Rachel Schroeder

So many cliches, from the writing style to the characters. The main character is an independent misunderstood female, struggling against the patriarchy. It’s fine if you like that narrative, but it’s honestly overused. Women can have stories apart from the same old patriarchal struggle. All the characters are intensely dislikable, utterly self-consumed, and the author tries hard to make the reader feel bad for these people who are the source of their own problems. Most of this book is reading the same lines over again, “her freckles looked like stars,” “you have a timeless face,” “a smile that didn’t reach his eyes,” “a woman walking alone was a scandalous thing.” I get the point. Stop wasting my time by making me read the same plot point a thousand times. I would give zero stars if that were an option. Unfortunately, it’s not. I could go on, but I don’t want to give this book any more of my time.