Emily Henry can write banter like no other. As a writer, I seethe with envy at those scenes. But I think the corny factor is just not for me? (Does thEmily Henry can write banter like no other. As a writer, I seethe with envy at those scenes. But I think the corny factor is just not for me? (Does that mean romance as a genre just isn't for me either? I really do wonder.) Book Lovers was also cute and fine, and so far those have been the only two Henry books I've read.
Pros: Miles is adorable and lovable while also capable of acting hot when the scene calls for it. (The kissing scenes in this book were excellent.) The accessory children characters Daphne reads to at the library were adorable. "Children's librarian" is a cute job for Daphne, and the "climax" with her Read-a-Thon was equally cute. The food in the book seemed amazing. I really enjoyed Miles working at a winery.
Cons: Daphne's name (don't @ me, Charlotte). The sheer number of named characters. (Too. damn. many.) Characters who all had spotlight personalities and therefore seemed like they were playing overly similar roles (Asleigh, Julia, and to some degree Starfire � these names). Unnecessary events for all of the unnecessary characters to appear at (see: poker night). Did I mention there are too many characters?
Also there is way too much therapized analysis by its overly self-aware protagonist, and the specific daddy issue she has is very played out. I was much more interested in Miles's narcissistic mother, who never even appears. Relatedly, a lot more could have been done with the drama involving his sister Julia, but that ultimately fizzled away because we had to spend so much time ruminating with Daphne about her obliviously deadbeat dad. Sigh.
Lastly, because I really want to defend my disappointment in this book, there just never felt like there was anything on the line for any of these characters. If Daphne moved away (as was her original plan) or stayed � she'll be fine either way, right? And Miles, what did he really have at stake? Until he goes into his Ayn Rand-length speech at the end, it's completely unclear why he's so smitten with Daphne other than that she makes hot noises when she eats something yummy. It just felt like he had to fall in love with her because This Is A Romance, which wasn't nearly so compelling to read. I wish one or both of them had been tempted to get back with their exes. Now there would have been a compelling conflict!
If you're a big romance reader, I'm sure none of these things will bother you. There's great banter, great kissing, and a happy ending. Somehow, I just always want more....more
Five stars for Bradley's portrayal of characters from the past trying to come to grips with the realities of our present. The details of what each chaFive stars for Bradley's portrayal of characters from the past trying to come to grips with the realities of our present. The details of what each character struggled with (and what they easily adapted to!) brought these characters to life in a way that was as delightful as it was revealing.
Four-point-five stars for Bradley's command of language at the sentence level. There were some absolute gems here, particularly nestled in the dialogue.
Two stars for pacing. I wouldn't have DNFed this novel because the language itself was good enough to keep me going, but this story really slogged for a good two thirds. (And then it absolutely tripped over itself racing to the end.)
I am conflicted in how I feel over the main character (also the narrator). On one hand, I though the complexity of her background and motivation added needed depth to the book. However, it didn't go deep enough. The narrator is far too self-aware for my liking, which kept all of her issues—class, ethnicity, perceived and real control, and nationalism to name a few—at the "explained" level rather than embedding them so that we, the reader, can feel them moving the book itself. But maybe I'm asking too much of this book. It did come very hyped.
I personally don't mind that the novel didn't slot easily into a genre. It's not strictly romance, or science fiction, or literary. The disappointment, for me, is that it leaned into tropes when they were easiest and forewent them when they were hard. Any rational explanation or even hint at a rational explanation about the actual time travel, such as why they retrieved these particular people or how any of it actually worked? Nil. (Because that's hard.) Predictably happy romantic ending? Yep, because that's easy.
I guess I ultimately wanted this book to be more literary, not just because that's my preference, but because that seemed to be the promise at the outset. The language of the writing itself felt like it was promising me that, despite that this book was going to entail time travel and probably some sort of romantic entanglement, I was about to read a deep treatment of complex characters. For a while, I got a deep treatment of the complex character Graham, the male love interest and second-most-important character in the book after the narrator. But then the romance took over. And then the spy-thrillerness took over. And by the end, I felt disoriented and unfulfilled, as though I had planned to eat a full savory dinner, blinked, and discovered I'd eaten two bags of chips and a pint of ice cream instead. A real bummer!
But an entertaining read. If you're going to read this book, go in expecting a standard three-star book that intentionally does not fit into any genre you probably saw marketed, and I can almost guarantee you'll have an enjoyable experience....more
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