This is a friends-to-lovers, second chance romance that delivers. I only wish that there was an extended epilogue so I could keep reading. I did get a little confused on the time span at times but after reading a little, it became a bit clearer. I think that it might have been a little easier with a date of some sort, maybe even just the year. That way you can follow the timeline a little better. Other than that I have no faults in the book. I would 100% recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free early arc in exchange for my honest review.

The opening chapter drew me in immediately, and it didn't really release me until the end. Phoebe and Enzo are genuine, well-matched, and frankly adorable together. He's a golden retriever and she's a bit jaded (I love a grump/sunshine). I loved following along with them on adventures while Phoebe captures their journey in beautiful photos. Of course, family baggage comes into play to burst their bubble. Some near misses and missed opportunities break your heart, but it's a good, entertaining story. It's not a groundbreaking novel, but it is solid and the characters are some that you are happy to care about.

Quote to convince you: “Because some souls you can’t forget. They echo your own.” -Rachelle

This book was INCREDIBLE. It was poetic and beautifully written. Laikyn Meng writes like she’s been doing this for years. The plot felt very relatable and the characters were truly wonderful. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend this to anyone wanting a beautiful, emotion filled book.

DNF'd this one, I ran into an issue with my EPUB copy but also the writing was not my style. Got about 30% in when my EPUB quit working.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book!

I thought I would love this book. The opening scene was really great and interesting, so I was really disappointed by the rest.
I really disliked how the main characters talked to eachother (it was really sexual and shallow, at times even juvenile, it made me really uncomfortable). I know this is romance novel but it still didn't feel right. (But if you like romances like this, go on.)

It felt like it focused more on the sex than on the connection between characters. Just wasn't book for me.

(The cover is really pretty.)

Please check the content warnings before reading.

We don't see enough love stories that feature AAPI and mixed-AAPI Black characters and their connections and love for each other. So often we see images of our communities in conflict, so it was beautiful to read this youthful love story and think about how younger generations will connect.

If you're in the mood for a good cry and a very slow burn to a second chance romance, look no further, this one is for you! I picked it up thinking it was going to be this cute, happy go lucky romance where the couple travels around to National Parks. My husband and I travel around the National Parks doing wildlife photography, so I was like, "oh cute! This will be just like us!" and it starts off that way...but very quickly takes a turn.

This story is about a couple that breaks up to find their own ways and grow in the way they think they need. They each want to get back to each other at different times, but it never works out and it's never easy for them. You go through each of their lives as they navigate missing the other and trying to move on. It is a second chance romance, but it takes them quite the journey to find their way back to each other.

The writing was good, and I really liked the way the author wrote out what was going through their minds, the pining, and the research she did about the national parks.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5

I find it impossible to describe this book without using the words ‘heartbreaking’ & ‘beautiful’ because that is exactly what this is. I’ve never read a love story quite like this one & it’ll forever stand out among all the books I’ve read - it’s so raw & real & viceral. As the reader, we follow ten years of the relationship between Phoebe & Enzo, who are drawn to each other & pulled apart throughout that time, often at their own doing as they try to navigate who they are outside of this relationship. And the setting bounces us around the world, travelling alongside them, sometimes alone & sometimes together.

While I struggled a bit initially, grabbing for something to hook me into the story, around 20% in I was so invested & I binged the rest of the book in about a day. The writing style was at first a challenge - I’m not sure how to describe it but it was difficult to pick up the rhythm in a way that didn’t bounce me out of the story (if that even makes sense?). But I quickly realized that Meng is an artist with the way she uses words, describing things in a way that constantly had me thinking, “fuck, I wish I could write something that beautiful.”

Not only was I invested in the relationship between Phoebe & Kenzo, but I also found myself invested in them as individuals & in the side characters - like Enzo’s mom, Kumiko, & Phoebe’s assistant, Elle. These are just some of the characters we meet over the ten years, adding layers of detail & complication & growth & love. This is the perfect book to read for those who like heavy, emotional romance stories that are real & complicated.

“I look at him until he starts coming back to life, until we are on the same page again, not running in separate directions to save ourselves.” UGH, MY HEART.

Thank you to NetGalley & BooksGoSocial for providing a digital copy of this book for review. The heartbreak & all opinions/thoughts are my own.

2 ⭐ || 3🌶️ || Check TW's ⚠️
National Parks left me with mixed feelings, earning a solid 2 out of 5 stars. The story follows talented photographer Phoebe and her boyfriend Enzo on a journey of love and self-discovery across various international landscapes. While the characters are engaging, and the author's poetic writing style beautifully paints the scenes, the narrative's heavy emphasis on sexual content felt overpowering and at times overshadowed the depth of the characters' connection. Additionally, the plot's trajectory, especially towards the end, left me feeling a bit underwhelmed.

Despite these shortcomings, Meng's exploration of themes like second chances, family issues, and the importance of friendships makes it a worthwhile read for those seeking a nuanced emotional journey. It felt like there was truly a good story underneath the choppy dialogue and unnecessarily crude scenes, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to shine through. *Definitely* should have come with a trigger warning at the beginning of the book for the following: suicide, suicidal ideation, domestic violence, abuse, and PTSD.

