paulineerika's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Honestly, I wouldn't bill this as a romance because I think the book would have been much better absent the romance (for either mother or daughter). There was a lot of material to work with in terms of a family mystery/drama and I felt like that storyline wasn't quite resolved to my satisfaction, probably due in no small part to the focus on Diana's romance. (Again, not really necessary--or else should have been a bigger focus/story.) I had some minor quibbles (referring to Diana's stomach as "tummy" when she was hungry felt weird), but it was a nice feel-good story overall.
booklover1974's review against another edition
4.0
4,5 stars
Last year I won ”The Happily Ever After” by the same author and really enjoyed it. If I hadn’t won that book I would probably never have read it but now I’m so grateful for that win because now I have a new go-to author! This new novel I got a month ago for my birthday and now I’ve read it.
For me, this novel was even better than "Happily Ever After"! It has a very kind tone with the characters and I appreciate that they are mature characters. I really rooted for them all and enjoyed these hours of reading with joy. Reading at its best!
The story felt personal to the author and when I read the Acknowledgements in the back of the book, I understood why. I'm not going to give anything away but I got emotional reading it.
The bad thing is that now I have to wait for a long time until her next book.
Last year I won ”The Happily Ever After” by the same author and really enjoyed it. If I hadn’t won that book I would probably never have read it but now I’m so grateful for that win because now I have a new go-to author! This new novel I got a month ago for my birthday and now I’ve read it.
For me, this novel was even better than "Happily Ever After"! It has a very kind tone with the characters and I appreciate that they are mature characters. I really rooted for them all and enjoyed these hours of reading with joy. Reading at its best!
The story felt personal to the author and when I read the Acknowledgements in the back of the book, I understood why. I'm not going to give anything away but I got emotional reading it.
The bad thing is that now I have to wait for a long time until her next book.
moonjelifish's review against another edition
restarted and only got to 3% when mood said not rn
raeleentrovela's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
jml10003's review against another edition
DNF
Try as I might, I cannot get into this book. I think I was about 40% in and I was still only at the events on the back cover. So, I had to put it down.
Try as I might, I cannot get into this book. I think I was about 40% in and I was still only at the events on the back cover. So, I had to put it down.
booklvrkat's review against another edition
5.0
WOW! A new to me author just blew it out of the park with this one! I LOVED IT! What an awesome story of change and discovery. I'm totally reading her backlist. I don't even know how I fell across this book, but I am so glad I did.
lisag99's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
amcloughlin's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely novel, but not a romance. I cared deeply about the protagonists and got immediately invested in their lives, but the romance subplot felt shoehorned. Well worth reading for the complex portrayal of women over 60 alone!
cowmingo's review
4.0
I'm going to a book signing in March and I make it a goal to try every author I can. It’s how I’ve found some of my favorite authors. When I saw that NetGalley had Once Upon a Sunset for request, I thought this is amazing timing. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.
Sunset focuses on Diana, an OB-GYN in DC and her mother, Margo, a photographer turned Instagram superstar. Diana and Margo are living in Diana’s house while it undergoes a remodel. While unpacking boxes, Margo comes across some letters from her mother to her father that held a family secret, shattering everything Margo and Diana believed to be true.
As a result of the bombshell in the letters, Diana decides to take a trip to visit the family she just found out she had. Convenient timing as she’s just been asked to take a vacation from work due to a choice she made concerning patient care. She asks her mom to come with her and Margo declines at the time, not really ready to face the new reality of having a long lost family. Don’t worry, she of course joins her on the trip.
To me, Sunset was a wonderful testament to mother/daughter relationships and the power of letting go and taking chances. I thought the character growth that both Diana and Margo go through once they reach The Philippines was beautiful and really helped progress their story. Add in a romance for both of them and you’ve got yourself a really cute, sweet story about family and forgiveness.
This was my first Tif Marcelo but will not be my last. I enjoyed the story (read it in a couple of hours). I’m giving it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was good, I liked it but I wasn’t blown away enough to give it a 4 or a 5. I look forward to more from this author.
