Weepy

I read this in one day after procrastinating on a month long buddy read. So it's a fairly easy read, which is sometimes nice. 

Other people said they were confused by the opening, which confuses me. I thought it was pretty clear what was going to happen. But, by the end I was still hoping for some divine intervention or twist that would change the outcome, which means I must have connected to the characters at some extent. 

Sometimes the difference between two stars and three stars is “would I read it again?” in this case the answer is no. Ultimately, the book isn't my style, and there is nothing particularly compelling or enjoyable enough that makes me want to return to it anytime soon.

I found this book was decent, but just didn't capture my interests like fantasy-romance usually does. I think I was expecting it to be more lighthearted, smutty and fun because of the reviews I saw on TikTok. I've heard the subsequent books are better; but probably won't be trying this one again anytime soon so I won't be trying those either. I gave myself extended time to finish it but eventually called it as a DNF once I got through another book and was really reluctant to return to this one.

Read and DNF'd at 60% as part of a buddy read. 

Honestly, the smut was quality but the context was ?!?! 

I thought the worldbuilding was actually kind of cool and interesting. I would have been interested in a book that explores this world a bit more. I suppose that might have happened in later sections that I did not read. However, at the 60% mark I was just not interested enough to continue. Perhaps I'll go back to it at a later date.

I read this book immediately after seeing the movie, so my review is also influenced by that. 

Other reviews were saying that the relationship was so much stronger in the book, but I didn't really feel that. Perhaps it felt stronger because you could hear Snow's inner monologue, but in reality there wasn't something much stronger in the book. 

And, I think that is the point. It's not a story about soulmates or star-crossed lovers you wish could get together in the end. It's romanticizing your first love and being disappointed when they don't live up to your vision. It's trauma bonding. It's the manic pixie dream girl that teaches a guy to enjoy life again but spun on it's head as Snow only ends up further entrenched in his views.

I liked this book.