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tamtam's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mariakureads's review against another edition
3.0
So I'm on a roll with another of the Lovestruck Librarians and this was one was equally adorable but Eugene, the pizza owner, totally had me rolling in tears.. he has a "this is your brain on pizza" shtick with and egg that had Mr laughing so hard, I stopped reading to laugh and cry.
I love that Miles wasn't a perfect man just as much as I loved that Mary had her own personal trials that didn't deter either of them to try at love.
I love that Miles wasn't a perfect man just as much as I loved that Mary had her own personal trials that didn't deter either of them to try at love.
pgchuis's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
... although when I requested it, I was confusing this series with a different one about librarians by Sarah Title. Anyway, in this novel, Mary is a vaguely dissatisfied librarian in a small town in Maryland, who receives an email from Miles requesting a membership so that he can access ebooks online. Miles is, for undeclared reasons, unwilling to come to the library to show his ID, and Mary bends the rules for him. Soon (in a manner which seems out of character with everything else we know about her), Mary is giving Miles her personal email address and they are emailing away merrily together.
At the same time one of Mary's many friends, most of whom I suspect are in the novel as they appeared in previous books in this series and therefore need to pop up again here, persuades her to try online dating. When Mary tells Miles she is about to go on a date with an online contact, Miles overcomes his reluctance and comes to the library to meet her.
Initially I found this book pretty humourless and hard work (lines and lines were devoted the the addresses and time stamps of the many emails that were exchanged, for example), but it grew on me to an extent. I enjoyed Mary's love of tear-jerker movies and the hockey-obsessed Natasha. On the other hand, the constant obsession with physical appearance and weight was unpleasant and off-putting. While there were lots of heavy-handed comments about how this was a bad thing, most characters were constantly described in terms like their "compact body" (Mary), the need Miles felt to lose his "pizza baby" before even approaching Mary, her sorrow at the loss of his "hint of pudge" which she felt had made him more likely to stay, and so on and so on.
The ending was sweet, although perhaps a little abrupt - an epilogue might have been nice.
... although when I requested it, I was confusing this series with a different one about librarians by Sarah Title. Anyway, in this novel, Mary is a vaguely dissatisfied librarian in a small town in Maryland, who receives an email from Miles requesting a membership so that he can access ebooks online. Miles is, for undeclared reasons, unwilling to come to the library to show his ID, and Mary bends the rules for him. Soon (in a manner which seems out of character with everything else we know about her), Mary is giving Miles her personal email address and they are emailing away merrily together.
At the same time one of Mary's many friends, most of whom I suspect are in the novel as they appeared in previous books in this series and therefore need to pop up again here, persuades her to try online dating. When Mary tells Miles she is about to go on a date with an online contact, Miles overcomes his reluctance and comes to the library to meet her.
Initially I found this book pretty humourless and hard work (lines and lines were devoted the the addresses and time stamps of the many emails that were exchanged, for example), but it grew on me to an extent. I enjoyed Mary's love of tear-jerker movies and the hockey-obsessed Natasha. On the other hand, the constant obsession with physical appearance and weight was unpleasant and off-putting. While there were lots of heavy-handed comments about how this was a bad thing, most characters were constantly described in terms like their "compact body" (Mary), the need Miles felt to lose his "pizza baby" before even approaching Mary, her sorrow at the loss of his "hint of pudge" which she felt had made him more likely to stay, and so on and so on.
The ending was sweet, although perhaps a little abrupt - an epilogue might have been nice.
goodbyepuckpie's review against another edition
3.0
This is closer to a 3.5 than a true 3 stars, but I just didn't quite click with this book as much as I have the others in the series. It's got a more serious tone -- while the other books have had Serious Stuff going on for sure, there was a bit more whimsy/over the top stuff than there is in this one. I did appreciate that the difficulties the couple had to overcome were things to do with their personalities and histories and hurts rather than any kind of miscommunication -- that's always refreshing.
Content notes: one character has a history of disordered eating and over exercising (telegraphed clearly in text), the other character has some behaviours that could also be triggery about that, also has a character going through the first stages of learning to live with a disability (amputation).
Content notes: one character has a history of disordered eating and over exercising (telegraphed clearly in text), the other character has some behaviours that could also be triggery about that, also has a character going through the first stages of learning to live with a disability (amputation).
janesaysb2850's review against another edition
5.0
This book took a little bit to warm up, but once it did it was just so adorable. Miles is so heartrendingly normal and yet vulnerable at the same time; you can really feel his struggle to figure out the "now what?" questions that life has thrown at him. And you can see why he would have been such an appealing star - while remaining the same kind of warm, curious guy he always was, and always would be.
The sex, when it got to that point, is realistically nervous yet hot at the same time. I loved how Miles and Mary both had reasons to encourage the other, and both grew in the process.
I was especially happy that the book focused on the slow-growing intimacy they shared and didn't get bogged down with the kinds of creepy or negative subplots that many books seem to have. The conflicts felt real, and when they managed to overcome them, it was easy to feel their joy.
The sex, when it got to that point, is realistically nervous yet hot at the same time. I loved how Miles and Mary both had reasons to encourage the other, and both grew in the process.
I was especially happy that the book focused on the slow-growing intimacy they shared and didn't get bogged down with the kinds of creepy or negative subplots that many books seem to have. The conflicts felt real, and when they managed to overcome them, it was easy to feel their joy.
mloza's review against another edition
3.0
This is a slow burn romance for sure. Sex and kissing doesn’t happen until later in the book because in true form for the author, all of her heroines are completely different which is great!
It was a little slow for me personally but it is a very sweet romance. I really did like the way this one ended and the gentle handling of the eating disorder and loss of a limb.
It was a little slow for me personally but it is a very sweet romance. I really did like the way this one ended and the gentle handling of the eating disorder and loss of a limb.
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