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to0dlez's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
4.5
karrama's review
4.0
Marnie Fairchild can find the perfect gift, a meaningful and important moment for the person receiving it. A present purchaser makes a mistake that changes the status quo for a wealthy family. To put it right she gets further involved in their lives, finding love and herself in the process. She begins sending presents to win back Suzanne, help Luke connect with his daughter, and keeps her dreams of a font-street location for her business at the fore.
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
This book sounded really cute and I was drawn to it because of cartoon cover. However, despite knowing this would be light and fun, it ended up being just a little too much light for me.
I wasn't invested in the story or the characters, but enjoyed some parts.
That was a light read from which will interest to many readers. It just didn't work for me.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn't invested in the story or the characters, but enjoyed some parts.
That was a light read from which will interest to many readers. It just didn't work for me.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
3.0
A bit long and paint by numbers in a lot of the plot and romance. It's still pleasant to go through, but nothing remarkable.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
bellerina2000's review
4.0
4.5 stars I really liked this book. It was sweet and had moments that made my heart swell. There was also real heart ache and pain and growth in the characters. It wasn’t surprising and the storyline was guessable (which is what kept it from being 5 stars). But I loved the setting (my desire to go to Tasmania swelled), I loved the main and side characters (even Brian!) If you are looking for a great sweet read I recommend
corinnab's review
3.0
I am a bit torn on how to rate this book. I think I give it a 3.25. I thought the story was cute, and the characters endearing, but there was something about the writing style that frustrated me. An example would be during scenes with dialogue. Once dialogue started, before the next person would reply, the author would write about the person's thoughts for 3 paragraphs. By the time it got to the point where the second character would reply to the first, I forgot what the first had even said. There was a lot of extra detail that was unnecessary. It was not descriptive detail like Stephen King talking about a chair for 3 pages but extra words. Having said that, I do want to reiterate that I thought the story was pretty cute, and I loved the concept behind it. The gift giving profession was an adorable take.
aprilcote's review
5.0
This ARC was given to me with appreciation by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was a surprising delight! Didn’t want to put it down from the first page. Following a self made woman on her pursuit to move her custom gift buying company to a family owned historic property, the plot takes you through multiple story lines each one more exciting than the next. So many layers to this feel good story with morals and hope, love and family. Not another fluffy rom-com. Reminiscent of Elin Hildebrand without the island. Recommended for all ages. (Some streamy stuff but nothing open door.) Also learned how to think about that perfect gift
shamfeldt's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bzliz's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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? Yes
4.0
I hesitate to call this a romance although it technically fits the criteria. Personally, I’d say the focus of the story is more about family dynamics and personal morality and the romance is a side dish (or mistress, if you’ll forgive the joke). If you took the romance out and just had Marnie and Luke be friends, the story would be virtually the same. But I will be thinking about some of the questions this book raised for a while.
Marnie is a professional gift giver who accidentally mixes up labels on gifts for her client Brian’s wife and mistress. As he’s screaming at her for ruining his life (very much his own doing), his son Luke tries to talk him off the edge. A few more chance meetings with Luke and they are fully in a relationship which is hard to balance as Marnie keeps working with Brian to win back his wife and as Luke is learning how to be a parent after finding out recently that he has a teenage daughter.
I found the storytelling complex as it was easy to start sympathizing with each character in turn. I had so many mixed feelings about if I wanted Suzanne to forgive her husband or not and I think Darke did a phenomenal job at showing how two things can be true at the same time: you can hate someone’s guts for what they did to you while still loving them and missing their companionship. Marnie’s mistake leads her to question how complicit she is in the bad choices others make and how her morals stack up to her desire to acquire her grandfather’s old shop. Luke was a challenge for me to like. On one hand he saw where he made a mistake with Ivy and took steps to better himself but on the other hand, he said some awful things to Marnie because he’s got lingering daddy issues and desperately needs therapy. Plus there’s Brian. I wanted him to be successful but also wanted him to truly fail so he could experience a fraction of the pain Suzanne felt.
Also, I despise the cover. I randomly picked this up at the library and was taken aback by how off putting the cover art is, though I’m glad I gave it a read anyway.
Marnie is a professional gift giver who accidentally mixes up labels on gifts for her client Brian’s wife and mistress. As he’s screaming at her for ruining his life (very much his own doing), his son Luke tries to talk him off the edge. A few more chance meetings with Luke and they are fully in a relationship which is hard to balance as Marnie keeps working with Brian to win back his wife and as Luke is learning how to be a parent after finding out recently that he has a teenage daughter.
I found the storytelling complex as it was easy to start sympathizing with each character in turn. I had so many mixed feelings about if I wanted Suzanne to forgive her husband or not and I think Darke did a phenomenal job at showing how two things can be true at the same time: you can hate someone’s guts for what they did to you while still loving them and missing their companionship. Marnie’s mistake leads her to question how complicit she is in the bad choices others make and how her morals stack up to her desire to acquire her grandfather’s old shop. Luke was a challenge for me to like. On one hand he saw where he made a mistake with Ivy and took steps to better himself but on the other hand, he said some awful things to Marnie because he’s got lingering daddy issues and desperately needs therapy. Plus there’s Brian. I wanted him to be successful but also wanted him to truly fail so he could experience a fraction of the pain Suzanne felt.
Also, I despise the cover. I randomly picked this up at the library and was taken aback by how off putting the cover art is, though I’m glad I gave it a read anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Abortion, and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic friendship
lacers526's review against another edition
3.0
This story took me SO long to get into and then even once I did, it felt SO LONG. Marnie was likeable character with an interesting job. While I didn’t agree with her decisions at the beginning, I understood them. Brian and Suzanne’s story was redemptive. Luke was a great character, until the third act, when I just had to roll my eyes at him. This had good bones and characters I either wanted to punch in the face or that I really enjoyed. I think it was simply too long and it didn’t need to be. Take out about 100 pages, and this was probably a 4-star read.