Genre: Romance, Fiction

Rating: 2/5 stars as a romance novel, 4/5 stars as a fiction book

I promise I don’t only read romance. I mostly read romance, but I’ll dabble in anything if the plot grabs me. That said, I drink up romance novels like they’re water, especially the ones that capture that deeper, nostalgic 90s rom-com vibe. That’s why I’ve devoured everything Emily Henry has ever published. Ask me about my EH hierarchy and I’ll happily dive in!

But this? This is not a romance novel. Emily Henry does romance novels well. This is a fiction book with a romantic subplot, one that didn’t quite land for me.

I considered rereading this before writing a review when a friend asked, but honestly, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The writing is good, the story is good, but it was still over 400 pages of my life that I won’t get back. Maybe my disappointment stems from how in love I was with the idea of this book, only to be let down when it read more like a novel with romance sprinkled in. Don’t get me wrong, Henry’s other books also edge into fiction, but that’s why I love them. She writes fully developed characters, which is rare these days.

I digress… if you go into this knowing the type of book it is, it is easier to appreciate.

For the record, I almost never tell someone not to read a book (unless it’s truly awful). Reading is subjective. I once kept reading a book that turned out to be basically Anthony Rizzo fanfic, so who am I to judge?

That said, when a book is worth reading, I’ll keep the main review spoiler-free, with a deep-dive at the end, including a heads-up.

So, lets get into it. The story follows an unknown struggling writer named Alice, and Hayden who is a Pulitzer Prize winning author. They have both been invited to essentially fight to write the biography of famed reclusive heiress Margaret Ives.

The majority of the story jumps between flashbacks and present day interviews, with some character and relationship building between Alice and Hayden thrown in for some angst (not enough angst).

This was another book where I absolutely loved the flashback stories, giving motifs of the Great Gatsby, but make it Hollywood. Henry’s descriptors truly do that part of the story justice, painting a beautifully vivid story in your head.

Where the story lost me was the romantic plot (subplot?). Their relationship breaks one of my cardinal rules of romance, you can’t say you love someone if you don’t actually know them. Henry came close to selling me on it, especially with Hayden revisiting Alice’s childhood home.Yet, they did not quite get there for me, Henry didn’t push it far enough. I need tension, I need yearning, if this is going to be a forbidden romance, make me believe it!

SPOILERS AHEAD

My biggest frustration was the ending. Why involve Alice at all if Margaret never intended to write a memoir and just wanted to meet her grandson? That twist felt convoluted and unfair to Alice, especially when Margaret asked her to keep Hayden in the dark. I get that a big reveal was needed, but the execution felt forced and disconnected from the core story.

I understand that there had to be some kind of twist, and this could have been the twist if it was better planned and written. In my opinion it felt very forced and felt out of place in the actual plot.

CONTINUE IN SPOILER FREE BLISS

Overall did I like the book?

I honestly still don’t know… it has a happily ever after ending which is a requirement in my opinion. But there wasn’t enough of the actual relationship where I felt invested enough to care.

One day I may reread the book, and rewrite this review. For now I will say read at your own risk. Reading and writing is subjective and the writing and story were genuinely very strong. It was just not what I wanted out of the next big Emily Henry novel, especially another one centered around writers (which is my bread and butter).

If you want more Emily Henry reviews, let me know! I’ve read all her books more times than I’d like to admit, and I’m looking for an excuse to crack open my new limited edition of Beach Read to join my favorite EH couple.

Feel free to comment what you thought and if I should review any more Emily Henry books!