There was so much I wanted to love about this book. The premise drew me in and really intrigued me. And I did enjoy aspects of the friendships and the personal journey of the main character. The first part of the book was especially interesting.

But... I have mixed feelings about the direction Serle took with bringing it all together. I felt there were so many other unique and meaningful ways she could have gone

This book.... Wow

Some aspects reminded me of This Is Us - the way new characters would get introduced and then later you'd be like OHH, that's how they're connected!

The writing was beautiful. The characters were memorable. The relationships were raw and real.

Please read this one

I thought this book did exactly what it set out to do. It is an excellent resource for individuals with bipolar and other mental illnesses. I think the author covered mindfulness with great detail and helped it feel like something anyone can apply. I also appreciated how he described how to use mindfulness to manage specific aspects of bipolar (mania, anxiety, depression, etc).

Summary: Maggie Dawes is a world-renowned photographer who is close to the end of the her life, facing a terminal cancer diagnosis. When she starts to tell her story to a new employee, we learn of her challenging year as a pregnant teenager when her family sent her to live in a picturesque town with her aunt. What ensues is a love story between Maggie and a boy named Bryce during her time away from home.

3.5 stars

I used to read Nicholas Sparks religiously and enjoyed most of his classics!

Things I liked:
- Story within a story
- The coming of age journey as Maggie discovers herself
- A wholesome and sweet relationship with Bryce (and his dog- big fan )
- Navigating difficult family relationships including pretty awful parents. Yay for the supportive aunt.

Things I didn't enjoy:
- Felt super predictable, knew how it would end within the first 20 pages
- Mark was apparently a very forgettable character as I couldn't remember his name while writing this review after she spent half the book telling her story to him
- For some reason I didn't fully connect to Maggie. Felt like I should have but it really didn't tug my heartstrings the way I thought it would

Petty dislike: Nicholas Sparks thinks someone born in the mid-1990s wouldn't know what Pac-Man is