A review by mikes_
Do I Know You? by Emily Wibberley, Austin Siegemund-Broka
5.0
I keep on trying and analyzing if there are things I would like to change about this book and flaws that need to alert my critical lens, and I am filled with nothing in my mind every single time. I tried. Maybe sometimes it’s completely okay to admit that some books perfectly worked for you and end it with that.
I won't ever stop talking about this, but You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle encapsulates everything I want in my romance book, and even the kind of love I want for myself, so ever since then, there's been this endless and tenacious thirst to look for romance (in books) that would give me the same banter, that kind of intensity if we're talking about the chemistry and justifiable foundation of the characters' connection. This book was able to to gratify that specific thirst. The story was perfectly built up, and every scene was written flawlessly that weaved it into the slow-burn romance that I couldn't get enough of. The kind of banter presented here has its own unique magic. This isn't your typical love story wherein you wait for the story to unfold and they fall in love at the end. This is, once again, so much more than that. This is an honest depiction of how people change and so does their love. This is a candid exploration of two people redefining what their love means to them and reconnecting to the very foundation that they have created for each other. This is a story of disconnection and reconnection and the inexplicable work that it requires.
This story gave me insights on a lot of things, and there are points emphasized that I could not agree more with. First, when things or situations, no matter what the context, get confusing, the first thing to do is get back to the basics and figure from there; it usually provides you with fresh perspective and answers. Second and most importantly, no matter how long you've known and loved a person, whether it be romantically or platonically, it's going to be an endless cycle of getting to know them, meeting thousands of versions, and making peace that they are constantly changing and transforming into different narratives that will sometimes feel unfamiliar to you but are essential for their own growth. It's going to take more than your love for them to keep up with it; it's going to require honesty, work, and defenselessness. Or forget all of it and let go, which is completely up to you. To cut it all short, never stop enriching your relationships, no matter the level of security and sense of familiarity you feel in the connection. At the end of the day, the type of love that stays is more of a constant choice you make every day than a consistent feeling you dwell on.
Eliza and Graham kept on wishing that their vacation wouldn't ever end, and I find myself wishing it would be true, so I won't ever reach the end of the book. But I'm glad with how it all worked out. One more thing, let me acknowledge the little scene wherein Graham notices the most subtle change in Eliza's usual handwriting, which I think is the sweetest gesture anyone could notice about a person they love. Oh, how attentive and hearty! How does this couple come up with the most unique and mesmerizing romantic love stories? I am here for all of it.
P.S. I am deciding if I should bump up to 5 stars my rating for The Roughest Draft, which is the first book that made me a fan of this brilliant couple. I still can't stop thinking about it, and it's been months since I've read it.
____________________
𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: 5 stars ★
____________________
𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨/𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨: (just some)
“Or how hard it is to reckon with this physical impossibility of love—the way you can grow distant from someone while going to sleep next to them every night.”
“But then, recently I’ve begun to believe expecting how your marriage will look is like trying to trace the unknowable. It’s their beauty and their terror. Every marriage is its own dance, every step revealed only in the moment of its creation. Invisible to everyone except its two participants, unpredictable even to them.”
“It’s what’s been so hard about the recent months. It hasn’t made me worry I’ve married the wrong person. It’s made me worry I’ve messed everything up with the right person. Which is so, so much worse. I can’t cut and run with him—there would be nowhere to run to.”
“Everyone pretends. They pretend they’re brave. They pretend they can predict the future. They pretend they can carry fears or difficulties, but they don’t know if they can. They pretend they have hope they don’t know if they’ve mustered quite yet. When we need to, it’s what we do for each other.” She reaches for my hand with hers, which I grasp. “Perfect sometimes . . . requires a little pretend. Perfection is only something you can see from the outside,” she continues. “I know you and Graham are working something out right now, but that doesn’t mean your marriage is any less perfect than mine. I just hope you won’t give up on it.”
