I watched the movie and thought it was so cute. I decided to read the book for research since I am writing my own age gap romance.

this book was not good. a very rare instance when the movie is better. there are very few similarities between the movie and book. the movie made so many improvements on the plot.

the writing was not great. the internal thoughts did not seem to align with how a 40 year old woman would really think, but maybe as a woman in her 30s I don't truly know. also hayes did not seem very swoonworthy. I guess if you're just imagining harry styles the whole time, but even then the personality doesn't seem to align so 🤷🏻‍♀️ I only powered through to hear the ending but this was even different from the movie so this was a total loss. giving 2 stars instead of 1 because it's not abysmal. just not for me.

I also did the audiobook. her voice was fine, but the intonation and cadence and british accent were just not for me. I am sure that brought this down a bit as well. 

 I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. the dialogue was great and it felt really cute and sweet. the antics in the beginning definitely make you chuckle.

I thought because this was labeled an age gap romance that it would play a bigger role in the plot. but it was more about old money vs no money. which at times I didn't love the vibe.

as it got more serious I really appreciate that she leaned into and discussed the spectrum of abuse rather than it being black and white. 

 I like this book, it had a really good ending about taking action and having an impact. it covered a lot of areas and intersectionality. a lot of information I was already familiar with though and I think I preferred those original sources more. I did learn a lot about sustainably whale watching which om grateful for.

Great book if you're looking to dive into the world of orcas. 

I really liked her writing style. a second chance romance with some big/heavy themes discussed. i liked the characters but I'm not sure I loved them. I would definitely read more by her.

this reminded me of seven days in june. if you liked that I think you'd like this.

this was written really well and an easy read despite the topics. I really enjoyed the story line. not too many years after covid it does feel a bit uncomfortable to read even though it isn't exactly the same world/reality. I'd definitely recommend this.

this was fine. the beginning had good lead up and I thought I knew where it was going. but I felt it didn't lean in enough at times or add details where needed. the ending felt rushed. I'm not sure I loved any characters. I think I liked the daughter and maybe the mom at times.

such an interesting backstory to how the whales in captivity craze started. very thorough yet still a quick and easy read. it is full of sad moments. I still find it a worthwhile read. as someone who knows a lot about whales I had never heard of anything before namu. it covered all that and then some. it also talked about recent times (as of 2016 which sadly is still true today).

the audiobook is really great to listen to as well. his performance definitely adds to the story.

for fans of blackfish, orca lovers, and animal enthusiasts.

here's the thing. I knew this book wasn't for me when I heard the content warning. I am not a bully romance person. but I gave it a chance anyways because I thought this might be rio from good girls vibes.

ares/wolf is terrible. in the way men are terrible in real life and why read about it. I like my book boyfriends to be better. the bullying crosses the line for me into worse. BUT I know for some people that is your cup of tea and no shade to you. in that sense this is entertaining. just definitely check the trigger warnings before reading.

red was annoying in the beginning but in the end she came into her strength and I appreciated that.

I will say once we got past the bully part and more into the enemies to friends to lovers I did enjoy it. the cliffhanger got me. I wasn't sure I was going to finish it, but now I am curious how it wraps up. 

this is a really interesting concept. it is very disturbing and hard to get through. I found its portrayal of the special meat process very accurate and true to our current food system.

as a vegan I think I read this a bit differently than others. I do not feel this book is pushy or preachy or gross for gross's sake. I think it is a very interesting alternate reality that remains true to a lot of our current habits and behaviors at our worst and most ignorant. I do hope it is thought provoking to those who read it. and while it is hard to stomach so is the real life version with animals. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think some things could have been lost in translation or rushed and so I did not feel attached to any of the main characters. I felt marcos was a total hypocrite.

10/10 I loved this book. it was written in the 2000s and you can definitely tell by some non-PC language. however it was very objectively written and covered so many facets of whaling. I had no idea this book was about sea shepherd. I just saw it at a used book store and thought cool I like whales. I was so pleasantly surprised.

outside of the poor language at times the only thing I felt this book needed was a bit more about whale capture for entertainment. its mentioned in a few sentences but I do think it should have a bit more time in the book.

for anyone who loves whales, wants to protect them, or wants to understand a plight of our oceans (because there are many more) highly recommend.