First Impression
Star Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟- 4 stars (see my rating system)
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Synopsis
Evie has two dreams on opposite ends of the spectrum: one is to pursue music, and the other is to graduate with honors from university to honor her parents. This book takes you on a 15-year journey through Evie’s life as she navigates from one romance to another, searching for the kind of great love she witnessed in her parents' relationship.
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Book Review
Overall
My husband picked this book from my TBR list for me to read on our flight from Melbourne to Perth. Not knowing what to expect and excited for a bit of 90s nostalgia, I dove straight into it. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself finishing this debut novel in a single sitting, even staying up after midnight upon landing to complete the last few chapters. Here are some initial thoughts:
- The 90s nostalgia is real - Having grown up in the 90s all the references brought me back to a pre-cellphone nostalgic era as I was thrust back into the memories of my childhood
- A beautiful love story - I loved reading about Evie’s love journey. Starting as a tomboyish girl in university, she evolved through her romantic interests. Her and Arlo’s love story had me guessing "will they or won’t they" the entire time. The way the rings came full circle was one of my favorite moments. Evie felt very childish and selfish at times but I felt like that made her more relatable as we got to grow up with her throughout the novel.
- Lots of Pilipino references - It was interesting to read about another culture that felt so much like my own, with similar cliques, beauty standards, and college crushes. The numerous Tagalog references added authenticity, although I didn’t always understand them, which mabe would have made the book more comprehensible at times.
Thank you Goodreads for the opportunity to read and review this book!
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Book Details
- Series: n/a
- Publishing Date/ Release Date: September 24, 2023
- Format: Kindle
- Length: 344 pages
- Setting: Philippines
- Tropes: Childhood Friends, Growing Up
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