Alenanela – Google

This show tugs at your heartstrings for the first half, but the second half is bland in comparison. Whoever wrote NJ’s lines… ISTG she was so poorly written. The characters come off as shallow in their emotional depth despite having been through ~trauma~ which I disliked. Overall though, the vibes are nice and chill, and the premise is pretty fun. The whole yearning and enemies to lovers stuff was nice.

I didn’t know I could dislike a book so much, and yet here we are. The plot is messy and disorganised. It felt as though Sally Thorne decided “oh that would be a cute scene” then randomly chose a way to force the two characters to interact. You have to suspend all disbelief to read this book. I couldn’t even get through it, even though I truly tried my best. Immature characters as well. I love morally grey characters, but these two were bland, shallow, and childish. I cannot in good conscience recommend this to anyone, unless you LOVE the romance genre (even when it is mediocre).

I acknowledge that Sally Rooney’s writing style is not for many people, hence the many one star reviews. However, the straightforwardness of her writing is refreshing and makes this novel a page turner in every sense of the term. The complex characters, Marianne and Connell, are taken seriously and portrayed realistically. Weirdness, pain, intelligence and all. Although the relationship between the two characters is problematic and at times toxic, Rooney embraces it and portrays it as such. A 5/5, one of the best books I’ve read.