Tara Gainey – Google

A shallow take on biblical motherhood. I kept wanting MORE. It's aesthetically pleasing, but lacks substance. I don't feel that I learned anything about what God meant motherhood to be or how to navigate motherhood in God's love. It felt very preachy and many sentenced didn't sit well with me "While there, we caught our oldest in a lie. I nodded to Daddy to deal with it, and he did. But I found it insufficient and couldn't resist adding my two cents to drive home the "grievousness of falsehoods" to my 4 year old, who had already zoned out." I tell my kids, "Speak life." I ask them, "Is what you just said true, neces- sary, and kind? It must be all three...I cringe when I hear their misplaced worship, yet I'm often immune to my own wayward heart."

What I wanted to feel: "Jesus, that freaking book punched the air straight out of my chest. I don't remember ever smiling that big, crying that bad, or clutching my chest that hard" (pg 366) What I actually felt: nothing, bored, sleepy (and jealous of the book Lina got to read that made her feel that way while reading this bland book) So many critiques of this book (bland storyline, no tension between leads, too many tropes, meaningless experiment, no character development, no chemistry between leads). And yet I'm most disappointed it made me feel nothing. Also, never want to read 'neglected lady parts' again ("Lucas could be kneading bread and my sad and neglected lady parts would riot at the sight of his fingers pressing and stroking the smooth surface, working the mix with a diligence and iron hand that had me sweating and shifting on the stool.")

The first few episodes had me gripped and wanting to know what happens but after that dramatic start I grew bored. Nothing notable happens between ep 4 and 16 to me. I disliked the pacing, the way the plot unfolded, and the constant focus on the second male lead who had no personality or emotion whatsoever. *spoilers* I'm not a fan of time jumps in dramas and disliked how it was used to get to a breakup though the 2 never had any time together as a couple beforehand. It felt like a cheap plot device. However I did like the part where she had to win him back even if it felt like it was too easy compared to what she went through for him. The actors themselves are okay (female lead was boring) and I felt their friendship level chemistry a little but still felt something was always missing romantically. Though I grew bored of it quickly I finished it because I love Rowoon's acting. This was a forgettable drama for me.

I started watching the drama after seeing a recap on youtube so I knew the FL didn't end up with the guy from the wedding. Some called it a "light watch" but to me it felt like more of a "melodrama" (angsty, sad, mopey). But around ep 8 I began to feel the pacing lacked, there were lots of cliches that were poorly done, over acting of step mom and step sister and moping ex girlfriend became scenes I skipped. FL said about the ex that doesn't give up after 10 years, "I think she's really brave. She's honest about her feelings and does her best to stay true to them. Do you know how hard that is to do? She's like a tree - she's planted her roots in one spot and wont be shaken no matter what." I don't think refusing to get over an ex is being brave or an admirable trait. Then the ex girlfriend went on to say to the ML, "I want a break from you," turns to his cousin and asks, "will you accept me?" What kind of nonsense is this? Can she not be single? Why does she feel she needs to be with either of them? There's no believable chemistry or connection between the ex girlfriend and either male. This storyline felt forced and awkward and gave me a great distaste for the show. Who thought this was good writing? I am glad the storyline wasn't a predictable ending of who the main couple is but that was about it. The FL was pretty but I didn't like how they made her look boyish, wear unflattering clothes, and not be treated as a girl. I felt thr drama could be done better in current day if the styling, acting, directing, characters, and script were changed.