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rnbhargava's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
This romcom book is lovely and full of charm alongside some real emotion about family connections and how they guide the characters’ present day.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
There is a death by suicide that’s central to the protagonist’s mindset throughout this book.chloelai12's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
4.0
I was hesitant to give this 4 stars because for the majority of the book it was looking like a 3.5-3.75 but I think the ending saved it. The first 100 pages are the hardest to get through and I don't think I've ever taken this long to get through a 300 page romance book but you just have to stick to it. And I was in a reading slump coming back from my trip so probably not the book's entire fault.
It was a cute romance and it definitely has a punch with it's subject matter. I think tiktok might have sold it a little bit too much for what it was but I still really enjoyed it.
If I'm being completely honest, some of the stars in my rating Im giving myself because of my amazing playlist that encapsulated the vibes front to back of this book and it was fantastic. I know the book is set throughout summers but it felt more like a transitional book into autumn which I really liked.
Iwan was probably my favourite of the characters (though admittedly there's only him and Clementine worthy of merit) but I can not picture him in my head as anything other than the Bear. I can't see ginge curls and white eyes on a man in his mid 20s. Also very surprised his favourite colour wasn't blue but that was probably one of the best scenes in the book.
I really liked the direction the ending took and glad that they chose to start fresh for themselves and grow together rather than dwelling on the only thing that really brought them together.
I will add here, is it really a romance book if the fmc isn't a millennial having a career crisis? seriously i want a girl who is stable in her career and actually enjoys what she's doing until she doesn't. it's getting quite predictable
i did predict that there wouldn't be much plot about 80 pages in and i still maintain that it was more just vibes but i don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. the time travel did confuse me when he admits to her that he knew and had met her when she was 22. it only took me to the last 20 pages when i could kind of understand what he had actually meant but I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.
Overall, i did enjoy this and do think it's a pretty solid read but honestly, if i forget any of the subject matter in like a week i honestly wouldn't be that surprised. all the more reason for a re-read.
It was a cute romance and it definitely has a punch with it's subject matter. I think tiktok might have sold it a little bit too much for what it was but I still really enjoyed it.
If I'm being completely honest, some of the stars in my rating Im giving myself because of my amazing playlist that encapsulated the vibes front to back of this book and it was fantastic. I know the book is set throughout summers but it felt more like a transitional book into autumn which I really liked.
Iwan was probably my favourite of the characters (though admittedly there's only him and Clementine worthy of merit) but I can not picture him in my head as anything other than the Bear. I can't see ginge curls and white eyes on a man in his mid 20s. Also very surprised his favourite colour wasn't blue but that was probably one of the best scenes in the book.
I really liked the direction the ending took and glad that they chose to start fresh for themselves and grow together rather than dwelling on the only thing that really brought them together.
I will add here, is it really a romance book if the fmc isn't a millennial having a career crisis? seriously i want a girl who is stable in her career and actually enjoys what she's doing until she doesn't. it's getting quite predictable
i did predict that there wouldn't be much plot about 80 pages in and i still maintain that it was more just vibes but i don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. the time travel did confuse me when he admits to her that he knew and had met her when she was 22. it only took me to the last 20 pages when i could kind of understand what he had actually meant but I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.
Overall, i did enjoy this and do think it's a pretty solid read but honestly, if i forget any of the subject matter in like a week i honestly wouldn't be that surprised. all the more reason for a re-read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, and Pregnancy
alkruger_readinglibrary96's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness and Suicide
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
I still love the time-travel elements that Poston includes in her novels, even if thinking about existence on different planes hurts my head a bit. This romance novel is whimsical because of the time travel element and stunning due to the prose. Poston writes beautifully and explores modern issues in relationships. She created such loveable characters, I really enjoyed getting to know them all. I can’t wait for the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, and Abandonment
carodonahue's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, and Grief
imkedogger's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.75
This book was so great. Iwan and Clementine have been stuck in my head since finishing this book and I can't even begin to describe how much I loved it. There was a perfect balance between romance, grief, and just figuring out life in your late twenties/ early thirties. The magical realism aspect was unlike anything I'd ever read before and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who might be interested.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, and Dementia
fernandalaram's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, and Grief
bergha1998's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
Wow, so good. All the emotions with her aunt and then the time travelling love story with Iwan. Heartbreakingly beautiful and I enjoyed it just as much as the Dead Romantics.
