"                                     �� 🍶 4.5 stars . . ��

�� because this wanting, it feels good, like a bruise you need to press on, a reminder that there are things in life so valuable that you must risk the pain of losing them for the joy of briefly having them.

the story follows our protagonist, nora stephens, a ruthless literary agent who is a goddess in her field of work. her turbulent lifestyle, demanding so much of her time has made her bond with her sister, libby, strained. which is the reason why she agreed to a getaway trip to sunshine falls as an attempt to fix their fraying relationship. libby hopes that nora will loosen up and get accustomed to the small town living, so she makes a list of things to accomplish while they were on their vacation. with the list in her hand and the heart to regain how things were with her sister, nora is set out to make this long awaited trip the best one yet. but she finds that a bit difficult when she keeps running into her nemesis in the book publishing industry, charlie lastra. they got off on a wrong foot during their first ever meeting and have engaged in a slightly petty rivalry ever since. suddenly this month away from her usual routine just got a whole lot more complicated...

�� maybe love shouldn’t be built on a foundation of compromises, but maybe it can’t exist without them either. not the kind that forces two people into shapes they don’t fit in, but the kind that loosens their grips, always leaves room to grow. compromises that say, there will be a you-shaped space in my heart, and if your shape changes, i will adapt. no matter where we go, our love will stretch out to hold us, and that makes me feel like �� like everything will be okay.

i'm a strong supporter in the statement that there is a book out there for everyone. if someone says that they are not the greatest fan of reading, then they just haven't found the right book. i wonder if shying away from contemporary romances and declaring that emily henry is not for me from the first time i read one of her books was all a canon event. something that was inevitable which pushed me to read mediocre romance books fora good while that were always deficient of something. because that is what led me up to this, a time in my life where i've grown to appreciate and love her books to the fullest. every time i think i have found a new em hen book, the next one is always a bit better. i'm not sure what exactly about this book will leave a lasting impression on me. whether it was the compelling yet realistic characters, whose personalities were scattered with flaws, which made me empathise with them all the more. or perhaps it was the beautiful descriptive narrative in which em hen has woven her story, making me feel like i was in places like sunshine falls and new york as the events were happening. and of course the most earth-shattering, charmingly delightful, and so incredibly stunning writing will never fail to turn me into shambles. for example, this one line had my jaw on the floor and one step closer to combusting into thin air, my body has moved from winter into spring, all those scraggly little sprouts pushing up through a crush of snow. spring, alive and awake in my bloodstream. i don't think any other author has made me visibly giggle or smile so much as she does with her witty banter and quips. the characters were so well written and each one is developed beautifully that makes them feel inherently human.

�� that’s life. you’re always making decisions, taking paths that lead you away from the rest before you can see where they end. maybe that’s why we as a species love stories so much. all those chances for do-overs, opportunities to live the lives we’ll never have.

i love how every emily book i've read so far has at least one aspect from it that stood out to me which felt eerily like looking straight into a mirror. but in this book, there were several of those that touched my heart. the relationship between nora and libby was the one that i quickly fell in love with. as an older sister, every one of nora's fears and dreads were so valid and it was like reading about the older versions of my sister and i. as the whole book had the central concept of reading shining through, i got to read so much about what i love the most. the feelings described towards your whole life revolving around books were simply fascinating and such a perfect read for me. that’s what made me fall in love with reading: the instant floating sensation, the dissolution of real-world problems, every worry suddenly safely on the other side of some metaphysical surface. like tell me this isn't the most relatable thing you've ever seen?! some parts of the book were almost painful to read because at that time i had grown so attached to the characters that one small mishap could instantly activate my tear ducts. although the most painful parts of the book were the ones that would stick with me long after finishing it; an ache so deep in my heart that I can't help but be drawn to. because beauty is often found in the most heart-breaking things and this was so perfectly the representation of that.

�� so if you’re the ‘wrong kind of woman,�� then i’m the wrong kind of man.

﹙💌﹚�� and finally, i would like to thank the bestest girl marti for reading this spectacular book with me! you made the experience so much more fun and i loved sharing our thoughts back and forth. im so glad you liked your first em hen book and i hope we can read so many more in the near future. i love you forevermore my precious angel 💗 <3

love,
ahana !"