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emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
One of the most well written romcoms I’ve read in a while, just wish it had a little more rom to it
Normally hate the cheating but not cheating trope but this was done pretty tastefully!
Recommend the audiobook!
Normally hate the cheating but not cheating trope but this was done pretty tastefully!
Recommend the audiobook!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy
emotional
lighthearted
medium-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
The premise of this book is spectacular, classic romcom. Cleo writes a dating column, and her boss decides to send her on a "self-coupling" trip to a remote island off the coast of Ireland. She's a little skeptical, but figures it'll be a good time to relax and sort out her life a bit more, so she agrees. And yet, when she arrives at the little cabin on the very remote island that is somehow even more remote, there's another person there. Aha! A mix-up! Mack, a photographer from Boston, swears he was promised the cabin at the same time as her, and the ferry only comes once a week. And it's not like there's anywhere else on this island that they can stay. A perfect setting for a heartfelt romance.
I think my favorite part of this book was probably the setting, and the other folks on the island. It was so picturesque, it really felt like I was there. And I loved the cast of secondary characters. They really rounded out the story so well, and I loved that Cleo found her place with the women of the island. I always love when romances are a bit more than just the romance itself, and we get actual, developed secondary characters, and this book did a great job with that.
Where it lacks for me is honestly the romance itself. The forced proximity trope is well-executed, but Cleo and Mack just didn't work for me, and I can't quite put my finger on why exactly. This is one of those where I just truly couldn't see the couple lasting beyond the pages of the book. I think they would've existed in each other's lives for a reason -Mack to finally accept that his marriage is over, Cleo to finally understand that her life is her own, not what society tells her it needs to be.
It just didn't have that spark that I love in romance novels, and while I loved the setting and the cast of characters, the main plot just didn't work for me the way I wanted it to.
I think my favorite part of this book was probably the setting, and the other folks on the island. It was so picturesque, it really felt like I was there. And I loved the cast of secondary characters. They really rounded out the story so well, and I loved that Cleo found her place with the women of the island. I always love when romances are a bit more than just the romance itself, and we get actual, developed secondary characters, and this book did a great job with that.
Where it lacks for me is honestly the romance itself. The forced proximity trope is well-executed, but Cleo and Mack just didn't work for me, and I can't quite put my finger on why exactly. This is one of those where I just truly couldn't see the couple lasting beyond the pages of the book. I think they would've existed in each other's lives for a reason -
It just didn't have that spark that I love in romance novels, and while I loved the setting and the cast of characters, the main plot just didn't work for me the way I wanted it to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Death
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent