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rosalynnaustin's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
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? No
3.0
venezianbitch's review against another edition
2.0
Oh dear, oh dear, I don’t want to be mean but I also don’t like dishonesty, so here we go: I bought this book when I was in Antibes and thought hey, I’m enjoying a nice vacation by the French Riviera so why not pick a book in the same setting? Terrible decision. Here’s why:
The writing style is so… Insipid. Uninspiring. Dull. The descriptions of perfume-making and scents throughout Sophie’s chapters are the only good writing this book contains, otherwise, I don’t see anything too special about it.
The characters are bland, underdeveloped, as is their connection to each other. I thought I would be seeing more of Grace Kelly but she was more of a ghost and for someone so famous heading into getting married to this very important figure, she seemed to have a lot of interest in these two lacklustre people, one of whom harassed her, and the other whom she spent maybe an hour in the company of, yet we still do not exactly what it was that connected them ever so deeply, apparently.
I remember finishing one of the first Sophie chapters then flipping the page and realising it would be James and I just wanted to slam the book at that point because that’s when I knew exactly how predictable this book would get. And it did.
Also, I cannot understand and believe that the two main protagonists “fell in love” ever so “passionately” because aside from the very first conversation they shared, the remaining times they were together in-person, none of their conversations stand out, and neither are they properly detailed. The reader gets nothing out of their scenes together so it is truly surprising to see that there is apparently a connection between the two but then again not so surprising as I have stated above, it was too predictable. I was expecting more Historical Fiction, instead got a snooze-fest of a romance.
Lucien deeply irritated me and so did Jeanne yet none of their characters were explored properly, as well. The whole shindig just did not come together as the author wanted it to and the plot was just weak.
Overall, this is not a bad book to immerse yourself with while you’re riding a train or sitting by the beach but it certainly is not special, and there are better Cote d’Azur set books out there so you can skip the disappointment for yourself and maybe find something more interesting because this book is just not it. My time is precious but for the love of god, am I a curious person! I also just wanted to see how predictable it would get and if I would be proven right, and I was. Hallelujah! Still wasn’t enough of a reason to have continued reading.
Anyway, dear future readers, I hope you like the book more than I did but yeah, this was just a shabby 2.5/5 and I did not have a good time.
The writing style is so… Insipid. Uninspiring. Dull. The descriptions of perfume-making and scents throughout Sophie’s chapters are the only good writing this book contains, otherwise, I don’t see anything too special about it.
The characters are bland, underdeveloped, as is their connection to each other. I thought I would be seeing more of Grace Kelly but she was more of a ghost and for someone so famous heading into getting married to this very important figure, she seemed to have a lot of interest in these two lacklustre people, one of whom harassed her, and the other whom she spent maybe an hour in the company of, yet we still do not exactly what it was that connected them ever so deeply, apparently.
I remember finishing one of the first Sophie chapters then flipping the page and realising it would be James and I just wanted to slam the book at that point because that’s when I knew exactly how predictable this book would get. And it did.
Also, I cannot understand and believe that the two main protagonists “fell in love” ever so “passionately” because aside from the very first conversation they shared, the remaining times they were together in-person, none of their conversations stand out, and neither are they properly detailed. The reader gets nothing out of their scenes together so it is truly surprising to see that there is apparently a connection between the two but then again not so surprising as I have stated above, it was too predictable. I was expecting more Historical Fiction, instead got a snooze-fest of a romance.
Lucien deeply irritated me and so did Jeanne yet none of their characters were explored properly, as well. The whole shindig just did not come together as the author wanted it to and the plot was just weak.
Overall, this is not a bad book to immerse yourself with while you’re riding a train or sitting by the beach but it certainly is not special, and there are better Cote d’Azur set books out there so you can skip the disappointment for yourself and maybe find something more interesting because this book is just not it. My time is precious but for the love of god, am I a curious person! I also just wanted to see how predictable it would get and if I would be proven right, and I was. Hallelujah! Still wasn’t enough of a reason to have continued reading.
Anyway, dear future readers, I hope you like the book more than I did but yeah, this was just a shabby 2.5/5 and I did not have a good time.
gray5217's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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? No
4.5
scienceworks's review
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cwinslett7's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
onemorepageamanda's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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? No
4.75
teneke's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.25