Thank you Net Galley & for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Genuinely did not get the plot of this book. Started out as a light hearted read with two characters obviously in love with each. Enzo leave to join the Navy and then the time line becomes a puzzle in itself. It skips months and years with literally no warning. The characters remain in love with each other for a decade. God knows what Enzo is trying to get away from or why he doesn’t think he is good enough for Phoebe. I got Phoebe’s character arc and I can see her struggles.

I don’t know, this book was a spiral of confusion for me. It’s left me confused that they managed to end up happy together when the story starts with Phoebe wanting to hurt herself. Consider me confused.

Unfortunately this book just was not for me. The timeline was so hard to follow because it was never specified how much time passed between chapters, when we were in the past, whether or not things were happening chronologically, etc.
the writing felt very stream of consciousness, like the author jumped from thought to thought seemingly at random. The characters’ emotions changed frequently for no reason and it was very hard to keep up. I also could not understand their motivations and why they acted the way they did. The characters seemed very immature and were constantly contradicting themselves and acting irrationally.
There were so many chapters where nothing happened and it was just the characters’ poorly written ramblings with maybe one or two lines of actual dialogue or plot.

Overall I really struggled to finish this one and just could not get into it.

This book absolutely wrecked me! 😭 I am recovering from my intense crying jag as I write this review.

The story is a sad one, full of pain and love and sadness and forgiveness and familial expectations and trauma. There is a love story and spice, but there is even more heartbreak and loneliness.

The writing was beautiful and poetic.

The characters were so real and flawed.

I found this book to difficult to read at parts, but it touched me so thoroughly and I know will stay with me for a long time.

Please read the trigger warnings before diving into this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Laikyn Meng for the ARC of this book!

Not bad, and actually really well written (probably not for everyone), but not really my cup of tea, especially since I was expecting something else. It was also a little too much about sex, and too little about a plot… Do read the trigger warnings, please.

First of all the way the first ch of this made me cry my eyes out and then the next ch I’m laughing my ass off!! Unreal. Now I’m not a big fan of social media popping up in books but this is so well done. It’s a love story and so much more. Enzo poor babe has been thru it and so has my girl Phebs. I actually will be purchasing the paperback to annotate the mess out of this. I was highlighting on NetGalley everything I loved and just stopped bc I was basically highlighting everything lol.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the ARC.

I DNFed this book. I thought it would be a melancholy, poetic story. It kind of is, but mostly it's about sex. Well, it's not *about* sex, per se, but most of what happens is sex or characters thinking about sex. I guess that's fine, it's just not what I expected or wanted. It's hard to see the relationship develop between the characters when all they're doing is having sex or thinking about how they want to have sex or thinking about the last time they had sex.

That's all well and good if you like that stuff, but I don't, nor was it what this book was advertised to be. I'm still giving it three stars because if you enjoy shallow sex with a depressing edge, you'll probably like this book. As it is, whatever the characters are sad about in the present time seems to be... because they're not having sex any more. Maybe I should knock it down to two stars, I don't know.

This was hard for me to finish. I kept getting the feeling that I was reading the novel Normal People by Sally Rooney. This was painful but I thought the writing was really good. At times I was extremely sad and wondered if I was going to get the ending that I wanted. Well, I did get the ending I wanted and I’m really glad I finished it. You’ll have to be brave to finish this one. The writing is excellent but the story is very emotional and I was on a roller coaster. It’s definitely not for everyone.
I recommend this book.
Thanks BooksGoSocial via NetGalley.

For a book that was supposed to be National Parks and PTSD, I found myself slightly bored. Don't get me wrong, but the writing is excellent. However there is a need to edit and to understand why the first few chapters consisted of moaning rather than actual self pity.

If you are in for a book that makes you want to pick the phone and complain, this would be the one for you.
There would also be a need for a warning label as throughout the plot, there are triggers for those dealing with anxiety of depression

I loved the cover. It’s the only reason I gave this book a shot. But pretty much from the start I could tell this wasn’t gonna be for me. Both characters lacked depth and I found it hard to believe they weren’t in high school. They were both pretty immature and had next to no chemistry despite the fact that they were very intimate. The relationship itself came across shallow so I didn’t care when things went south. The thing about this book was that sometimes the writing was beautiful and poetic while other times really strange, bordering on confusing. I had no idea why the characters liked each other. Also the MMC did not sound he was from Philly at all. By the time the story was ending I had already lost interest. Probably just not a book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

Wow, I was drawn to this book because of the cover and the premise blurb. I was expected some light-hearted fluff, but got so much more than that! It got serious and I was pretty surprised, but I really should have read the trigger warnings before I dove in.

The writing itself was beautiful and I enjoyed it very much. The ending was a little messy but for a debut author it was a little expected. I may have to do another read through when I'm in a different headspace!

I had really high hopes for this book. I was promised "heart-wrenching emotions" and a "a powerful and romantic journey" and, honestly, that sounded really appealing.

The prologue was very promising, too, introducing us to Phoebe, who seems to be struggling with her mental health, and providing us a glimpse into her complicated childhood. I was hooked.

While the blurb mentions explicit language and content, I didn't think it would be in the first chapter, so casually brought up before we even get to really meet our main characters. While I do understand that's a creative choice that might provide some readers with a very interesting insight into our new main characters and their relationship, I felt like it was just a really weird decision. It was too comfortable, too personal, and I personally couldn't get over it.