vanhowdr's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.5
This book marks my completion of everything on TJR’s backlist! This story follows Elsie who finds herself widowed shortly after marrying the love of her life, Ben, who she had a whirlwind romance with. This book delves into themes of grief after losing a loved one (shown through many situations: a tragic accident, a long battle with illness, and death at the end of a long life). It also touches on what defines true love as Elsie grapples with the death of Ben. I enjoyed the story overall and especially loved Elsie’s relationship with Ben’s mother and how that evolved throughout the book. However, I found the pacing to be a bit slow at times and wasn’t always pulled into the story. Even so, the heartfelt messages and character growth throughout the story made this an enjoyable read overall.
emmabc's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Super cheesy, unlikeable main character and couple
samuelharbord's review against another edition
1.0
Jesus Christ this book sucked ass.
The main character is an absolute drip who has no likeable qualities. She’s horrible to everyone around her and drones on about the same things over and over again.
I’ve read a few of TJR’s novels already which are usually quite good, however this one seems so rushed and unplanned? The storyline doesn’t work and there’s a lot of mistakes in time gaps and dates. The plot is also VERY boring and over-dramatic. This girl really needs to get a grip, have a cocktail and get over herself and the whoa is me attitude.
TJR’s writing style is usually average but the story line and structure of her novels (e.g interview style-esque) really help the story to move along and become addictive. Saying this, the story and structure in this were shocking.
I do have a few other TJR books to read, but christ if they’re like this I won’t bother. AVOID THIS BOOK LIKE THE PLAGUE.
The main character is an absolute drip who has no likeable qualities. She’s horrible to everyone around her and drones on about the same things over and over again.
I’ve read a few of TJR’s novels already which are usually quite good, however this one seems so rushed and unplanned? The storyline doesn’t work and there’s a lot of mistakes in time gaps and dates. The plot is also VERY boring and over-dramatic. This girl really needs to get a grip, have a cocktail and get over herself and the whoa is me attitude.
TJR’s writing style is usually average but the story line and structure of her novels (e.g interview style-esque) really help the story to move along and become addictive. Saying this, the story and structure in this were shocking.
I do have a few other TJR books to read, but christ if they’re like this I won’t bother. AVOID THIS BOOK LIKE THE PLAGUE.
tianalinnea's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
elsaa's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
charlotteroach's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Let’s preface this with the fact that I am a Taylor Jenkins Reid supremacist, and believe that her historical fiction novels are some of the greatest things I have ever read, before I say that this book made me want to literally rip my eyes out of their sockets. If this book has one hater, it’s me. If this book has zero haters, I’m dead.
“”Has anyone else told you you’re the most boring woman on the planet?” Ben asked me, smiling.”
- yes, me, 15 pages into this book.
✨SPOILERS✨
Every single protagonist in TJR romance novels is exactly the same with no discernible qualities – they are all bland, boring women with no internal flaws who everyone seems to love, despite having the most flavourless personality. They love to eat ‘real food’ and be so silly and goofy in a way that would make me look like a mf clown in big ass shoes in comparison. Yet, for some reason, they are always fawned after by everyone in their lives, with men instantly falling in love with them, and their friends never calling them out on their shit, even when they are being literal devils. She’s not interesting, and she’s not even really that nice, so I don’t understand what the appeal is meant to be – if I could see some sort of personality in this woman, maybe I’d be rooting for her, but I just do not care because it is like reading about plaster falling in love with a wall. Neither are interesting, they’re just there.
Elsie and Ben had no chemistry. Maybe, I missed something, but it seems like all they had was ‘love at first sight’. I’m not against people getting married after only knowing each other for six months, but we are supposed to believe that they just had this connection that was so all encompassing that they couldn’t spend a second without each other, but there’s not a lot of evidence of that in the text. I barely felt any spark between the two characters. I felt like they were just any two romcom couples. He was a textbook love bomber, and she was a boring person who believed that she was the most interesting person in the world and that’s why they got on so well, because he satiated her need for compliments and made her feel important. I would hate to hang out with this couple - they act like they invented love and are the type of people who would oppose gay marriage because it would make their marriage ‘less meaningful’.
