brittishliterature's Reviews (222)

I was pleasantly surprised by this fun holiday read! I'd nearly written it off, because, although the cover is super cute, I was pretty hesitant about the hype. The story ended up being completely different than what I'd expected, and I enjoyed it so much!

The first chapter felt a bit hard to follow, but once I got settled into the story, I was fully invested. Mae was not my favorite main character, but there was a bit of character development and growth as the book continued. I felt that the character development of those around her was a tad lacking for me. I would have liked to get to know Andrew, Theo, and the rest of the gang better. It was hard to keep them all straight and made the romance feel a bit shallow since I knew very little about most of them. Benny, however, I LOVED Benny! I pictured him as resembling Woody Harrelson haha.

The one main issue I had with the story is that I actually thought 

Mae was going to eventually realize feelings for Theo and finally get over her crush on Andrew! Okay, yes, there was the drunk kiss, but they were drunk for crying out loud and he liked her. I don't know, I definitely thought there was potential there, and I definitely thought that was going to be a plot twist: finally sleeps with her dream guy and then realizes she actually loves her friend Theo. I was a bit annoyed at the way Theo's feelings and their lifelong friendship just got shoved to the side. I actually liked Theo! I think once I got past this, I was able to finally accept the ending, even though Mae's relationship with Andrew felt like it happened a bit too easily. But once I'd accepted him as the love interest, I thought it was really sweet and romantic.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am glad I finally read it! Great holiday read filled with heartwarming romance, a very lovable group of chosen family, and sweet feelings of nostalgia. I guess sometimes it doesn't hurt to judge a book by its cover ;)

I'm so sorry, I was just so bored haha. Not me thinking I would try to branch out and read something out of my norm and then being disappointed haha. This book just wasn't for me. The prologue was interesting in the fact that

there was a sex scene right off the bat, but then any sexual tension that would have built up in the book was already gone for me - I mean they already got together, they did it, what's left now?

I found the writing a bit bland, and I had no interest in the storyline. So, I decided to save myself the trouble and stop. Such a bummer, because the cover is so cute!

I mostly liked this book. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and visiting the magical island of Marsyas. However, the ending felt forced and almost a bit contrived. There also seemed to be a lack in struggle/conflict. What I might have considered one of the biggest obstacles in the story was solved way too easily and made the build up feel pointless. A great book nonetheless, but sadly did not live up to the hype for me.

Loved the full cast production of the audiobook, but I didn't enjoy the overall story and structure of the book as much. It started off great and had good parts, but I wish it would have flowed and tied together a bit better. There were a lot of gaps for me, and it felt disjointed from chapter to chapter. I also wasn't a fan of the ending.

I mean, for one, Miss Lupescu was a pretty important character, so the lack of explanation about what the Honor Guard was doing and how she died? I mean, really? And the way Bod's family handled (or didn't) his leaving and going out into the world? It just felt very lacking all around.

 

It was okay, but I didn't enjoy it as much I'd hoped I would.

Such a perfect October/Halloween read! I was drawn into the narrative very quickly and looked forward to picking the book up every day. I enjoyed Hoffman's writing style and structure for this novel - it often felt like magic weaving in and out through multiple viewpoints and character stories to create a beautiful tapestry. I usually don't read much magical realism, but after this one, I look forward to trying out the genre more! 

The ending felt a little anticlimactic, and I would have liked to spend more time with how it ended. But nonetheless, the ending and the relationships between the Owens family left my heart feeling warm and happy. Overall, I loved it and can't wait to continue with the others in the series at some point! 

Loving it, but now that October is over the Halloween vibes are fading. May try to finish the audiobook and pick up the physical copy again next October!

This was so cute! Such a fun read for October!