The premise of this book is very sweet but it is a little bit overshadowed by the amount of suspended disbelief that is needed to make the book make sense. For the message, I enjoy, but for the actual plot... lots to get over. The fact that Chloe doesn't recognize her best friend and first love is so unbelievable I took a week off the book.

Absolutely love the way Evelyn Skye writes a good love story! This was a super cute and lighthearted love story read. A nice, happy read was exactly what I was looking for and this deliverd.

This was a cute story! I think I would have had a tough time eyeball reading this one but the audiobook was the perfect low angst low stakes story for running errands and getting stuff done around the house. I didn't love all of the time jumps or all of the POV jumping - it made the story a bit too complicated for me. The magical realism was a fun aspect and the ending was a nice HEA, although I felt like it was a bit rushed. Overall a decent read!

Thank you to Atria for giving me the opportunity to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

We bob back and forth between several characters here, but the main ones are Chloe and Oliver. These two were besties in grade school, and on the cusp of becoming more in high school when Oliver’s family had to make an abrupt move. Chloe never heard from him again, and Oliver became a harder version of himself whose guilt kept him from letting others get close to him.

Now, they both live in New York City. They don’t know the other is there, as they haven’t spoken in years. But they keep running into each other. Oliver instantly recognizes Chloe, but doesn’t want Chloe to know it’s him.

Meanwhile, Chloe has started a side project over her summer break. She is folding origami roses and leaving them around the city with messages of encouragement in them. It starts as something to do while she contemplates her next job move, but she sees that the flowers are making a real impact on her neighbors. A few new friends start helping her make more. It becomes a “trend” that even spreads to other cities.

Now, there is a magical realism element here as well. One particular flower, even when thrown in the trash, keeps making its way between Oliver and Chloe. Of course, they don’t know who is on the other end, but the reader does. And they have a continuing conversation inside the paper.

So it all comes to a head at a really ritzy company gala, on a rooftop, in the rain… like any good romcom or movie would, naturally. She finally figures out that this guy is really Oliver! But they haven’t quite figured out that they are also each other’s origami penpals. Let’s leave a little for those final chapters, amiright?!

In my mind, the resolutions here feel like they are predictable but in a good way. As in, you’d be mad if the pieces didn’t fall into place.

I liked this one. The romance stuff was cute, and you’ll be rooting for it to all go the way you see it in your head. But the idea of spreading kindness – not to capitalize on it financially, just to do it – was the real appeal to me. And the community that is built in the process, of neighbors getting to know each other and connecting the dots between them, had me rooting for all the side characters as much as the main ones.

One of the reasons I picked this one up is that it was being compared to Matt Haig’s work. I can see the similarities. If those books appeal to you, this might as well.

I was drawn to this book by the lovely cover and name. I loved the immediate connection to Lawrence, Kansas as well as I went to school there, so it was fun to revisit. The book also takes place in New York City. It’s a lovely magical realism romance about childhood friends who lose touch, starting over, and finding ways to bring joy to the world. I liked the way everything came together, but it also felt rushed. Overall a sweet, feel good read!

Book review: 4.25/5 ⭐️
Genre: magical realism
Themes: childhood love, goodness, paying it forward, grumpy x sunshine
📖 Read if you like: The Midnight Library, Tales from the Cafe seres

This is the kind of book everyone wished they could read during COVID. A balm for the soul to any that feel lonely and isolated, even in the crush of a crowded city. The search for connection or kindness in an era of being glued to your screen and loosing touch with humanity. It was that sweet sort of story that felt like a warm hug, uplifting and restoring your faith in people. That kindness and care still exists out there in the world and that sending a smile to a stranger can be a small way to make the world a brighter place. It was hopeful and had some funny and rather sweet moments. At its heart it is a love story, of reconnecting with yourself and those that know you best. Yet, it was also an ode to kindness and paying it forward, the butterfly effect that can create a little more joy in a grey world.

