3.5 ⭐️ This was very different than what I was expecting. Not really a rom-com at all like previous Emily Henry books. It has a much more somber, reflective tone that reminds me more of Abby Jimenez than previous Henry books. I honestly think Emily Henry just wanted to write a book about family and celebrities and how being raised in different environments affects people and their abilities to form attachments. The romance was kind of a footnote. It was fun and Hayden is very easy to like but there wasn’t anything that special about it. It’s insta-love which didn’t really work that well. And the whole “we can’t date because we want the same job” thing just seemed dumb imo and didn’t even matter in the end so it’s just there for drama. I surprisingly really liked Alice as a protagonist. She’s much more memorable than the other Henry protagonists and has a very different personality than most romance leads. The best parts were about Margaret and her history and even more so, Alice and her mom. I am not embarrassed to admit I did cry at the end. I think most of the ending was unsatisfying and rushed but the resolution with Alice’s mom was very sweet and hit the mark for me. Not Emily Henry’s best work but it was something different and unique. A mix between romance and a Taylor Jenkins Reid style celebrity culture novel. It didn’t work perfectly but was still enjoyable.

4 ⭐️ I love Ava Reid’s writing style. It is so whimsical and descriptive. She literally sucks me into the fairy tale with her words. I haven’t read the original fairy tale this was based off so I wasn’t sure what to expect. If this was anything like her Macbeth retelling, it probably wasn’t very faithful to the original. I really liked the story. The ending was a little rushed but I really enjoyed watching everything unfold. The first 3/4 of the book is pretty slow paced and I liked that. I think Sebastian was pretty much too unrealistic in a world like this. I almost wish we got to see a darker side of him. Not that he was happy, but he was like too nice. I wanted him to be a lil morally gray. I wasn’t sure if I would like this story since it is one of Reid’s earlier works but she started off with a bang. This book is great, spooky, and straight vibes. If you like her other books then you will like this.