed me and I felt like the story got very old, very quickly. It was pretty predictable what was going to happen, and the tidy ending was kind of boring.
kristy_k's review against another edition
3.0
A pretty lighthearted family drama about three sisters who own a wedding planning business and discover love around the same time. The two main characters are Marisol and Pearl, the oldest and younger sisters respectively. There’s family conflict and a little bit of drama but overall it displays the closeness sisters share even when they’re fighting.
As an aside (and totally a joke, as I am a middle child) but in typical fashion, the middle child was left out from having a POV.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
As an aside (and totally a joke, as I am a middle child) but in typical fashion, the middle child was left out from having a POV.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
a_ab's review against another edition
2.0
This was a book version of "Eat Drink Man Woman" and "Tortilla Soup" mushed into one with some alterations and additional drama of the sisters running the same business.
It was OK, but, given how much I liked both movies mentioned above, I was surprised to feel so bored and uninspired by this book. Probably the biggest problem is that the book takes itself entirely too seriously.
There was nothing to break the monotony of endless pointless sibling squabbles and poor decisions. The conversations which should have moved the story along instead derailed into emotional warfare and set everyone back. As the result, the story felt stagnated and going in circles.
At the end of it all, I didn't feel like the book had much to offer aside from the old adage that "family is important", which is sufficiently expressed in those 3 words and doesn't need 300+ pages of hammering in with a sledge hammer.
It was OK, but, given how much I liked both movies mentioned above, I was surprised to feel so bored and uninspired by this book. Probably the biggest problem is that the book takes itself entirely too seriously.
There was nothing to break the monotony of endless pointless sibling squabbles and poor decisions. The conversations which should have moved the story along instead derailed into emotional warfare and set everyone back. As the result, the story felt stagnated and going in circles.
At the end of it all, I didn't feel like the book had much to offer aside from the old adage that "family is important", which is sufficiently expressed in those 3 words and doesn't need 300+ pages of hammering in with a sledge hammer.
loiefaulkner24's review against another edition
3.0
this was a very cute and heartwarming novel and a quick read - found myself wanting greater character background and depth!