If You Come Softly

I'm gonna give this book a “meh.” It covers a topic that I've seen a lot and seen tackled in more interesting ways (making it a plot twist felt kind of tacky to me). On top of that, the twist was spoiled for me in the author's preface which said it was a “Romeo and Juliet” remake. Romeo and Juliet is my least favorite Shakespeare play. I don't really buy into the “true love” stuff, especially when it's 15 year olds. Falling in love with someone based on a single glance is just stupid to me and not a healthy foundation for a relationship.

This book didn't have much substance other than being a sappy teen romance with a social message. The characters were okay but not super memorable and the fact that both of them were super rich made them hard to relate to or root for. I think this book's strengths are in its writing style, which is pretty and accessible, and its relevance. I would definitely recommend this to its target, teen audience but as an adult I think I would have preferred something a little more meaty.

This was a sweet love story, and the first pick in Life's Library. Even though I had predicted what was going to happen, it didn't make it any easier to read once it finally happened. I found the text towards the end, after Miah's death, relatable due to my own personal life experience, and found everyone's reactions to be believable, human, and not contrived.