A resounding meh

2.5 stars. I had heard wildly different opinions about this book before actually reading it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve seen reviews lambasting it while others raved about it. And I’ve read more than a couple of think pieces lambasting it for its treatment of disabled people and a few defending the story. It feels a bit anticlimactic to read it and shrug my shoulders with a meh, but that’s exactly what happened. I can definitely see why the disabled community would have problems with it. Other than that though, I’m having a hard time forming any strong opinions about it.

The writing was not great. It’s not helped by the fact that it’s told in first person. There’s something about first person narration that makes it harder to pull off and Moyes is just not up to the challenge. I also wished she hadn’t switched narrators at really random times periodically through the book. It took me out of the story. Still, it was surprisingly readable. Something about her pacing propels you through the story.

Like most romances, the best part of this book is the relationship between the main characters. Both of them felt realistic and I could see why they’d be attracted to each other.

I probably wouldn’t have read this if it hadn’t been picked for my book club and honestly I have no desire to read the sequel. It’s just not my jam, but I can see why people would be into it.