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theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition
lighthearted
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 like books and tea more than I like clubs and margaritas.”
Nory, you are me and I am you.
While reading this book there were so many instances where I squealed with delight! It’s a wonderfully written closed door romance that takes place in a small English town. We follow Nory Noel and her group of friends while they are all busy falling in love and some of them making a real mess of it.
The book is very diverse with LGBTQIA+ characters, different ethnicities, and body types. A breath of fresh air. Thank you Jenny Bayliss for delivering once again.
While reading this book there were so many instances where I squealed with delight! It’s a wonderfully written closed door romance that takes place in a small English town. We follow Nory Noel and her group of friends while they are all busy falling in love and some of them making a real mess of it.
The book is very diverse with LGBTQIA+ characters, different ethnicities, and body types. A breath of fresh air. Thank you Jenny Bayliss for delivering once again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, Grief, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexual assault
Minor: Bullying, Racism, and Sexual assault
keppers_jax's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault
qgg's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
This romance also tells the story of the evolution of childhood to adult friendship, found family, born family, burying past grudges, righting past wrongs, and finding one’s place as a young adult. There is a full cast of characters and most everyone evolves through the story. I would normally give this book 4 stars. However, there is one character who was redeemed in this story who did something that was unforgivable in my opinion. They may have righted one wrong, but there was another, bigger violation that was not addressed by the author. Major ick for me. Downgraded to 2 stars, even though I liked the majority of the book. *See content warnings*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, and Gaslighting
No means no.chloearielle's review
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This book had a lot of elements I usually would love — it was set in the British countryside in a castle, the main character owns a used book store, the main love interest is the cute gardener from her childhood — all great setup for a super cute little romance novel. However, there were some elements of the book that I found to be quite problematic. This book breezed over some heavy topics like abuse, racism, class, sexual assault, and suicide. [LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD] The final straw for me was when a repeatedly abusive man became a secondary hero of the story. And everyone was just okay with it. Like he did one good deed and now he has been cured of his wily ways and deserves to be reunited with his wife and children. I didn’t believe that for a second. And hated that kind of character was given such a pass.
Overall, the setting and some of the imagery and artworks spoken about in the book were probably my favorite part. There were cute moments, but all of the cuteness was outshined by what I thought was poor handling of some very serious and important topics.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Racism