A review by emlawley
Take a Chance on Me by Emily Houghton

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

After really liking Emily Houghton’s other books I was excited about this one. I was left feeling slightly disappointed by the romantic love story ending as it did as I didn’t find myself enjoying that relationship developing as much as Olivia’s relationships with the other female characters she befriended. It felt more genuine with them as she opened up more with her new friends and grew as a character more whereas she and Jacob weren’t honest with each other during the time they got to know each other, making it hard for me to believe that they authentically fell in love during that time. Neither character was particularly likeable, but I think their flaws can largely be attributed to their traumatic lives thus far, and it would have been nice to see more character development for them both. The “will they, won’t they?” storyline kept me interested, but it certainly wasn’t a page turned like many of Houghton’s other books or the best in this genre. 
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