This looks like a light read, and it is, but there's some thought-provoking elements that were pleasant contrast to the fluff. It's fun to consider the memories that get attached to such meaningful possessions as wedding dresses.

It's probably my fault for just reading this without realizing it was the third in a series, but I had such a hard time caring about any of the characters, and I kept mixing up their stories. Some descriptions or moments were powerful, but not as much as I'd like.

I really wanted to like this...but I just couldn't. There are so many hard-to-believe elements that stack up to the point that it just became too much. Maybe most glaringly: all the men - her dad, her boss, her love interest - love to spend money, time, etc. to ridiculous proportions to help a protagonist who thinks of herself as independent and making it on her own for some reason? This is a sad interpretation of the real Elizabeth Bennet and also of course the real Mr. Darcy.

Overall, this was a fine read. The pacing felt unbalanced. There were definitely scenes I skipped. I liked the sister dynamic and wanted more of that.

Intriguing premise with thought-provoking prose, though the nature of the main voice made it hard to connect with women characters

2.5 stars - some great moments, but I just so strongly disagreed with so many of the choices made by the protagonist. I wanted to hear about the Paris setting, past and present, rather than watch her eat cheese and shirk her responsibilities again.

This book failed to land for me ultimately. It may have just been the character's viewpoint, but so much of the plot felt like contrived complications rather than real problems. The quoting didn't work for me - instead of being sweet, it just got ridiculous, like, how are they both that well-read and know exactly that the other one means with just a page number? It's not like everyone read Jane Eyre right when it was published.

Such a thought-provoking examination of the effects of the pandemic, of survivor's guilt, of staying in relationships too long, of considering the possibility of dramatic life changes... Picoult's prose managed to be accessible and lyrical in just the right balance, for an engaging read that never felt over the top.

I inhaled this book in one sitting, and I wish I'd liked it more - there was so much potential there, and some really thought-provoking places. But overall the characters fell flat (no one besides the two main leads had any depth other than in plot twists, and neither of them had an authentic life outside of their attraction to each other) and some of the relationship activities made me uncomfortable. Hoover acknowledging the insta-love didn't fix it, and I found the twist hard to forgive.

It's just fun to escape into fantasy that feels comfortingly classic and intriguingly fresh at the same time.