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siebensommer's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.25
let regret come along for the ride. a passenger, not the driver.
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, and Dementia
Moderate: Racism and Alcohol
lanayagraham's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Sexual content
l1brarygirl's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Cursing, Sexual content, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
Minor: Addiction
melanie_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
As a reader, I appreciate stories that make me tear up as much as they make me laugh and Julia Whelan has done it again with this one. Sewanee (pronounced "Swan-knee") had a lot of things that she needed to sort through as a person, as she considered where she was at in life and what she wanted. While Sewanee could see other's issues more clearly, she had a harder time looking at her own. But throughout the story there was a lot of growth - for multiple characters - which was lovely. Of course, the story was also really funny with misunderstandings and misadventures galore. There was some innuendo (which served as some of the first connections for Sewanee and her costar) as well as a spicy fade-to-black scene and some language, but the beauty and the heart of the story easily earned it four stars.
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual content
hdunscombe's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Dementia
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
kateywaldhart's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicide attempt
chelle22's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
amy_in_the_city's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The MMC feels underdeveloped throughout the book and the story makes him grovel seemingly just because groveling is popular in romance novels. He didn't do anything that deserved groveling. Also, I think there was only like one sex scene, and it was kind of vague. It makes sense to be vague if you're trying to keep the book from being explicit, but the audiobook the main characters record is explicit so this book wouldn't have been non-explicit anyways. Something similar happens at the end when the story tells us the MMC wrote a song and then proceeds to tell us how the FMC felt listening to the song instead of giving us any song lyrics.
Another thing that bugged me throughout the book was that there were repeated instances of putting down other women. The FMC and one of her fellow audiobook narrators are dismissive towards an aspiring audiobook narrator because they perceive her as a blonde bimbo. The grandma is always making fun of another woman at her retirement home's plastic surgery, which seems like an especially odd choice in a book about a FMC with facial differences. Everyone at the retirement home makes fun of another female resident there for being proud of a recipe she makes that brought her family joy. The FMC seems judgmental towards and disdainful of the gentle-parenting yoga mom she is seated next on a plane.
I really loved the idea of this book, but it just didn't land the execution.
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Misogyny, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
ankiaisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexual content, Dementia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
cassiealexandra's review against another edition
5.0
I was worried that I'd built this up in my head too much, that I'd remembered it incorrectly, that I would be sorely disappointed upon a reread. My worries were for naught. This was absolutely wonderful from start to finish again. I decided to give this a reread by audio and was so happy I did. The accents and voices for everyone, Texan, Irish, and the crotchety old women at Seasons were perfect. It was still laugh out loud funny, heartfelt, and full of all the tropes. I was especially struck by the female friendship in it this time around, probably because I was reading alongside my best friends. I want Stu to give me all the pep-talks and may print out what he says about risk-taking and tape it to my vanity mirror. I need that kind of encouragement in my life. The author's note "On Autobiography" at the very end is not to be skipped!
Take all my stars, Julia Whelan. You have a lifelong fan of you as an author (but I do love your narration as well).
The bottom line: I think this is and will continue to be one of my favorite books of all time.
— NOTES —
Genres: romance, "women's" fiction
POV:3rd-person
Content: grief, dementia, loss of dreams, accident, disability
Romance: open door in chapter 10; other innuendo throughout
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 5
Enjoyment: 5
Craft: 5
Gut: 5
Total: 5x infinity
Original review: 4/8/2023
Hear me out. I’m not usually a gusher, but this book worked so well for me, and I can’t stop thinking about it. It was laugh out loud funny, had the right mixture of literary fiction and romance, played on familiar romance tropes, and the characters were more than one-dimensional. My husband and I spent a lot of time in high school on instant messenger (I’m aging myself here), so I loved that over 100 pages were epistolary. This was more than a Romance. It was about family and friendship, love and loss, hope and fulfillment, things universal to everyone. I loved this one from the opening chapter to the very end. I read it in print in less than 24-hours. I re-read multiple chapters on audio just so I could hear the author read her own words and act out each character’s voice and accent. This is a new favorite.
Graphic: Sexual content and Dementia