Member Review
Review by
Adriana G, Reviewer
Flo suffered a bit of an embarrassing breakdown that put her life on hold and has her family treating her like she might break at any moment. A family trip to Greece sounds like a perfect chance to prove she's doing better and rest up before going back into academia. Until sun-kissed, fitter-than-ever Jamie Kramer enters the picture. He's her older brother's best friend and the family's "adopted" son after he lost his parents young. He's also Flo's crush and the one who broke her heart last Christmas by making her think they had a chance and then abandoning her via a note slipped under her door. Flo now has 2 weeks of forced exposure therapy to turn their enemy energy into something closer to friends. Can the sun, good food, and holiday spirit maybe change it all the way to lovers?
Flo has worked hard to recover from her breakdown, but she's still unsure about many things, especially as she's surrounded by people who seem to be sure in their careers and lives. Her family very obviously loves her, but they don't communicate much, and that is a big part of what creates all the problems that take place during their stay in Greece. They're close and support each other, but keep things close to the vest, which leads to misunderstandings and a blow-out fight in which Flo is entirely justified in her rage.
Jamie is a bit of a mystery because he's so unsure of where he stands with Flo and so worried about losing his found family that he tends to go with whatever is happening instead of expressing his feelings honestly. It's more of that lack of communication that plagues the entire book and the reason why I couldn't love this book as much as I wanted to. Because Jamie and Flo make a great couple, as she pushes him to be honest about his feelings and he pushes her to put herself out there.
I particularly enjoyed that Williams figured out a way to tell the story of Flo's breakdown in a way that feels empathetic and shows just how bad it can be without getting so detailed that it could be triggering. It's a fine and difficult line to walk, and she does it brilliantly.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the great read!
Flo has worked hard to recover from her breakdown, but she's still unsure about many things, especially as she's surrounded by people who seem to be sure in their careers and lives. Her family very obviously loves her, but they don't communicate much, and that is a big part of what creates all the problems that take place during their stay in Greece. They're close and support each other, but keep things close to the vest, which leads to misunderstandings and a blow-out fight in which Flo is entirely justified in her rage.
Jamie is a bit of a mystery because he's so unsure of where he stands with Flo and so worried about losing his found family that he tends to go with whatever is happening instead of expressing his feelings honestly. It's more of that lack of communication that plagues the entire book and the reason why I couldn't love this book as much as I wanted to. Because Jamie and Flo make a great couple, as she pushes him to be honest about his feelings and he pushes her to put herself out there.
I particularly enjoyed that Williams figured out a way to tell the story of Flo's breakdown in a way that feels empathetic and shows just how bad it can be without getting so detailed that it could be triggering. It's a fine and difficult line to walk, and she does it brilliantly.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the great read!
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