“I used to think I knew you just because I once did know you, but I understand now that knowing a person is never finished. Even if the answers stay the same, the questions you ask on a first date are still worth asking seven years later. I think it’s helped me know me better.”
I won't ever stop talking about this, but You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle encapsulates everything I want in my romance book, and even the kind of love I want for myself, so ever since then, there's been this endless and tenacious thirst to look for romance (in books) that would give me the same banter, that kind of intensity if we're talking about the chemistry and justifiable foundation of the characters' connection. This book was able to to gratify that specific thirst. The story was perfectly built up, and every scene was written flawlessly that weaved it into the slow-burn romance that I couldn't get enough of. The kind of banter presented here has its own unique magic. This isn't your typical love story wherein you wait for the story to unfold and they fall in love at the end. This is, once again, so much more than that. This is an honest depiction of how people change and so does their love. This is a candid exploration of two people redefining what their love means to them and reconnecting to the very foundation that they have created for each other. This is a story of disconnection and reconnection and the inexplicable work that it requires.
This story gave me insights on a lot of things, and there are points emphasized that I could not agree more with. First, when things or situations, no matter what the context, get confusing, the first thing to do is get back to the basics and figure from there; it usually provides you with fresh perspective and answers. Second and most importantly, no matter how long you've known and loved a person, whether it be romantically or platonically, it's going to be an endless cycle of getting to know them, meeting thousands of versions, and making peace that they are constantly changing and transforming into different narratives that will sometimes feel unfamiliar to you but are essential for their own growth. It's going to take more than your love for them to keep up with it; it's going to require honesty, work, and defenselessness. Or forget all of it and let go, which is completely up to you. To cut it all short, never stop enriching your relationships, no matter the level of security and sense of familiarity you feel in the connection. At the end of the day, the type of love that stays is more of a constant choice you make every day than a consistent feeling you dwell on.
Eliza and Graham kept on wishing that their vacation wouldn't ever end, and I find myself wishing it would be true, so I won't ever reach the end of the book. But I'm glad with how it all worked out. One more thing, let me acknowledge the little scene wherein Graham notices the most subtle change in Eliza's usual handwriting, which I think is the sweetest gesture anyone could notice about a person they love. Oh, how attentive and hearty! How does this couple come up with the most unique and mesmerizing romantic love stories? I am here for all of it.
P.S. I am deciding if I should bump up to 5 stars my rating for The Roughest Draft, which is the first book that made me a fan of this brilliant couple. I still can't stop thinking about it, and it's been months since I've read it.
____________________
𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: 5 stars ★
____________________
𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨/𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨: (just some)
“Or how hard it is to reckon with this physical impossibility of love—the way you can grow distant from someone while going to sleep next to them every night.”
“But then, recently I’ve begun to believe expecting how your marriage will look is like trying to trace the unknowable. It’s their beauty and their terror. Every marriage is its own dance, every step revealed only in the moment of its creation. Invisible to everyone except its two participants, unpredictable even to them.”
“It’s what’s been so hard about the recent months. It hasn’t made me worry I’ve married the wrong person. It’s made me worry I’ve messed everything up with the right person. Which is so, so much worse. I can’t cut and run with him—there would be nowhere to run to.”
“Everyone pretends. They pretend they’re brave. They pretend they can predict the future. They pretend they can carry fears or difficulties, but they don’t know if they can. They pretend they have hope they don’t know if they’ve mustered quite yet. When we need to, it’s what we do for each other.” She reaches for my hand with hers, which I grasp. “Perfect sometimes . . . requires a little pretend. Perfection is only something you can see from the outside,” she continues. “I know you and Graham are working something out right now, but that doesn’t mean your marriage is any less perfect than mine. I just hope you won’t give up on it.”
“I used to think I knew you just because I once did know you, but I understand now that knowing a person is never finished. Even if the answers stay the same, the questions you ask on a first date are still worth asking seven years later. I think it’s helped me know me better.”