This book nearly ended up as a DNF when I tried to read it last summer. I think I just wasn't in a good reading mood. I picked it up again a few months later, started over, and it was a much better experience. It didn't hurt that I ended up taking an Asian history course shortly before I started reading it the second time. The story is very well-written and the characters develop really well over time. It's a beautiful story with plenty of heartbreak and realism. This is no fluff piece and does pull at the heart here and there. I'm very glad I gave it a second try. Well worth the read.

I VERY rarely give a low review on a book that I read all the way through. And I really wanted to like this one. But, ultimately, it just fell super flat for me. I was creeped out by part of the narrative and that alone may have tanked the book to at least a 2-star rating. But...then there was the ending. Just...nothing. I felt nothing. Unless you count the relief that the book was finally done. I felt like there was not enough resolution and the characters just stayed stagnant. It was disappointing.

I'm really giving this one 3.5. I liked the story and it read super duper fast, but in the beginning the book came off a little too juvenile in the narrative and that ending...ugh. I get that it's the first part in a trilogy, but that was just uncalled for. It also took me a bit to get used to the bouncing around timeline. Once I figured that out, then it worked. It was good enough that I want to read the rest of the trilogy, but I didn't love it enough to feel the need to pick up the second book right away.

Overall a very good book in terms of the skill behind the writing and the complexity of the plot. A different type of magic realism which reflects the myth present in Native cultures but also provides a good platform for a presentation of a widely impactful story. There is much to be gleaned from the pages of this novel in both personal reflection and perception of world politics. This speaks volumes to cultural imbalances and the many issues that come from social and racial prejudice.

Still a good Jenny Han read with an easy, breezy storyline and narrative, but the ending was just...meh. I'm sure that's partially because of the existing third book in the trilogy and the apparently necessary mediocre second book in a trilogy, but I wasn't impressed. The only saving grace was that I was able to breeze right into the third book...as if there really was never a semi-empty ending.

The author of this book is clearly very intelligent. He frequently uses complex words and his descriptions are heavily laden. I felt that I would have gotten a lot more out of the book if I had a better background in Russian history. However, it did spark something of an interest in that for me, so I guess that's something. The narrative is clever, but slow and steady. There is no real high excitement in the book until you near the end. Unfortunately, I felt that this wasn't exploited to its fullest potential and the ending was weak. There was a great setup to the events that occurred, but a relatively poor execution that made it seem as if the author simply tired of writing the tale. I was left mildly disappointed.

A cute story with a lovable grump for a protagonist. It's a day to day movement story without being overly tedious. For me, this was a book that I fell into quickly and read with relative ease. It wasn't overly gripping, but it was comfortable. It held my attention and made me want to read...always a good sign.

The only thing truly helpful in this for me was the list of milestones. Otherwise, the writing felt a little overly judgmental. Parents have it hard enough with hearing conflicting recommendations on how to raise their child. The advice in this book is a bit over the top in terms of its ability to be realistic for the average parent. Instead, it seems to just add stress by insinuating that those who don't make efforts to follow all of the "guidelines" in the book are doing their little ones a disservice. I honestly expected better from the person who wrote "What to Expect While You're Expecting". I expected to read a bit more of an open-minded and comforting dialogue.

I actually bought this book thinking it was another one. Oops. However, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I'd never read anything by Jenny Colgan before, but I can easily say that I will be reading more of her work in the future. I liked her easy and laid-back writing style. It felt conversational and real, nothing pretentious or overthought. I was mildly disappointed in the way the ending just sort of...arrived. I could have done with a little bit more of a wrap up. I liked the characters enough to want more.