Scan barcode
florcis512's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
Moderate: Blood, War, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
beepbeep101's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Homophobia, Murder, Outing, and Sexual content
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Blood, and War
PTSDorgananation's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual content
Minor: War
Main characters deal with sever PTSD from WWIIghost_dancer's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started but I really enjoyed the story.
It's the first book I've read in a while and it was a relatively short, heartwarming and cozy story despite some heavy themes hinted or briefly presented (hints of period typical homophobia and people dealing with post war traumas, trying to move on and rebuild their lives). The mystery wasn't super complex but was still intriguing and interesting, the romance development was very sweet and the characters were all lovable/interesting in their own way.
The end was very satisfying, the reaction of some characters after the resolution left me a bit confused but nothing that would bother enough to ruin aything for me.
It's the first book I've read in a while and it was a relatively short, heartwarming and cozy story despite some heavy themes hinted or briefly presented (hints of period typical homophobia and people dealing with post war traumas, trying to move on and rebuild their lives). The mystery wasn't super complex but was still intriguing and interesting, the romance development was very sweet and the characters were all lovable/interesting in their own way.
The end was very satisfying, the reaction of some characters after the resolution left me a bit confused but nothing that would bother enough to ruin aything for me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, War, and Panic attacks/disorders
wilybooklover's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
Cat Sebastian is so talented at writing romances that are soft and sweet, with characters that quietly make space for each other in their lives. In this we have a PTSD-struck veteran doctor and a world-weary spy fall for each other in post-WWII England, with a murder-mystery in the foreground and a village full of quirky characters with secrets in the background.
The writing was atmospheric and grounded in the era in which it was set, almost bleak at times. I grew up in a small English village not unlike Wychomb St. Mary and the descriptions felt very true-to-life. The mystery was very credible and fun to solve along with the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and War
Minor: Abandonment, Homophobia, Blood, and Violence
merryfaith's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Minor: War
machetemilk's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: War, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Minor: Confinement and Suicide attempt
The banter between the two main characters was written so well and I love the fact that their interest in each other was straightforward and apparent from the beginning and slowly developed alongside the mysteryevenstr's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
relaxing
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Gun violence and War
Minor: Drug abuse
erickabdz's review
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
"Tell me something true, then."
Aw this was so good! I always love everything Cat Sebastian writes, but this time I was delightfully surprised to find such an intriguing mystery and the awfully complicated feelings of having lived a war.
I didn't expect being so attracted to the mystery, but I was immediately drawn to Wychcomb St. Mary and its odd set of characters, especially the women at Little Briars. They were unique and intriguing, and stood on their own in the storyline. They all worked pretty fine for the novel climate and made it a compelling story to hear.
While the mystery is what makes the bigger part of the book, what really captivated me was the romance. I especially loved that this was not falling in love at first glance, but instead seeing a person and thinking, ah, I could fall in love with this person; falling in love with the possibility of love, of something warm and cosy and generally precious.
"All it would take me would be a stiff breeze to push me into outright love with you, and I thought you ought to know that."
There was something so beautiful and lovely in yearning for the idea of falling in love, instead of falling in love outright, and I found myself incredibly sappy for these feelings. Still, though, this romance was part of the story and I'd only recommend this book if you're looking for an interesting mystery in a little English village post-war.
The reason I won't give the book five stars is that the end felt a little rushed and confused me a little bit. I thought I should have mapped the characters to understand it well, and reading at insane hours in the early morning certainly didn't help. I do feel, though, a reread would make it a full five star read for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Homophobia
jessiewolf's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really liked this! I am not generally a mystery reader, but the slow burn romance payoff was enough for me to love it anyway!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Grief, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicide attempt
More...