this book was wonderful.

i was really rooting for gemma and celeste to sort out their problems and get together, but i'm especially pleased that those problems (personal problems, not with each other) weren't glossed over. they needed time and space to work on themselves and i am SO GLAD that this book acknowledged that instead of ignoring it for the sake of the romance. yay for character and relationship development!.

its only flaw was that it was a bit short. i would've loved some more fluff in there, more scenes of gemma and celeste going out and getting reacquainted with each other after being apart for so long. instead, we got fast-paced montages that told us what was going on instead of showing it to us. it would've balanced out the romance x introspection a bit more.

overall, i really, really enjoyed this. it was cute. one love burrito the cat

i wanted to like this book so much more than i actually did.

i liked the fact that we had an older FMC who actually behaves and thinks her age, not like a twenty-something. i liked her drive and how she wanted to follow her dreams because they were her dreams and not just because people said she couldn't go forward with them. i enjoyed claire's relationship with her daughter, which was quite reminiscent of lorelai x rory (something that usually makes me wary, as lorelai didn't know how to set a boundary between being a mom vs being a friend, but it worked well in this book because it wasn't meant to be as deep as gilmore girls).

what i felt like it fell flat was the romance. it was fine and i rooted for claire & miles because there was nothing inherently wrong with the relationship, but i wanted to be more than just "well, that was fine!" with them. it lacked something to make their love story stand out. i liked that he was supportive, but the miscommunication following The Big Kiss was a bit frustrating. you're adults!!! talk to each other!!! finish a sentence!!!

overall, this was fine. not great TO ME, but i appreciate it for what it is.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for a honest review. i received a complimentary copy of this book. opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.