albyatross's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I think my expectations of this book might have dampened my score of it because I remember loving Natalie Tan's story when I read it years ago. And this felt weaker than the first novel.
The food descriptions are beautiful though, and the setting is a cute, romanticized version of Paris.
I expected the touches of magic / surrealism from the first book, but if you're expecting a fully grounded in reality contemporary book, this won't fit that bill.
But I wish ...
Also the "third act break up" that appears in many rom-coms occurs approx. 30 pages from the end in this, so the turn around felt incredible rushed to me. It does land on HFN though.
I'm glad a read it, but I'm not sure I'll pick up the third book.
The food descriptions are beautiful though, and the setting is a cute, romanticized version of Paris.
I expected the touches of magic / surrealism from the first book, but if you're expecting a fully grounded in reality contemporary book, this won't fit that bill.
But I wish ...
Spoiler
that one of the main plot points was a character decision and not just a "well this HAS to happen now for the sake of the plot" moment.Also the "third act break up" that appears in many rom-coms occurs approx. 30 pages from the end in this, so the turn around felt incredible rushed to me. It does land on HFN though.
I'm glad a read it, but I'm not sure I'll pick up the third book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Racism
karapillar's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, Racism, Car accident, Grief, and Death
astoldbyangela's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i really loved vanessa’s journey - the way she approached her flaws was refreshing and felt very human.
one thing i couldn’t get over was
one thing i couldn’t get over was
Spoiler
the HEA. normally i LOVE an HEA but i was fully prepared for vanessa to realize she had more opportunities for love & a new lease on life and then she ended up with ... marc. i just think she was way too good for him and beyond the large issue of gambling - there were so many little red flags in his behavior. i loved evelyn & girard’s ending and found the rest of the characters to be flawed AND lovable and i just didn’t feel this resolution with marc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Infidelity
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