I love Ireland. I went for the first time (hopefully the first of many) in 2017, and it was absolutely in the top five experiences of my life (possibly top three).

I didn't realize when I picked this book up that it takes place primarily in Ireland. It'd been sitting on my shelves for so long I had no clue what it was even about when I started it.

The passages talking about Ireland were so beautiful and touched my heart. There was some really lovely prose that mirrored my own feelings about Ireland.

Perhaps that's why this book was so disappointing to me. It is obvious that the author has a way with words. But the story itself is seriously lacking.

First of all, there is an egregious case of insta-love here. The characters meet and are making out within a couple of hours. Within a week they're in love, and he's transformed from a moody alcoholic to a totally stable guy. OOKAYYY... There was no foundation to their relationship. They didn't earn their romance. So everything that happens regarding them after that feels hollow and unrealistic.

Secondly, the level of melodrama in this book is out of control. Think of every soap opera trope you can and throw it together. That is this book.

There is a ghost story in here that could've been good. It could've been twisty and dark. But it ended on such a lukewarm note. It was almost as if the author chickened out at the last minute and decided to turn it into some sort of redemption arc.

There are several 'reveals' throughout this book that are so incredibly obvious. I don't know how anyone is actually surprised by anything that happens in this book. Yet, we are forced to slog through hundreds of pages of inanity before anything comes to light. One of my biggest reading pet peeves is when the reader knows something is going on and the characters are completely clueless when the truth is obvious AF.

Another gripe I have is that everything was solved so quickly, with both Ellen and her mother and her mother and aunt. It was one of those situations where if the two characters had just used their words, there wouldn't be a story. Another trope I despise. If a simple conversation negates your entire book, it's a weak book.

I don't mind character-driven stories, but damn. This book had no plot whatsoever. And the characters weren't particularly deep either. So really, it was all about the setting. And that is where the second star comes from. I freaking love Ireland.