Cross-posted to my blog: https://thesebooksaremyfriends.wordpress.com/
Sunset focuses on Diana, an OB-GYN in DC and her mother, Margo, a photographer turned Instagram superstar. Diana and Margo are living in Diana’s house while it undergoes a remodel. While unpacking boxes, Margo comes across some letters from her mother to her father that held a family secret, shattering everything Margo and Diana believed to be true.
As a result of the bombshell in the letters, Diana decides to take a trip to visit the family she just found out she had. Convenient timing as she’s just been asked to take a vacation from work due to a choice she made concerning patient care. She asks her mom to come with her and Margo declines at the time, not really ready to face the new reality of having a long lost family. Don’t worry, she of course joins her on the trip.
To me, Sunset was a wonderful testament to mother/daughter relationships and the power of letting go and taking chances. I thought the character growth that both Diana and Margo go through once they reach The Philippines was beautiful and really helped progress their story. Add in a romance for both of them and you’ve got yourself a really cute, sweet story about family and forgiveness.
This was my first Tif Marcelo but will not be my last. I enjoyed the story (read it in a couple of hours). I’m giving it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was good, I liked it but I wasn’t blown away enough to give it a 4 or a 5. I look forward to more from this author.
Cross-posted to my blog: https://thesebooksaremyfriends.wordpress.com/
cowmingo's review against another edition
4.0
I'm going to a book signing in March and I make it a goal to try every author I can. It’s how I’ve found some of my favorite authors. When I saw that NetGalley had Once Upon a Sunset for request, I thought this is amazing timing. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.
Sunset focuses on Diana, an OB-GYN in DC and her mother, Margo, a photographer turned Instagram superstar. Diana and Margo are living in Diana’s house while it undergoes a remodel. While unpacking boxes, Margo comes across some letters from her mother to her father that held a family secret, shattering everything Margo and Diana believed to be true.
As a result of the bombshell in the letters, Diana decides to take a trip to visit the family she just found out she had. Convenient timing as she’s just been asked to take a vacation from work due to a choice she made concerning patient care. She asks her mom to come with her and Margo declines at the time, not really ready to face the new reality of having a long lost family. Don’t worry, she of course joins her on the trip.
To me, Sunset was a wonderful testament to mother/daughter relationships and the power of letting go and taking chances. I thought the character growth that both Diana and Margo go through once they reach The Philippines was beautiful and really helped progress their story. Add in a romance for both of them and you’ve got yourself a really cute, sweet story about family and forgiveness.
This was my first Tif Marcelo but will not be my last. I enjoyed the story (read it in a couple of hours). I’m giving it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was good, I liked it but I wasn’t blown away enough to give it a 4 or a 5. I look forward to more from this author.
Cross-posted to my blog: https://thesebooksaremyfriends.wordpress.com/
Sunset focuses on Diana, an OB-GYN in DC and her mother, Margo, a photographer turned Instagram superstar. Diana and Margo are living in Diana’s house while it undergoes a remodel. While unpacking boxes, Margo comes across some letters from her mother to her father that held a family secret, shattering everything Margo and Diana believed to be true.
As a result of the bombshell in the letters, Diana decides to take a trip to visit the family she just found out she had. Convenient timing as she’s just been asked to take a vacation from work due to a choice she made concerning patient care. She asks her mom to come with her and Margo declines at the time, not really ready to face the new reality of having a long lost family. Don’t worry, she of course joins her on the trip.
To me, Sunset was a wonderful testament to mother/daughter relationships and the power of letting go and taking chances. I thought the character growth that both Diana and Margo go through once they reach The Philippines was beautiful and really helped progress their story. Add in a romance for both of them and you’ve got yourself a really cute, sweet story about family and forgiveness.
This was my first Tif Marcelo but will not be my last. I enjoyed the story (read it in a couple of hours). I’m giving it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was good, I liked it but I wasn’t blown away enough to give it a 4 or a 5. I look forward to more from this author.
Cross-posted to my blog: https://thesebooksaremyfriends.wordpress.com/