Insta Love, Grief, 1/2 🔥
“My aunt used to say, if you don’t fit in, fool everyone until you do. She also said to keep your passport renewed, to pair red wines with meats and whites with everything else, to find work that is fulfilling to your heart as well as your head, to never forget to fall in love whenever you can find it because love is nothing if not a matter of timing, and to chase the moon.”
“I kept him at arm’s length because at least there he wouldn’t be able to see how broken I was. I could keep lying. I could keep pretending I was fine—because I was fine. I had to be. I didn’t like people worrying about me when they had so many other things to worry about. That was my allure, right? That you didn’t need to worry about Clementine West. She always figured it out.”
“I loved how a book, a story, a set of words in a sentence organized in the exact right order, made you miss places you’ve never visited, and people you’ve never met.”
“There was something just so reassuring about books. They had beginnings and middles and ends, and if you didn’t like a part, you could skip to the next chapter. If someone died, you could stop on the last page before, and they’d live on forever. Happy endings were definite, evils defeated, and the good lasted forever.”
“Be merciless about your dreams.”
“Snapshots of places I’d been, and the person I’d been when I painted them.”
“Because the things that mattered most never really left. The love stays. The love always stays, and so do we.”
Insta Love, Grief, 1/2 🔥
“My aunt used to say, if you don’t fit in, fool everyone until you do. She also said to keep your passport renewed, to pair red wines with meats and whites with everything else, to find work that is fulfilling to your heart as well as your head, to never forget to fall in love whenever you can find it because love is nothing if not a matter of timing, and to chase the moon.”
“I kept him at arm’s length because at least there he wouldn’t be able to see how broken I was. I could keep lying. I could keep pretending I was fine—because I was fine. I had to be. I didn’t like people worrying about me when they had so many other things to worry about. That was my allure, right? That you didn’t need to worry about Clementine West. She always figured it out.”
“I loved how a book, a story, a set of words in a sentence organized in the exact right order, made you miss places you’ve never visited, and people you’ve never met.”
“There was something just so reassuring about books. They had beginnings and middles and ends, and if you didn’t like a part, you could skip to the next chapter. If someone died, you could stop on the last page before, and they’d live on forever. Happy endings were definite, evils defeated, and the good lasted forever.”
“Be merciless about your dreams.”
“Snapshots of places I’d been, and the person I’d been when I painted them.”
“Because the things that mattered most never really left. The love stays. The love always stays, and so do we.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide
annaforthebooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Suicide
shetravelsinbooks's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
2.75
After hearing so many rave reviews of this book on TikTok, I was ecstatic to read it. I loved the plot line. I enjoyed the majority of the characters (not a fan of the constant LGBTQ characters being forced into my face but they weren’t the main characters at least). There’s also a pair of pigeons whose names made me laugh out loud every time I read them. That was about all I enjoyed.
This book does briefly in a very round about way talk about suicide. As a survivor of parents who committed suicide and one who struggles with depression, I didn’t like how it didn’t deal with it head on. It felt like the author was too scared to be open with it. I also felt like some of the choices made by both main characters were completely illogical, which made me like them less. I didn’t care for all the build up of the characters so that I finally enjoyed them, then had that rug ripped from underneath me. There were many chapters that felt slow and incredibly boring. I know I skimmed over a fair amount because it dragged on. There were way too many slow spots that just weren’t needed and felt like intentional fillers. One major plot point without spoiling it really made no sense to me (the character build up and reasoning or lack thereof about suicide). I felt like this book had so much potential and I was incredibly let down.
This book does briefly in a very round about way talk about suicide. As a survivor of parents who committed suicide and one who struggles with depression, I didn’t like how it didn’t deal with it head on. It felt like the author was too scared to be open with it. I also felt like some of the choices made by both main characters were completely illogical, which made me like them less. I didn’t care for all the build up of the characters so that I finally enjoyed them, then had that rug ripped from underneath me. There were many chapters that felt slow and incredibly boring. I know I skimmed over a fair amount because it dragged on. There were way too many slow spots that just weren’t needed and felt like intentional fillers. One major plot point without spoiling it really made no sense to me (the character build up and reasoning or lack thereof about suicide). I felt like this book had so much potential and I was incredibly let down.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Suicide, and Abandonment