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btwnprintedpgs's Reviews (1.3k)
challenging
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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:
No
I loved this book so much, in part cause it made me smile a lot, but also cause I can relate some of the family stuff she went through. Nothing as bad as her, but equally as tiring and maddening... Great read. The characters were full of life!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
Student/Teacher relationship
This was my first book by Tarryn Fisher and HOLY. FREAKING. HELL. I'm in love.
Maybe it's 'cause I'm crazy and insecure and an absolute mess too, but Yara is my spirit animal. Her journey to discovering herself is long, hard, and full of pain, and I was present for every second. There's something about Tarryn's writing that doesn't allow you skim pass any details. Everything mattered and it was beautiful. So much of what Tarryn wrote about Yara's psyche and her choices, and why, why, why she does what she does just resonated with me. I don't think I've ever had a character who I just understood so easily. I'm rambling now, but my goodness my heart hurts.
David is perfect. He is everything I want, have already found, and yet dismiss as easily as Yara. Again, the details - all the looks, the quirks, the little things about relationships that are so often missed in romance books today were all there for me to consume and store away. It wasn't just that he was present in her life, or their sex was fantastic, or that he was a brooding man who needed a girl to come change him. He was always present, in body, mind, and spirit with Yara and had this innate understanding of who Yara was. There was so much to his character and yet not enough. I was always hungry to know more about him, his life, and his thoughts. And I got just that (thank you to whoever thought of putting multiple perspectives 'cause it worked so so well here). His character bled music and feeling. They say artists feel more than normal people do, but with David I got it. I understand what that means now.
I have so much to say without the words to say it. All I know is that this wasn't simply a romance. It was a book about self-discovery and understanding yourself before you give yourself away. It was beautiful, heart-wrenching, and real, and next time I'm in a bookstore, I'm grabbing another Tarryn Fisher book to read.
Side note: I'm giving this book a 5/5. I do this with a lot of books, but I mean it so much more than I usually do with this one. Honestly, if you have a chance, it's amazing.
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pace: 4/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.4/5
-review by Between Printed Pages
Maybe it's 'cause I'm crazy and insecure and an absolute mess too, but Yara is my spirit animal. Her journey to discovering herself is long, hard, and full of pain, and I was present for every second. There's something about Tarryn's writing that doesn't allow you skim pass any details. Everything mattered and it was beautiful. So much of what Tarryn wrote about Yara's psyche and her choices, and why, why, why she does what she does just resonated with me. I don't think I've ever had a character who I just understood so easily. I'm rambling now, but my goodness my heart hurts.
David is perfect. He is everything I want, have already found, and yet dismiss as easily as Yara. Again, the details - all the looks, the quirks, the little things about relationships that are so often missed in romance books today were all there for me to consume and store away. It wasn't just that he was present in her life, or their sex was fantastic, or that he was a brooding man who needed a girl to come change him. He was always present, in body, mind, and spirit with Yara and had this innate understanding of who Yara was. There was so much to his character and yet not enough. I was always hungry to know more about him, his life, and his thoughts. And I got just that (thank you to whoever thought of putting multiple perspectives 'cause it worked so so well here). His character bled music and feeling. They say artists feel more than normal people do, but with David I got it. I understand what that means now.
I have so much to say without the words to say it. All I know is that this wasn't simply a romance. It was a book about self-discovery and understanding yourself before you give yourself away. It was beautiful, heart-wrenching, and real, and next time I'm in a bookstore, I'm grabbing another Tarryn Fisher book to read.
Side note: I'm giving this book a 5/5. I do this with a lot of books, but I mean it so much more than I usually do with this one. Honestly, if you have a chance, it's amazing.
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pace: 4/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.4/5
-review by Between Printed Pages
Despite the wartime backdrop, this was a light-hearted story of two people falling in love. But that all it was really. There wasn't much fear of them not being together, because after the musical we all kind of saw it coming. It was kind of interesting delving into their romance itself, but in the end I had to ask myself how much of it was real and how much of it was fictionalized.
There's also something I don't like about Melissa de la Cruz's writing. It's... choppy? That's the best word I have for it right now. But I just didn't find myself connected to the characters or deeply engaged with the world. It was as if she just had a bunch of facts and was listing it off for me in book form and that was that. There was a lot more telling in this than showing. I guess that may be where this book fell short?
My favourite part of the book was the ball scene where Eliza and her sisters are ripping Hamilton a new one. It was funny and snappy and probably the only part of the book where I was like "Hey, I like these characters." Otherwise, it was just who is with who, who wears what dress, is she wearing a wig, or is she not, etc. It was quite boring, to be quite honest...
As a whole, just a light, quick read. I don't really know how much history you'll get from it, but it was cute.
-review by Between Printed Pages
There's also something I don't like about Melissa de la Cruz's writing. It's... choppy? That's the best word I have for it right now. But I just didn't find myself connected to the characters or deeply engaged with the world. It was as if she just had a bunch of facts and was listing it off for me in book form and that was that. There was a lot more telling in this than showing. I guess that may be where this book fell short?
My favourite part of the book was the ball scene where Eliza and her sisters are ripping Hamilton a new one. It was funny and snappy and probably the only part of the book where I was like "Hey, I like these characters." Otherwise, it was just who is with who, who wears what dress, is she wearing a wig, or is she not, etc. It was quite boring, to be quite honest...
As a whole, just a light, quick read. I don't really know how much history you'll get from it, but it was cute.
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
World Building: 3/5
Writing: 2/5
Pacing: 3/5
Overall: 2.5/5
GoodReads Rating: 3.7/5
-review by Between Printed Pages