Reviews

I enjoyed this so much! Such a pleasant surprise! First things first, the narrator of this audiobook, Alex Finke, was incredible. Her performance is fantastic, to the point where I was actually taking note of it which (sorry?) I don't usually do. Credit where it's due, though, the book itself probably helped with that. Bastone has infused Eve's point of view with so much character and such a strong, clear voice. This book is funny and sweet and messy, just like Eve, and it was so nice listening to it. The romance is lovely, the pregnancy plotline felt really well done to me (as someone who normally never wants to read about that lol), and the few supporting characters we get were really well realized. There was some stuff in the last third that bugged me, but it's too spoilery to get into. Otherwise, though, this book is just delightful.

Okay, spoilers, the stuff that bugged me in the last third: I appreciate that Eve and Shep have known each other deeply for most of their lives, etc., but moving in together in the moments before birth? Awful, hated that. Loved Shep's idea that she take the larger apartment and he sublet her old one until her lease was up, but oh well I guess! In general I just felt like Eve and Shep got way too serious way too fast and I guess it's understandable, they're on the precipice of there being a literal child there and, as I said before, they know each other so well, but especially him being in the hospital room and them moving in together...I just kept being, like, you guys sure about this???

The same with Eve's job. I like that she stood up and asked for what we're told she always really wanted and that she learned how to actually take hold of her desires, but throughout the book I thought we were leading up to her realizing that as much as she cares about conservation her real passion comes from things like interior design. The character lights up talking about that in a way she didn't when her job was the subject matter so...I don't know. Obviously it's good for people to have hobbies and interests that aren't sources of income, yes absolutely, but if we're talking about going for your dream? I don't know, she just seemed the dreamiest about that sort of thing, not her actual work.

And finally, I was just left a little sad with what we get from Willa towards the end of the book. I'm definitely glad that we see Willa continuing to struggle, because it would be crazy to think that once Eve figures her stuff out Willa's complicated emotions would just evaporate for a perfect, happy ending. Still, I feel like she almost disappeared once Eve and Shep got together, and not even getting to see her meet the baby felt really weird after she was so integral to the rest of the book. In general the ending was kind of abrupt (I would've loved an epilogue!) but especially when it came to Willa.

ashclark_'s review

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emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

juanat77's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? No

4.0

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