4/5 Okay Libby Hubscher, stab me in the heart why don’t you? If you’re looking for an easy-breezy romcom, Meet Me in Paradise is definitely not it despite being (erroneously) shelved under Romance and featuring a certain hot hotelier that speaks seven languages. The first half of this book reads like a typical romantic comedy complete with skinny dipping mishaps and drunken first kisses, but there’s some VERY heavy foreshadowing that lets you know the levity is not going to last. Even though the romance is very sweet and Meet Me in Paradise plays with the tropes of romantic comedies, this is really a book about grief and the bonds between sisters. Despite the fact that Marin and Sadie have made some decisions and developed habits that ultimately hurt themselves and each other, the love and generosity that they had for each other infused every page. I finished this book during silent reading while I was substitute teaching in a grade 6 class, and I very nearly lost the battle in being remembered as that teacher who randomly cried at school. I wish Lucas and Marin’s romance got a little more page time at the end of the novel and that we were given a greater glimpse into Lucas’s own experiences with loss and how it’s impacted him in the present, but I loved these two together and the place that they came to by the end of the novel. I also haven’t come across many romance novels with leading characters who are Asian and so I was very happy to see this representation in such an accomplished and well-rounded character. Do: Read this if you also like to cry-laugh your way through your books Don’t: read this at work, particularly if it puts you in front of children who will 10/10 make fun of you.
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5/5 “‘I think I love everything about you.’ … ‘sometimes I wear very impractical shoes,’ ‘nothing impractical about looking hot.’” I really need to quit sleeping on these bookstagram/booktok romances because OH MY GOD. I will be reading Emily Henry’s entire backlist asap, because Book Lovers has given me more serotonin than my brain has experienced in weeks (thanks a lot ticketmaster, I didn’t want to see Harry Styles anyway). I know that a lot of the eldest sister’s out there have loved this book because they relate so strongly to Nora, but as a younger sister I loved it because I could see a lot of my older sister in Nora. My sister is one of my favourite people in the world (unless she’s reading this, in which case this is a lie I’m telling to the internet, still hate you) and I loved reading about a character that captured those sibling dynamics and the personality types of older-younger siblings so perfectly. Now Nora can be a straight up nutcase, but I appreciate that about her and I get where she’s coming from. And as a hallmark movie aficionado, I love the premise of a story about the evil city girl who actually enjoys working and gets left by a man who is the human equivalent of white wonder bread. May we all be so lucky as to find a Charlie Lastra who loves our nightmare brain and commitment to fabulous, if uncomfortable, shoes. I also don’t understand the Libby slander? I think people that criticize Libby for: 1. Making decisions for the happiness of her family, Nora included, 2. Grieving the loss of her MOTHER in a PERFECTLY NORMAL AND HEALTHY WAY, and 3. Not being able to read Nora’s mind and know without being told that Nora has different dreams then what she’s literally always told Libby, have unresolved feelings about their younger sisters. Not like my sister, who thinks I’m fabulous. Definitely. If you need me, I will be browsing the internet for a certain Book-themed cologne and trying to ignore the fact that Bigfoot erotica probably really exists. ![]() 4.5/5 "Was he going to see Kareena Mann again? He hoped he did. Then he could strangle her." Y’know, occasionally BookTok is… incorrect. But when they’re right, they’re right. Dating Dr. Dil is an absolute treat and I’m planning on creating a petition to make it required reading for literally everyone. I absolutely loved how Prem and Kareena’s experiences as the children of immigrants and desi people on the dating scene was so intrinsic to their characterization and their relationship with each other. Kareena is dealing with the grief of losing a parent and is struggling to please and respect her more traditional family while still being true to her own ambitions and romantic dreams. Likewise, Prem is struggling with the pain of losing his fiance and his guilt regarding his inability to save her. Is Prem being kind of stupid with the whole “love is fake news” schtick? Yes, yes he is, BUT - it’s clear where he’s coming from, and as a reader you have so much sympathy for him that his objective ridiculousness is never frustrating. What bookstagram and booktok failed to mention is how hysterically funny this book is. I frequently laughed out loud as I tore through this (you’re welcome mom). I can’t choose a favourite moment, but I want to highlight the absolute absurdity of Prem and Kareena being tricked into a meeting with her aunty’s, chasing each other through the kitchen while throwing samosas at each other, and Prem declaring “If you hit me, I’ll hit you back.” It’s also worth mentioning that there are MAJOR Kanthony vibes, in case anyone is still recovering from “you are the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires.” We’ve got a put-upon older sister, a hero who’s resistant to love because of his own loss, enemies to friends to lovers with MAJOR tension, meddling family, and snarky friends galore. |
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