Chloe and Oliver were best friends. With a relationship that started as pen pals, the two have been whispering their stories to each other before they even met. As the years passed their friendship is one of deep knowing and a growing love. When Oliver and his family unexpectedly disappears one day, their relationship is severely cut short.

Twenty years later and both will find themselves in NYC, the city of dreams. Chloe has been recently made redundant as a guidance counselor and is searching for some purpose in a life asunder. As she becomes increasingly disillusioned with the Big Apple, she will unknowingly set up a revolution of kindness. Absent mindedly folding a favourite book quote into a paper rose she learnt at the feet of her grandmother, this rose will find its way to the person who needs the message the most. When she makes this discovery, she sets making as many yellow roses as possible leaving them scattered around the city. With a magical delivery system, they seem to be that tipping point into positivity for all the lonely souls in the city. As she meets recipients of her roses and forms a troupe of kindness, her sunny personality seems to shine all the brighter, even with one curmudgeon entering her life in an unexpectedly magical way.

Oliver is now a successful financial quant director. With an eye for numbers, he is rooted in logic and the concrete. He is straight forward and sees no point to emotional entanglements or social conventions. As the office grump he has a growing rivalry with the charming English director who is all finesse. When one day he unexpectedly runs into Chloe, he plays dumbs and tries to push her away. Yet, the universe will have none of that. With serendipitous meetings that define probability and a magical rose passing between the two, that lingering feeling of first love will continue to bloom.

I loved this story and have even begun to start folding some of my own paper roses. Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. The one part of the story I found odd was that former pen pals and besties couldn’t recognize each other’s handwriting. I also found myself wanting the characters to be more complicated, which perhaps kept this from being a five start book. That being said, this is a sweet story I will certainly be recommending.

I like this story but just found it way too saccharine. It was cheesy at every turn. The idea of the paper roses was a great one - I would have liked to have seen more random interactions with different characters and how the messages changed their lives. The love story was good and you did want to root for Chloe and Oliver.

Thank you so much to Atria Books & NetGalley for this e-arc.


In The Incredible Kindness of Paper, an elementary school pen pal assignment is the starting point for a friendship and more. After reading the synopsis, I knew I had to pick this one up. The setup was quite creative, and I appreciated the overall message of how one small act of kindness can make a huge difference in someone's life. Seeing how fate drew Chloe and Oliver closer and farther apart was intriguing. Seeing all the various characters woven throughout their journey was entertaining as well.

This sweet and heartwarming story showcases the magic of kindness, encouragement and community. And, who doesn't love a seconds chance Romance of childhood soul mates finding their way back to each other?!
This uplifting, feel good book is a warm hug all around.
Thank you to NetGalley for the Advance Read.

I wanted to like this, but it is just so unrealistic and a little too sweet and wholesome for me. It’s a quick read that felt long since I was bored much of the time. I’d be fine reading this in a sitting on the beach, but it’s not one I will recommend.

3.5 stars - this was such a sweet and fast-paced read with a touch of magical realism! After losing her job, Chloe begins writing uplifting messages inside yellow origami flowers and leaving them around NYC, each message making its way to just the right people at just the right time. You'll have to read to find out what happens when she crosses paths (both in person and through the flowers) with her childhood best friend/crush. I loved how the characters' stories weaved together, this felt magical all on its own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC!

I heard this book described as a warm hug, & I completely agree. It was such a heartfelt read; gentle, hopeful, and a reminder of the beauty in everyday connections. It left me smiling and thinking about how even the smallest acts of kindness can ripple so far. I loved the touch of magical realism & the relationship between Chloe and Oliver. The way their lives interwined and kept coming back to each other was magical all on its own. I would highly recommend this book! Having also loved The Hundred Loves of Juliet, I am officially an Evelyn Skye fan!

Thank you so much, Netgalley, Evelyn Skye, and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for my advanced copy of this book! It made my week!

