alltheradreads's Reviews (1.9k)

the PERFECT book to read right now with the @olympics! 💙🖤❤️💛💚

i loved this one — a fun and fascinating story more of self-development than just romance, taking place at a fictional athens 2024 olympic games (mostly in the village! which was so cool to “peek into”!), with a volunteer and the fastest man in the world. 

it tackles some deeper themes — loss of a parent, grief and anxiety, parental expectations and pressure, figuring out who you are and what you want, etc! and the romance fades to black while still having great chemistry and fun flirtatiousness. 

as i watched the games open yesterday, i kept talking about this book and how many cool little things i learned or picked up from it, and i’m loving thinking about how all the olympians are spending their time when not training and competing. 

highly recommend reading this one this summer!

PHEW this one is a trip to read in 2024 (when it takes place! it was written in the 90s) — it’s dystopian (but is it?), it’s science fiction (that’s too real), and it’s intense. 😵‍💫

it’s one of those books that covers a lot of time but moves fairly slow, is seemingly neither plot-driven nor focused on character development, and is mostly a slice of life look at a very dark, depressing, dire future america. 

it’s hard to say i “liked” it, but it’s very worthy of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and i’m already starting the sequel — it definitely makes my list of books i think everyone should read in their lifetime! (a list i should actually put on paper…)

this book took me three weeks to get through 😅

the premise? fascinating. (time travel! “expats” of both time and place, brought from their era to now, with the help of a “bridge” as their guide to adjusting! secrecy in the ministry! moles and weapons and unclear identities! romance! etc!)

the execution? clumsy, tangled, confusing, and slow. 

i was bummed, and kept losing interest, and disappointed this one wasn’t sharper and more tightly told!

i loooove ashley poston’s creative, magical, whimsical stories, but this was my least favorite of her books 😔

i do think fans of gilmore girls or virgin river will enjoy this one – it’s perfect for anyone who wishes they could somehow live inside the fictional towns they love! 

it took me a bit to connect with the magic of this one, but it did slowly grow on me as things settled into place. i had guesses about what twists this plot would deliver, and they didn’t end up being right (but honestly, they might have made it better if they had been?). 

having LOVED poston’s first book, and really liking her second, i was a bit disappointed that this one didn’t have QUITE the same sparkle, but i did end up liking it (even though the characters’ chemistry felt lacking and the plot moved slooooowly). 🤷🏼‍♀️