Weepy

Honestly. It gives ‘I'm 14 and I'm broken and this is deep.” Kind of energy. And yet, I liked it. It was good. I would re-read it again, eventually. 

I enjoyed Hermione's brokenness and no one knowing what to do about it. The state of therapy in the wizarding world is apparently abysmal but it is what it is. I enjoyed seeing her bond with some of the Slytherin characters and eventually fighting for them. I liked the push and pull of the relationship and Draco's self-fufilling attempts to push her away. 

However, the angst is overwhelming and tiring. She took him back every time when he didnt deserve it which shows her damage but is hard to read. Especially at the very end when his ‘growth' is just running away from everything, and everyone and Hermione just looks for him and takes him back like nothing. It was out of character and  kind of cheesy.

I read this as an audiobook, which might have contributed to my discomfort with the writing. It's one thing to read cringey immature characters in your head and another thing to have some voice actor whining in your ear. 

Sorry, that sounds harsh. I didn't hate this book. It's just too romance and no other plot for me. I also really struggled with the white boy hockey player names in the beginning. There were just so many of them and none of them stood out besides Nate himself. 

Might give it a try again as an e-book, but not motivated to do so anytime soon.

Honestly, the only imperfection is because its a translated work the writing style sometimes feels a little stilted or stammering in places. Otherwise I loved this book and the heart behind it. I also saw it as an allegory for counselling in a way. Like you sit in a chair, have a conversation and walk away changed. Not necessarily changing the future or the past but changing the way you see it enough that you can walk away lighter, healthier, happier etc. 

Meh. 

I found it boring and far too short to get the payoff I typically like from the enemies to lovers trope. Perhaps I'm tainted by all the marathon long fanfictions that I've read. Despite it being short it took me forever to read because I couldn't get excited about it.

I read this in one day after procrastinating on a month long buddy read. So it's a fairly easy read, which is sometimes nice. 

Other people said they were confused by the opening, which confuses me. I thought it was pretty clear what was going to happen. But, by the end I was still hoping for some divine intervention or twist that would change the outcome, which means I must have connected to the characters at some extent. 

Sometimes the difference between two stars and three stars is “would I read it again?” in this case the answer is no. Ultimately, the book isn't my style, and there is nothing particularly compelling or enjoyable enough that makes me want to return to it anytime soon.