I liked the writing style, the snarky banter Emily Henry creates so well, and the concept that imperfect humanity can be loving. I did not like January.

I found January overly insecure and self-centered. She was constantly convinced Gus didn’t love her, obsessed that he was only into one-and-done interactions based on a very limited relationship with him from 10 years ago no matter how much the present said otherwise. She wouldn’t give him even a second to think or respond, she just immediately made up her mind and shut down or ran until he chased her down. There wasn’t any grace for him as a broken human being but expected him to have ultimate vulnerability and transparency (and mind-reading powers), which we all know people are soooo good at… it was just frustrating to me.

So 3.5 stars rounded up. I did like the overall romance story if not for that, that perfection isn’t a thing, and the writing, like I said. I liked it enough that I couldn’t give it 3 stars, I just felt like Gus did all the giving and January just took which knocked it down a notch for me.

I loved Opal and all her quirkiness and uniqueness. The idea of redeeming broken things and making them into something different and giving them new purpose was such a perfect undercurrent. And the military spin on that was perfect.

Really inspiring in the reconciliation section that had me tearing up a bit and both Lincoln’s and Opal’s friendships gave it a really great depth. Great summer read.

Based on the incredible true story of the Smith College women who went over during WW1 to assist the French civilians. Crazy how much they did when women were often not allowed to do much during that time. They did such amazing work and had such an impact during such a dirty and difficult situation. The audiobook narration was fantastic and I loved the snippets of letters even tho they’re fictional.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up. I think it’s a good description of emotions for the sake of self-awareness but I don’t believe it did a lot to assist in “making meaningful connection” with other people. In and of itself it was a great explanation of emotions - if you can’t explain how you feel or be aware of yourself you can’t really get better at how we relate to and care for other people.

But, I don’t think this offered any way to actually do something with that knowledge. And the very things she advocated not doing, I found her saying at least in the audiobook, when stating her opinion on political things and the recent pandemic. I didn’t even disagree necessarily in the point in some of it. She’s entitled to that opinion, but the way she spoke about the *people* with different opinions than she had, I thought was very inappropriate and unfortunate.

4.5 ⭐️ Really loved the very real situations with Ellie and Jake, and the candidness they each had with each other. I felt like I related with Ellie and her social awkwardness many times lol. The ending did seem to wrap up fast or not at all at the end, and I felt like there was a lot missing from Jake’s perspective but I guess that it was a one sided story. Those all were the only drawbacks for me, otherwise I really enjoyed it.

Although they really need a better editor on it cuz geez there were a bunch of typos.

Sweet and endearing. I enjoyed the overlap with the last book and the authors not at the end referencing the bridges featured also had allusions to what Ivo was trying to do with the families. I liked the progressive confidence that Meg gained once she had someone on her side to give her encouragement and that while it wasn’t a perfect fix to the family feud, it allowed for reconciliation when their children looked past old grievances rather than just following blind prejudice.

Such a good book and didn’t see many things coming. Loved the characters and humor as well as the things they struggle with, dealing with their own issues but choosing love and each other when it all comes down to it instead of resentment and pride. Some of it admittedly hits a little close to home but the thought processes, character development, different ways to view each others’ experiences was so great and perceptive. Really enjoyed it