When Chloe finds herself jobless in New York City, she turns to making origami flowers with sweet, inspirational messages inside - something she would do for her students at her former job. One of her flowers finds an uptight, angry financial guru and he responds to her message. Through fate or magic, the flower returns to Chloe, and so begins the unexpected missives between two lost souls.
The Incredible Kindness of Paper is a reminder to that we are all humans and need the community and kindness so innate in our beings. Evelyn Skye's work is uplifting and hopeful - just the right amount of sunshine!

Two friends from years ago reconnect through little handwritten notes on yellow paper. When they were separated all those years ago, never did they imagine that they would end up in the same city, and that one of the notes would lead them back to one another.

After Chloe is laid off unexpectedly, she takes up a hobby of folding paper flowers with messages inside and leaving them for people. They all seem to find the person that most needs the message, and she gains several friends who help with her story. She and one of her flowers also find her long-lost pen pal/best friend Oliver. This ended up being more romance than I had expected. The story itself was nice, but it didn't really click for me that well. 3 stars because there was nothing wrong but I didn't love it either.

This was the sweetest story! I absolutely love the idea of putting goodness and hope into the world, and I loved Chloe’s sweet spirit. I also loved the chemistry she had with Oliver and the energy that connected them. So sweet!

The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye is a sweet well written book that is very entertaining. I loved the characters and felt uplifted and hopeful for the world after reading this book. I did feel that this book will appeal to a younger reader.
As a child, the main character Chloe cannot express herself very well. When she gets a penpal she writes a few words then whispers what she wants to say.. She meets her penpal many years later and he remembers those beloved letters.
I highly recommend this book if you want to feel good and like being surrounded by kindness

Thank you Evelyn Skye for writing such a sweet and hopeful book. Your story has inspired me to find ways to share kindness and hope in such a dark and challenging world. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a lovely book! The story was a perfect read for me during the current time of so much sadness and conflict. I love the childhood connection between Oliver and Chloe. Even their nickname of Cover was so cute. There was also just enough magical thinking and connection to make a very satisfying love story. Thanks #NetGalley #AtriaBooks

This was a warm hug of a book! Full of light, positivity, and a rosy outlook on life, Chloe Quinn is an inspiration for those needing a reminder to BE the good in the world even when they can't find it.

I loved the magical realism, and transporting of the origami rose back and forth between Oliver and Chloe. While they kept rotating just out of each others reach, the universe kept weaving threads (or folding origami?) to bring them back to each other.

I enjoyed the multiple POV in the book, which allowed the reader to experience many peoples reaction to receiving one of Chloe's paper flowers filled with encouragement. While at first I thought it was just a stylistic addition to showcase the effects of the flowers, I came to realize that each story was furthering the narrative of the inherent goodness in the world, the beauty of serendipity, and ultimately how we are all intricately connected in life.

One downside for me was that there was a casual hookup/open door scene in the first quarter of the book. While understandable for the nature of the relationship at the time, It felt unnecessary to include, and cheapened the intimacy of Sex. Especially because Chloe and Oliver only end up together in the last page of the book, and we get no spicy scenes for them! Or even an epilogue of how they chose forever together and merged their new dreams into a beautiful non-profit and teaching math instead of crunching numbers for billionaires. I can see that perhaps this dichotomy was created to point out the difference in being with someone convenient, and being with someone who truly sees your soul. While I agree that the latter is a deeper more intimate connection, I would also counter that sexual intimacy with the person who sees your soul clearly is a deep and wondrous gift, and i felt we were robbed of this part of Chloe and Olivers story! But I digress!

This book was a cosy, uplifting, and light hearted book that somehow ALSO managed to tackle deep life hurdles such as cancer treatment, brokenheartedness, financial abuse, & homelessness.

In the end, I think we could all benefit from being a bit more like Chloe, Believing the best in people, adding good to the world, and holding on to hope.