I have read a few reviews on people’s thoughts before finishing the book and now I want to add in my own perspective.

First of all Lynn Painter will always be a top tier writer in my opinion. So with a mixture of that and my own thoughts is how I landed on my rating of 4.5 stars.  (Which is my first ever below 5 star rating for Lynn.) But don’t let that deter you, her books are always iconic in my opinion. 

Here’s the thing, we were all excited for a Liz and Wes reunion, but I felt like the storyline spent far too long with them not on the same page. And maybe in a perfect world I would just want a book full of fluff with them in it. But I also realize where is the conflict in that?

Some people stated for books/tv shows/movies that are so perfectly done that it should be left untouched. For me I will always want a reason to escape back into my favorite stories, even if they don’t always live up to the original. We’re all far too opinionated for sequels to ever live up to the original (I said what I said)!

I did enjoy seeing them a few years later in college and having both evolved because life experiences does that to you. But gosh why did Lynn have to do Wes so dirty like that. (I get why she had to but gahh!) also at first I was like this is the first time I heard of Wes having a sister but then I realized that this book we got an added bonus for it being dual pov which I loved, and think was needed for how this story unfolded. 

Once again I’m reminded how important clear communication is and could avoid so much miss communication but then again where’s the story in that? 

I felt Liz was far too serious in this book compared to the first one. But I do think with growing up, at that age you sometimes think being serious/perfect is a good thing. When that’s not always the case. I did love the growth of Wes though, he had to go through some tough things to get there and that’s the goal isn’t it? To see growth through challenging times. 

I also thought Liz’s internship was too good to be true. Like I kept waiting for something to go horribly wrong or Lilith not really committing to supporting Liz in her career aspirations which she did above and beyond and I really commended that. But also I kept thinking, this is too good to be true. 

I loved that Lynn Painter continued on with the movie quotes at the start of each chapter, they are seriously my favorite. I even was inspired to rewatch He’s Just Not That Into You based on one of the quotes. Also I love the tradition in all of her books having playlists at the end for the main characters. I would be lost without it! 

All in all, I adored this book but wished there was less disconnect between the two and more swoony moments. I felt like it took too long to build up to those parts which is why I knocked it down to a 4.5.