e-Audio, 11:23:04
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Release Date: April 23, 2024
Published by: Berkley
Read from: April 22-24, 2024
Stand-alone
Source: PRH App (I received a copy of this e-audiobook from the publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Abandonment, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Infidelity
For Readers Interested In: Romance, Realistic Fiction, AdultA shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?
But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?
*MY THOUGHTS*
I always feel weird when I’m the Black Sheep. Everyone seems to think this is Henry’s best work, but I just don’t know how they think that when Happy Place and Beach Read exist? Whatever the case may be, I liked this one, but it wasn’t taking any spots on my favorite shelf.
The first thing that comes to mind about this book is the writing style. I got sucked into this book and couldn’t stop reading it. But even with her amazing signature writing style, I ended up counting the amount of times she used chortle. Idk what it was, but this just annoyed me lol And the way this wrapped up so freaking perfectly? I get making sure everything is tied up and there are no loose ends, but Lordt this felt too for the plotty. Like it was too perfect? I know this is a romance book, but it was too perfect. I need a bit more tension or emotion. Like I was in TEARS in Happy Place, and I wanted the same this time, but I didn’t get that emotion.
The romance was great! I think they deserved each other. I’m not going to lie, I was like “HELL YEAH!” when she said “Yeah they were dating to her terrible ass ex. (TBH I think this is part of why I said it was too much for the plotty. Because she should’ve went off on his ass. They were getting married! And the way she is so like sensitive, I just didn’t believe that she didn’t at least cuss him out in that last scene.) I do wish she had spent more time with them together. I was sad that they spent so much of this book running from each other.
I also didn’t like that I didn’t find the Easter eggs in this one. She’s said there’s two very discreet ones, and while I think I caught them, I want to make sure. So I need someone else who’s already read it to let me know. LOL This has been eating me up since I finished it.
The characters were the best thing about this book. I LOVED Daphne. As a librarian myself, I knew I would. And Idk who she modeled this after, but these are the exact tasks I completed at work before too. And no I wasn’t a fan of Miles being a p0t head. I could have done without that part. Also, I though Petra was so cringe. Whyyyyyy are you being nice to this person when you just took her man? KNOWING that she was a thing. It’s one thing to cheat when you don’t know. BUT SHE MET HER? And they were still trying to be friends? Girl hell naw.
Henry’s book always feel so freaking real. It’s like I’m watching a movie or something. And with this one, it’s even more so real for me because of her job. This one didn’t take over as my first favorite, but it DID tie for 3rd place. So now it’s as follows, Happy Place, Beach Read, Book Lovers & this. People we Meet on Vacay is still the one I wish I hadn’t read lol Idk what it is about that one lol It’s just not for me. But this one is. In fact, this one is for everybody!
Overall, I give this
