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lapon's review
emotional
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
3.75
Still on a moon race binge.
I liked the characters in the previous book and enjoyed the second chance element in this one.
I liked the characters in the previous book and enjoyed the second chance element in this one.
brandypainter's review
5.0
I loved this. This is my favorite of the holiday novellas that go with this series. Let's just say I identify with Margie a lot. (Not at all with her feelings toward her husband but with her personality and how she runs things.) And I was really surprised by how much sympathy I had for Mitch. I knew they would end up redeeming him but I wasn't expecting to like him so much from the very start. I just really love how this gets at how hard marriage is and how much both people need to work at it.-particularly when you marry young. The story's central problem is lack of communication and the fear that can result as you start making assumptions and filling in the gaps the silence is leaving behind. The way that resolved was incredibly well done.
bandherbooks's review
5.0
I finally broke A Midnight Feast out of my emergency file and hello perfect, angsty novella.
The authors truly explore this marriage in trouble with exquisitely shattering interior thoughts between perfect on the outside wife Margie, mother of six, head of the astronaut wives club and her husband Mitch. The plot device of the absolute terror of being alone with one's longtime partner/husband with all the children out of the house and none of the guests coming over to buffer the distance and coldness that has grown between you, whew. I felt this in my bones and soul.
Also captured so well is how the miscommunication trope is so actually true and so absolutely devastating, especially as we the readers are privy to Mitch's innermost thoughts and desires, the ones he has no idea how to express to his wife, the woman he still very much loves. He NOTICES her, the patriarchy and society and his career have just made it almost impossible for him to be open with her, to be honest. He takes all of his cues from her, and Margie has slowly closed her heart, and her bed (gosh hearing how he still tried to touch her, and then the two twin beds showed up, devastating). I'm going to use devastating a lot in this review.
And Margie, who knows how terrible marriages can go, is so grateful her marriage is solid, if without passion and honesty. She has no evidence of but believes Mitch must be having affairs; so many of the men do. She's just Margie. Just the quiet one propping up Mitch's entire career, his children, his lifestyle, his home. Keeping the heart warm on the home front. Never letting herself be fragile, scared, or emotional except in her one sanctuary, her bedroom.
All of these tensions leading up to Thanksgiving and after, juxtaposed with Margie & Mitch falling in love in the 50s is exquisitely wrought and achingly beautiful in both the historic and emotional details.
I could go on forever, but if you read one historical novella ever, this is the one.
CW: perceived infidelity (none has happened), cold marriage
The authors truly explore this marriage in trouble with exquisitely shattering interior thoughts between perfect on the outside wife Margie, mother of six, head of the astronaut wives club and her husband Mitch. The plot device of the absolute terror of being alone with one's longtime partner/husband with all the children out of the house and none of the guests coming over to buffer the distance and coldness that has grown between you, whew. I felt this in my bones and soul.
Also captured so well is how the miscommunication trope is so actually true and so absolutely devastating, especially as we the readers are privy to Mitch's innermost thoughts and desires, the ones he has no idea how to express to his wife, the woman he still very much loves. He NOTICES her, the patriarchy and society and his career have just made it almost impossible for him to be open with her, to be honest. He takes all of his cues from her, and Margie has slowly closed her heart, and her bed (gosh hearing how he still tried to touch her, and then the two twin beds showed up, devastating). I'm going to use devastating a lot in this review.
And Margie, who knows how terrible marriages can go, is so grateful her marriage is solid, if without passion and honesty. She has no evidence of but believes Mitch must be having affairs; so many of the men do. She's just Margie. Just the quiet one propping up Mitch's entire career, his children, his lifestyle, his home. Keeping the heart warm on the home front. Never letting herself be fragile, scared, or emotional except in her one sanctuary, her bedroom.
All of these tensions leading up to Thanksgiving and after, juxtaposed with Margie & Mitch falling in love in the 50s is exquisitely wrought and achingly beautiful in both the historic and emotional details.
I could go on forever, but if you read one historical novella ever, this is the one.
CW: perceived infidelity (none has happened), cold marriage
maggiemaggio's review
3.0
3.5 stars. This was probably my least favorite of the Fly Me to the Moon series. It was perfectly fine and I liked the look at Margie and Mitch, but it was also the most depressing. There was a marriage breaking down, death, and it just kind of dragged me down. Which isn't bad, but the other books in the series, even though they dealt with series subjects were a lot more fun.
thereadingyearofhattie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
secretromancereader's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ijeamaka_anyene's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
sungmemoonstruck's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A lovely and thoughtful story that tracks all the ups and downs of Margie and Mitch's love story and chronicles how they start to rebuild their marriage over the course of one Thanksgiving weekend. Similarly to the other holiday-ish novellas in this series, the characters get a lot of development in a short number of pages but it never feels overstuffed and the pacing is spot-on.