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amandalovefull's review
hopeful
relaxing
slow-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
Woman leaves behind ex-husband who had an affair with her friend and meets a morally grey pair of brothers with their own relationship issues in a small town.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage
flufnstuf13's review against another edition
hopeful
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? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Infertility
jessversteeg's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
A woman in her early 40s finds out her husband of 15 years has been cheating on her with her friend, just after losing her job. Serendipitously, she inherits an estate in Scotland from her great uncle. She goes to see what the estate (that she’s never seen before) is like, and ends up spending more time than she expects in this quaint Scottish town.
The book is thoughtful, sad, both snarky and funny and crass at times. I think they say “Jesus” more times than the New Testament and not in a religious way 😅. The book spoke directly to my insecurities of being married for a long time and feeling unattractive etc.
The characters are super unconventional and include a Lord and his brother who had abdicated his title. I stayed up way too late listening to it and I think I might prefer the audiobook version.
The book is thoughtful, sad, both snarky and funny and crass at times. I think they say “Jesus” more times than the New Testament and not in a religious way 😅. The book spoke directly to my insecurities of being married for a long time and feeling unattractive etc.
The characters are super unconventional and include a Lord and his brother who had abdicated his title. I stayed up way too late listening to it and I think I might prefer the audiobook version.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Minor: Infertility
jenn_reads's review
funny
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? Yes
2.75
This book was recommended to me as enemies to lovers, but it is *definitely* not. Perhaps you could call it grumpy/sunshine, although more like grumpy/reasonable person having a bit of a hard time.
It was ok. I know I complain about romance novels doing that thing I hate with a stupid misunderstanding almost at the end, which this one didn't have, but it also kind of... petered out I guess. Like what are we still doing here for a few dozen pages with this closed door romance after the leads are happily ever after?
Anyway, it was fine. Just fine.
It was ok. I know I complain about romance novels doing that thing I hate with a stupid misunderstanding almost at the end, which this one didn't have, but it also kind of... petered out I guess. Like what are we still doing here for a few dozen pages with this closed door romance after the leads are happily ever after?
Anyway, it was fine. Just fine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Toxic sibling relationshipstacy837's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Blood
allison_jo's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
biggest takeaway: disappointment.
the blurb promised a cute little bookshop romance, but the middle of this book dragged for me. cutting 100 pages of stilted dialogue and ellipses wouldn’t have changed the plot at all. the story was set up to be a bit of a grumpy/sunshine who both had problems to work through but became more of an asshole/inferiority complex than anything. i found it difficult to connect with either character.
and the last fifty pages included an incredibly distasteful (to put it lightly) situation intended to set up a Big Talk that felt forced and rushed. i don’t know how it could feel rushed when it was in the last fifty pages of an already over-long, four-hundred-plus page book, but it did.
the blurb promised a cute little bookshop romance, but the middle of this book dragged for me. cutting 100 pages of stilted dialogue and ellipses wouldn’t have changed the plot at all. the story was set up to be a bit of a grumpy/sunshine who both had problems to work through but became more of an asshole/inferiority complex than anything. i found it difficult to connect with either character.
and the last fifty pages included an incredibly distasteful (to put it lightly) situation intended to set up a Big Talk that felt forced and rushed. i don’t know how it could feel rushed when it was in the last fifty pages of an already over-long, four-hundred-plus page book, but it did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Misogyny
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Sexual assault
beepbeep101's review
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Misogyny
Moderate: Infertility, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abandonment
themoonshinegirl's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
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? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Misogyny and Violence
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
zoelynn's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Infertility
theespressoedition's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
My number one content warning for this book pretty much sums up the plot: infidelity. Yikes.
I understood the beginning: our protagonist finds out her husband has been cheating on her for quite some time with her best friend, so she packs up her things and escapes to another city where her dead uncle left her a house. Understandable.
I understood some of the middle: she meets a grumpy bookshop owner and convinces him to let her work at the store, despite his "no women" policy (which... ew??). They become the best of friends and everyone else can see they're into each other, even if neither of them realizes it.
This is where things get weird: we find out that the grump has had a vendetta against his brother and has slept with every woman his brother has ever been with. I repeat... EW. At that point, I'd have some serious red flags and wouldn't want to even be friends with the person, let alone begin to develop feelings.
From there, the whole book went downhill and I couldn't wait for it to come to an end. There was so much cheating and scandal and drama that felt unnecessary in what could have been a sweet story about a quaint bookshop in a nice little country town in Scotland.
I understood the beginning: our protagonist finds out her husband has been cheating on her for quite some time with her best friend, so she packs up her things and escapes to another city where her dead uncle left her a house. Understandable.
I understood some of the middle: she meets a grumpy bookshop owner and convinces him to let her work at the store, despite his "no women" policy (which... ew??). They become the best of friends and everyone else can see they're into each other, even if neither of them realizes it.
This is where things get weird: we find out that the grump has had a vendetta against his brother and has slept with every woman his brother has ever been with. I repeat... EW. At that point, I'd have some serious red flags and wouldn't want to even be friends with the person, let alone begin to develop feelings.
From there, the whole book went downhill and I couldn't wait for it to come to an end. There was so much cheating and scandal and drama that felt unnecessary in what could have been a sweet story about a quaint bookshop in a nice little country town in Scotland.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infertility