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_audie's review
5.0
"This is how I used to think of love. As something so delicate it couldn’t be caught without being snuffed out. Now I know better. I know the flame may gutter and flare with the wind, but it will always be there."
abbyreads1218's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I wanted to give this book a higher rating for many reasons, however I couldn’t bring myself to do it because I found myself getting bored throughout the novel. I expected the book to be a bit more emotional, to get a bit more attached to the characters. However, this just wasn’t what I experienced. On a side note, I love how Emily Henry gives her characters such authentic personalities, rather then simply creating “cardboard cutouts”. This is true for the side characters, and the relationships between them as well. Henry also did a great job of expressing that change is good, even though it can oftentimes be difficult to accept. This was a recurring theme throughout the novel.
sashapasha's review
5.0
I lean into him so hard he has to catch the wall with his shoulder so we both don’t topple over. I wonder if we look even one percent like a couple in love, or if we’re fully projecting “rivals in a spaghetti western showdown.”
It’s official, exes-to-lovers is a definite improvement over friends-to-lovers.
Emily Henry clearly understands that half the fun of having an ex is making them suffer and regret their decision to dump you. She also understands that to write a good book, it needs to be about so much more than that.
Wyn returns the folder to the end table.
“You think this is bad, but it’s nothing compared to the packing list Parth sent me. He told me how many pairs of underwear to bring. So either my ‘personalized surprise’ on Saturday is going to end badly, or he thinks I’m incapable of counting my own underwear.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” I say. “I’m sure it’s a little of both.”
Emily Henry really excels at painting a pretty picture and then flipping it over and showing you all the cracks. We get to see this perfect group of friends and then watch as Real Life Problems threaten to break them. I found this book relatable for so many reasons, but particularly with respect to the problem of not knowing how to fight with people you care about and being so deeply conflict-avoidant that it borders on self-sabotage. Also loved the exploration of growing up, together, and apart, and the themes of friendship and found family.
“Well, I think you’re all overdressed,” Kimmy says. “The itinerary said comfortable, and if you wanted to be comfortable, then you, like me, would not be wearing underwear.”
“Hard agree,” Parth says.
Sabrina looks nonplussed. “Are you seriously not wearing any underwear?”
Parth drops into the seat beside Wyn. “What, it’s fine for Kimmy but not for me?”
“Kimmy isn’t wearing white pants made out of tissue paper,” Wyn points out.
Parth’s hands go protectively toward his crotch, then he sighs, resigned. “Whatever. Everyone in this boat has seen me naked at some point or another.”
“I actually haven’t,” Kimmy says thoughtfully.
“Well, Kimberly,” Parth replies, “it might just be your lucky day.”
I'm not entirely sure what genre Emily Henry's books are (they're too broad for romance, too profound for chic lit), but whatever the genre is, she is the indisputable queen of it.
“Someone get the fainting couch,” Kimmy said. “Wynnie’s going down.”
ainebarry's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
tkreisberg's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mirandaphodge's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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
4.5
Another knock out of the park for EmHen. Read this with my husband and we both really enjoyed it, but it was a bit stressful at times — even though we knew things would work out because of the genre, Emily did a fantastic job of writing the anxiety and worry of the main characters.
t_banks's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5