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knunderb's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.5
A cute romance for sure. I liked that Georgie realized that she didn't need to change, but rather lean into who she already is. That seemed to be a departure from typical romance scripts for the female love interest. I didn't like how the author used the concept of "blankness" to describe how Georgie viewed herself and her future. It was reminiscent of being on drugs or depressed or something and it didn't seem to accurately describe her inner state. Also, Georgie vaguely referred to something embarrassing or terrible that happened before moving away from Darentville, but that never gets explained.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Drug abuse
Minor: Vomit
themoonshinegirl's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
5.0
Could barely put the book down, absolutely loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Pregnancy
jillkaarlela's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.5
Taylor swift songs: “jump then fall (tv)”, “mine”
This is the ideal version of small-town grumpy(mmc)-sunshine(FMC)! Where he is actual just grumpy bc he is jaded but he’s also the sweetest, softest, kindest cinnamon roll man there ever was who is a vegetarian, goes to therapy, and is best friends with his rescue dog hank🥹. I usually don’t love grumpy sunshine because when they say that, usually it means the man is just an a**hole, and they make the female character delusionally and annoyingly positive. However, that is definitely NOT the case here!!
This is told in dual POV, which for this story really works well!! We get to hear Levi and his perspective and how he is literally so in love with Georgie it is actually so precious. When I say he falls first and falls harder, I MEAN IT! Everyone needs a Levi. Their love story is just so precious.
I feel like a lot of people can relate to both characters!! Georgie spent her life as a PA (personal assistant) and has made a career out of making other people’s lives easier/better but never thought about/knew what she actually wanted. Levi is very introverted and scared of getting close to and letting people know him because he is afraid he will let them down.
Overall, I highly recommend if you want a really sweet, heartwarming small-town romance that feels like “sweet tea in the summer” (lol Taylor Swift reference, from “seven”)
*also fun side note, Georgie’s mom has RA just like me!
Age rating: 15+ (one very brief spicy scene, 0.5/5🌶️)
This is the ideal version of small-town grumpy(mmc)-sunshine(FMC)! Where he is actual just grumpy bc he is jaded but he’s also the sweetest, softest, kindest cinnamon roll man there ever was who is a vegetarian, goes to therapy, and is best friends with his rescue dog hank🥹. I usually don’t love grumpy sunshine because when they say that, usually it means the man is just an a**hole, and they make the female character delusionally and annoyingly positive. However, that is definitely NOT the case here!!
This is told in dual POV, which for this story really works well!! We get to hear Levi and his perspective and how he is literally so in love with Georgie it is actually so precious. When I say he falls first and falls harder, I MEAN IT! Everyone needs a Levi. Their love story is just so precious.
I feel like a lot of people can relate to both characters!! Georgie spent her life as a PA (personal assistant) and has made a career out of making other people’s lives easier/better but never thought about/knew what she actually wanted. Levi is very introverted and scared of getting close to and letting people know him because he is afraid he will let them down.
Overall, I highly recommend if you want a really sweet, heartwarming small-town romance that feels like “sweet tea in the summer” (lol Taylor Swift reference, from “seven”)
*also fun side note, Georgie’s mom has RA just like me!
Age rating: 15+ (one very brief spicy scene, 0.5/5🌶️)
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
theespressoedition's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
lnzava's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
rachelshubin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
I enjoyed my first novel by Kate Clayborn. This book is a perfect example of a four star read. I wasn’t always enamored while reading, but did end up feeling like it was an enjoyable read.
What I loved:
-I liked the idea of a character who doesn’t have it all together and doesn’t know what she wants next on her journey. That’s so relatable for so many people.
-I loved that the book was dual narrative with Georgie and Levi. I am, in fact, a Levi stan.
-I loved the pit Bull representation with Hank!
-Georgie’s robe. IYKYK.
-The book is set in a fictional (and believable) Virginia town. As someone from NoVa, I approve!
What I wasn’t obsessed with:
-Sometimes I felt like the friendfic was a backseat character and didn’t get enough of an explanation in the beginning (it took a while to get to that point, around 67 pages)
-I personally hated Georgie’s parents but I get why their actions made her the way she was
-I didn’t like the fact that you KNEW at some point Levi was going to run into his family and the whole book was kind of building up to it
-I didn’t find the book to have enough visual description so I could always picture everything but yet I still was able to picture it in my head
What I loved:
-I liked the idea of a character who doesn’t have it all together and doesn’t know what she wants next on her journey. That’s so relatable for so many people.
-I loved that the book was dual narrative with Georgie and Levi. I am, in fact, a Levi stan.
-I loved the pit Bull representation with Hank!
-Georgie’s robe. IYKYK.
-The book is set in a fictional (and believable) Virginia town. As someone from NoVa, I approve!
What I wasn’t obsessed with:
-Sometimes I felt like the friendfic was a backseat character and didn’t get enough of an explanation in the beginning (it took a while to get to that point, around 67 pages)
-I personally hated Georgie’s parents but I get why their actions made her the way she was
-I didn’t like the fact that you KNEW at some point Levi was going to run into his family and the whole book was kind of building up to it
-I didn’t find the book to have enough visual description so I could always picture everything but yet I still was able to picture it in my head
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Drug abuse
onlyonebookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
morellomel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
Loved this story and the journey of the characters!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
oceanwriter's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I don't know how I'm feeling about this one. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't like it either.
Georgie finds herself back home and reevaluating her life. Having spent a life of people pleasing, she's ready to start figuring out her own wants and needs after rediscovering a 'friendfic' she wrote as a teenager. An old high school acquaintance, Levi, helps her along on her journey of self-discovery.
The concept of this book is wonderful. I had really high hopes. Unfortunately, it felt like a strange mishmash of genres. The main plot felt like it wanted to be literary, but it was not written in a literary style. The romance plot felt like it wanted to be a romcom, but it wasn't comedic. While I liked the Georgie/Levi pairing, I grew bored of them quickly. I also found some of their romance scenes far too graphic for my taste. Disappointing overall, but ultimately comes down to a matter of preference and wrong assumptions of what the book was going to be.
Georgie finds herself back home and reevaluating her life. Having spent a life of people pleasing, she's ready to start figuring out her own wants and needs after rediscovering a 'friendfic' she wrote as a teenager. An old high school acquaintance, Levi, helps her along on her journey of self-discovery.
The concept of this book is wonderful. I had really high hopes. Unfortunately, it felt like a strange mishmash of genres. The main plot felt like it wanted to be literary, but it was not written in a literary style. The romance plot felt like it wanted to be a romcom, but it wasn't comedic. While I liked the Georgie/Levi pairing, I grew bored of them quickly. I also found some of their romance scenes far too graphic for my taste. Disappointing overall, but ultimately comes down to a matter of preference and wrong assumptions of what the book was going to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent
saliwali's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail