A review by omqchristi
Paper Planes and Other Things We Lost by Mindy Michele, Michele G. Miller, Mindy Hayes

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

» QUICK OVERVIEW « 

Stars: ★★★★★
Plot: ★★★★☆
Readability: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★☆
Writing: ★★★☆☆
Recommend: ✓ 
 

» PLOT « 

Following the mysterious disappearance of Flight 397, Ruby has lost her mother, and Brett has lost both of his parents. Wracked with grief, Ruby sends a letter to Amber, Brett's twin, but it's not Amber who replies, it's Brett. Despite living on opposites sides of the countries, they form a deeper and deeper connection with each letter they send each other. 
For a large portion of the book, I couldn't stop smiling. This was a really cute and fluffy romance, and despite the fact that the beginning was a bit insta-lovey, I really liked the romance. 
The part where
Brett was both seeing Hope and writing to Ruby felt very close to cheating, but luckily, Brett broke it off with Hope before he made a move on Ruby
. Otherwise, I would've felt off about the book. 
I really liked Ruby and Brett's relationship, but I also liked Hope and Brett's relationship. I also liked the fact that Carmen and Mitchell were trying to make up with the main characters. I'm glad that they didn't make the other love interests unlikeable in an attempt to get readers to root for the central relationship. Finally, authors that get the fact that if you make the central relationship better and more natural, you don't have to demonize other love interests. And before you say that Jimmy was demonized, remember how Carmen and Mitchell were portrayed in the end.
 
 

» READABILITY « 

The book was pretty medium paced in the beginning, but at the end, it became faster paced. The simple writing and likeable characters make this book enjoyable to read. 
 

» CHARACTERS « 

Like I said before, I'm glad there were good and bad people in this book. Not everyone is perfect or good, but you don't have to demonize conflicting love interests to make readers root for the central romance. 
 

» WRITING « 

The writing is really simple, nothing really special at all. For having 3 writers, the book is pretty consistent and seems like it was written with one voice (at least as one-voice-like you can get with 2 perspectives). 
Occasionally, while reading the dialogue, I would get the characters and lines mixed up. The writing sometimes can make it really ambiguous to who is talking, especially when you can imagine both parties speaking that specific line. 
 

» OVERALL « 

This is a cute, feel-good romance, and I honestly really liked it. There wasn't really anything that bad about it. It was simple, adorable, and predictable in a way that was comfortable.