These people. There’s such a fierceness to them, such a lovingness. When I got here, I thought their lives were small and silly, but I was wrong. They’re some of the biggest people I know.

What an adorable book. This was such a wholesome read and is definitely the perfect book for lifting anyone’s spirits.

This book was a lot simpler than I’d anticipated in some ways but more complex in others. Technically the plot was uncomplicated, short and sweet because it basically only focused on Leena and her happiness. There was no huge conflict or problem like in most books of similar genres. However, there were a lot of characters to love and a lot of smaller conflicts that needed resolution, which made this book a bit more complicated. I think it was a pretty good balance of the two. Definitely not what I usually read, but I could appreciate it nonetheless.

Let’s talk about the characters. I really liked Leena and enjoyed seeing her gain back her confidence after her sister’s death. However, it was surprisingly Eileen who stole the show. I don’t often read about characters over the age of seventy, so I was taken aback by how much I loved Eileen and all her friends. Reading about her was a unique experience since I do it so rarely, and I enjoyed every second.

“You were healing. You’re still healing. You’ll maybe always be healing. And that’s OK. It’ll just be part of what makes you you.”

Unfortunately, my one commentary on the characters was that there was an immense number of side characters, so many that it got a bit hard to keep track. It made sense because a lot of the characters were from a small town where everyone knew everyone, but it would have been so much easier to stay on track if there had been even three fewer side characters.

Also, the romance between Leena and Jackson wasn’t quite what I wanted. I didn’t care that it played such a small role in this book, but I feel like we didn’t know Jackson enough to really form any conclusions. Eileen and Arnold on the other hand, I loved.

Finally, I can’t not mention the writing style. I fell in love with Beth O’Leary’s writing in The Flatshare and it remained as cute and sweet as in that book this time around! I absolutely adore how she writes so all of her books will be automatic reads for me <3

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