Ben Ross is a COWARD. He’s a cowardly love bombing WEIRDO, and I am glad he got run over. I don’t even CAAAREEE he is such a lame loser who was too scared to tell his mum he had a girlfriend even though he was NEARLY THIRTY?!! And the reason he gave was supposed to be ‘oh I just care about her so much, she’s so sad since my dad died’. HUH? What a strange strange thing to think. It was so frustrating seeing him say how he wished his mum would ‘move on’ after she literally lost her spouse who she had an entire life and child with after only three years, rather than realising maybe she’s kind of fine with not having another romantic relationship?? This man’s whole spiel is that ‘I love my mum so much that I’m gonna infantilise her’, and I just know that if he hadn’t died, he would never have told her he was married until they had a child and it turned six. He’s so pathetic and lame and I hate him, and he is definitely not in Heaven. Also, imagine finding out that something really nice and romantic your husband did for you, he also did for his MOTHER. JAIL!!!
Elsie is an absolutely terrible friend to Ana. I understand completely that she was grieving hard over her equally boring husband, but she allowed her sadness to turn her into a venomous loser who lashed out at someone who had literally uprooted her life to make sure she was okay. I’m all for female friendships and great support systems, but Elsie does not deserve Ana, and I was so sick of reading pages and pages of her just being so rude and disrespectful to her. I genuinely had to quietly scream into the book when she started bitching at her for *checks notes* being happy (??!!!) and getting into a relationship. She starts ragging on Kevin when she met him once when she was in a deep depression, and was lashing out and being horrible to everyone. She’s got this idea that he’s a boring person, he’s bland, he’s plain, just because he’s not some jacked, conventionally attractive guy, when she doesn’t know the first thing about him. Why are you so desperate to see your best friend be miserable? And imagine YOU calling someone boring!
And, if that’s not enough, she NEVER EVEN APOLOGISED FOR ANY OF IT AFTER SHE REALISED SHE WAS BEING UNREASONABLE! I got to the end of the book, hoping there would be a conversation about how she had been a dick, but there was nothing, just a small paragraph about how they went for dinner together?? So, are we just assuming they’re back to normal without any kind of accountability? I was so sick of Elsie consistently being absolved of any kind of blame for anything: she does something problematic or is rude to someone and she doesn’t apologise, but in the next scene the person is just like ‘I’m over it’ or they’re like ‘I’ve had time to think and that’s in the past’. Why is nobody calling her on her shit?! Why is nobody saying ‘hey that was a really bad thing you did, I need an apology before we’re okay to move on’? Everybody just is like ‘okay, no, it’s fine, I probably shouldn’t have done this thing either’. NO! You are the victim!! Don’t let her be like that!!!
I really hated this book so much. I hoped it would be closer to One True Loves (which I loved), but unfortunately it is closer to Maybe In Another Life (which I also hated). 1⭐️, because I genuinely can’t think of a single nice thing to say about it.
I’m sure I’ve said enough, but here are some quotes that pissed me off and my exact verbal reactions to them.
“It’s difficult because I work so hard to keep the self-pity at bay, and talking like this, talking about all of this, it’s like opening the door to my self-pity closet and asking its contents to spill all over the floor.” – Girl, you invented self-pity
“Susan comes to the door with her arms open wide for a hug. She looks genuinely thrilled to see me, which is nice, because I feel like for the past few weeks I simply have not been someone people would be thrilled to see.” – YEAH BECAUSE YOU’VE BEEN LITERAL SCUM TO ANYONE WHO LOOKS AT YOU
“She should be here any minute, and I am excited to show her how nice it can be to just sit by a pool and feel the sun beating down on you.” – Woman discovers sunbathing
“she’s lost. I don’t think I could see it before because I was so lost. I’m still lost. But I can see that Susan needs… Something.” – Has this woman got short-term memory loss or something? Why is she bringing up something that has been mentioned multiple times as if she’s just realised it? This isn’t an epiphany, this is something that we have known
“I realise it’s time I was supportive as well as supported. I think the time for “This Is All About Me” actually ended quite some time ago.” – Woman discovers she is not the only person affected by the death of a loved one
kirst98's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
tennilles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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