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madisontremble's review against another edition
3.0
This was a 3-star for me most of way through, but then I liked how everything came together so much that I almost bumped to 4. Almost!
Emily Henry always has lovely writing, but I think I would’ve enjoyed this more in maybe 3rd person or multiple povs. Franny’s narration annoyed me at just a few points - however, the audiobook definitely could’ve contributed here. In general, I would’ve enjoyed hearing more directly from the other characters and seeing them develop a bit more as well.
It also leaned into one of my personal storytelling pet peeves which is when a character holds back important information from others. I think that the withholding went on slightly too long and maybe diminished the strength of the friend group a tiny bit for me. I might’ve looked fully past this if the fallout from it had been resolved a bit more solidly or if there had been more focus on growth after it.
I agree with some of the other reviewers that the story tried to be a lot of things at once and got resolved a little too late, but overall it was still enjoyable and included great emotional beats. I’ll read absolutely anything Emily Henry writes and will definitely be picking up her other older novels as well!
Emily Henry always has lovely writing, but I think I would’ve enjoyed this more in maybe 3rd person or multiple povs. Franny’s narration annoyed me at just a few points - however, the audiobook definitely could’ve contributed here. In general, I would’ve enjoyed hearing more directly from the other characters and seeing them develop a bit more as well.
It also leaned into one of my personal storytelling pet peeves which is when a character holds back important information from others. I think that the withholding went on slightly too long and maybe diminished the strength of the friend group a tiny bit for me. I might’ve looked fully past this if the fallout from it had been resolved a bit more solidly or if there had been more focus on growth after it.
I agree with some of the other reviewers that the story tried to be a lot of things at once and got resolved a little too late, but overall it was still enjoyable and included great emotional beats. I’ll read absolutely anything Emily Henry writes and will definitely be picking up her other older novels as well!
coolmomsreadbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
wordsbetweenlines's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I feel like I’m a broken record, but I desperately want more YA books from emhen. The Love That Split the World just gutted me and I hoped this would be the same.
The way she creates characters that draw you in immediately, to the paranormal, to the little things that tie together along the way. I just love it.
However, I got so lost in this plot. I wasn’t even sure what was real and what wasn’t. I am glad I read it.
And maybe if I say it enough we will one day get another YA book from her 🤍🤞🏻
a_reading_xennial's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
This wasn't bad but I didn't enjoy it all that much. I know this was one of Emily Henry's earlier books but the overall story was not original. The last third of the book raised my rating. I liked the twist at the end. Leading up to the twist it was repetitive and kinda boring. Also, there were too many characters that were so similar that I couldn't tell them apart. I'm still unsure how many kids there were. I'm glad I powered through and finished it but I almost DNFd it many times. I'd recommend this to my preteen kids, which is the target demographic. I might have liked it better if I read it with my eyes instead of the audiobook. The narrator was good but she read things differently than I would've in my mind. Some of the voices were ridiculous.
batsinthecastle's review against another edition
2.0
Unbalanced with an unlikable main character. I was really let down with this one. After 150 pages I flipped through a few pages, made some guesses about the ending, flipped to the ending, and found I was right. Bummer!
lydiasheneman's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
kjbwoodard's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.75
alicebarbarian's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
4.25
hzathzr's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
3.0
summerpo's review against another edition
5.0
So good! I’m guessing that the overall middling rating on GR is because this isn’t a racy romance… BUT… it’s still such a good novel. I loved the ending so much. First time I’ve cried reading a book in a long time. Give this one a chance. Take it for what it is, and not what it isn’t and you may just find yourself surprised.