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jessicabearbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"The present is our own. The right-this-second, the here and now, this moment before the next, is ours for the taking. It's the only free gift the universe has to offer. The past doesn't belong to us anymore, and the future is just a fantasy, never guaranteed. But the present is ours to own. The only way we can realise that fantasy is if we embrace the now".
This book is for anyone who has ever been so desperately in love, you can't see yourself surviving if it ends. I think a little part of this story will stay with me forever. As a side note - this book only took me three months to read because I was too busy crying over a dissertation. But once I opened this again I was OBSESSED and read the last two thirds of the book in a couple days.
The characters are beautiful, it's so easy to fall in love with a lot of them. Maybe because I saw so many similarities to people in my own life - but I think the relatableness is what makes this story so heartbreaking and real. There are plenty of silly, everyday scenarios that have happened to almost every university student and person, paired then with the plot twists that make you grateful your own life isn't as dramatic. But whatever the crazy situation and context is, the emotions are the same and tug at your heart because you've felt them. There is such human innocence in this book, and I think that's so beautiful.
Grace, oh sweet Gracie, who was always too gentle for this world, I'm glad you're happy now. Matt and especially Grace didn't deserve what happened throughout this novel, and GIRL - I hated the frustration I felt as a reader having to watch everything unfold! But ultimately the story was beautiful, there was such a nice balance between comedy, emotion, dialogue and description. The world building and scene setting was always great - after visiting New York last year I've been searching for a way to go back. Reading this was perfect and maybe that's why I felt such a sense of loss when I had to say goodbye to these characters, their world, and their story.
The story was beautiful and there were so many powerful quotes I found myself tabbing and going back too! However, I had a few issues with some of the things Matt agreed to or said, whether this is him being a teenager or him being a dick I can't decide, for the most part though Grace was lucky to have him. I got confused a lot over the whole Monica/Elizabeth timeline - there's definitely a lot of little things and hints to think about and remember when reading this book, as a lot of loose ends are tied up throughout and aren't as shocking or relieving unless you're reminded of which characters or plot they relate too.
Overall, a strong four stars as the book definitely lives up the hype. I would recommend (I actually bought this book again straight away as a gift for my Mum, who reminds me so much of Grace and Aletha), especially to those desperately in love, or who still think about the one who got away.
"I feared there would be no healing us. The scars were too deep".
Mini playlist for this book:
Matilda - Harry Styles
Timeless - Taylor Swift
Nothing New - Taylor Swift
When We Were Young - Adele
This Love - Taylor Swift
This book is for anyone who has ever been so desperately in love, you can't see yourself surviving if it ends. I think a little part of this story will stay with me forever. As a side note - this book only took me three months to read because I was too busy crying over a dissertation. But once I opened this again I was OBSESSED and read the last two thirds of the book in a couple days.
The characters are beautiful, it's so easy to fall in love with a lot of them. Maybe because I saw so many similarities to people in my own life - but I think the relatableness is what makes this story so heartbreaking and real. There are plenty of silly, everyday scenarios that have happened to almost every university student and person, paired then with the plot twists that make you grateful your own life isn't as dramatic. But whatever the crazy situation and context is, the emotions are the same and tug at your heart because you've felt them. There is such human innocence in this book, and I think that's so beautiful.
Grace, oh sweet Gracie, who was always too gentle for this world, I'm glad you're happy now. Matt and especially Grace didn't deserve what happened throughout this novel, and GIRL - I hated the frustration I felt as a reader having to watch everything unfold! But ultimately the story was beautiful, there was such a nice balance between comedy, emotion, dialogue and description. The world building and scene setting was always great - after visiting New York last year I've been searching for a way to go back. Reading this was perfect and maybe that's why I felt such a sense of loss when I had to say goodbye to these characters, their world, and their story.
The story was beautiful and there were so many powerful quotes I found myself tabbing and going back too! However, I had a few issues with some of the things Matt agreed to or said, whether this is him being a teenager or him being a dick I can't decide, for the most part though Grace was lucky to have him. I got confused a lot over the whole Monica/Elizabeth timeline - there's definitely a lot of little things and hints to think about and remember when reading this book, as a lot of loose ends are tied up throughout and aren't as shocking or relieving unless you're reminded of which characters or plot they relate too.
Overall, a strong four stars as the book definitely lives up the hype. I would recommend (I actually bought this book again straight away as a gift for my Mum, who reminds me so much of Grace and Aletha), especially to those desperately in love, or who still think about the one who got away.
"I feared there would be no healing us. The scars were too deep".
Mini playlist for this book:
Matilda - Harry Styles
Timeless - Taylor Swift
Nothing New - Taylor Swift
When We Were Young - Adele
This Love - Taylor Swift
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
amanda994's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
evelynnnn33333's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Cursing and Alcohol
kelseyfontaine's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
Very cute second chance romance! The story kept me hooked the entire time, and the plot twist was very unexpected. I felt very connected to Matt and Grace’s love story and it was interesting to read a different type of romance that what I normally do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death and Abortion
yilliun's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wanted to like this book and I went into it with very high expectations. I do like second chance romances, but this one made no sense to me especially factoring in their LITERAL CHILD . This very much reads like a product of hipster mid-2010s to me and I understand why some people might like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment
carlyjoann's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
brinkley's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
jessbaldwin's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Wow this second chance romance story is just amazing. Wasn’t expecting the twist towards the end such an emotional story which ended with a great happy ending
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content and Abandonment
valeriaboom's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.75
The first part of this book was amazing, I thought it would be 5 stars, and I was actually enjoying it a lot until page 231!!! but then things started to go downhill and I hated it so so much. Dan and his relationship with Grace creeped me out so much, and the fact that they got married??? Wtf! I also absolutely hate the miscommunication trope, and it made no sense at all in this book!!! And the unexpected pregnancy? No thank you! It made me sad how much this book made me angry, and even though I liked most of it, I can’t give it more than 2 stars for that stupid ass ending grrrr
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
readingwithmeredith's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Unpopular book opinion time: I know this a favorite of so many but I struggled to connect and really get into the story. The first part of the story I was sucked in and thought I could see why this book was so popular, but then when it flashed to the past it lost me. I kept pushing through but it just never grabbed me in the same way again. It felt like there was so much potential for the characters and connecting on more than physical attraction because of their backstories but I felt like it wasn’t capitalized on. There were glimpses of depth but I wanted more. I also felt like the twists and miscommunications were very predictable and I had guessed it was going to happen before the hallway point of the book. I can sort of see the appeal of this book, but it just fell flat for me. Maybe it just wasn’t the right book for me.
Content notes: I struggled with the use of drugs and alcohol in this book. Normally the use of drugs in a book is an automatic DNF for me but I decided to push through thinking it was going to be a steady theme, but it occurred in at least 4 scenes. This also is open door, which I knew going in, but there were 7 open door scenes scattered throughout the book- which was a lot for me and my taste. There also were a good amount of sensual dialog/jokes and language.
Content notes: I struggled with the use of drugs and alcohol in this book. Normally the use of drugs in a book is an automatic DNF for me but I decided to push through thinking it was going to be a steady theme, but it occurred in at least 4 scenes. This also is open door, which I knew going in, but there were 7 open door scenes scattered throughout the book- which was a lot for me and my taste. There also were a good amount of sensual dialog/jokes and language.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Medical content, and Classism
Minor: Vomit