3.5 stars.

I’m actually really torn on this one. The romance aspect of this book didn’t quite work for me. I just never felt that deep of a connection to Chloe’s and Oliver’s relationship. However, the random acts of kindness and their ripple effects was really fun. It made me feel all cozy inside.

I enjoyed the short chapters and the little vignettes of the people impacted by the yellow paper roses. If the whole book had been just about that, it probably would have been a 5-star read for me. I even loved kid C+O and teenage C+O, but adult C+O drove me bonkers. Sorry. 😬

I do still recommend this book for the feel good vibes that it brings. It’s something we could all use a little more of right now, yeah?

A big thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This one releases on August 12, 2025.

This is a very sweet book filled with second chances and magical realism. Chloe is living in New York and loses her job as a high school guidance counsellor. She had been making yellow origami roses with special messages inside of her students, and decides to uplift her spirits by making more of them. When one of the roses lands with someone who needs the message at that exact time, a movement begins.

It was lovely to have the story of Chloe and Oliver’s friendship interwoven throughout the book. The way that they reconnect is filled with many ups and downs, and at times both characters felt a bit two dimensional. (I felt similarly about some of the secondary characters as well)

I loved the chapters with the stories of people in New York who found Chloe’s words of affirmation at the exact right time. I always enjoy a story that is set in one of my favourite cities! How everything came together was charming and it made me feel teary towards the end. I just felt mixed about some of the writing throughout the middle of the book and some of the character development, but overall enjoyed this whimsical friends to lovers story. I think it would make a lovely tv mini series!

Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a light world to drop into and a breeze to read. That being said, I had a hard time relating to the characters because each was such a textbook representation of an optimist and pessimist. For Oliver in particular, I didn’t feel sold on the idea that his personality would shift so dramatically from childhood to adulthood even given his backstory.

What a sweet, uplifting story of hope and courage. I'm very picky on my magical/fantasy books but this one was really good, I prefer magical realism, and this was a bit past that but really solid.

At the end of the day this is a story of hope, perseverance and the resilience of the human spirit. In a world that is full of constant terrible news this was a refreshing escape.

THE INCREDIBLE KINDNESS OF PAPER is a sweet, poignant love story. At its heart, the plot is about hope triumphing over fear. Two childhood friends are separated in high school, neither quite understanding why. Many years later, they bump into one another again in New York. Origami and inspiration provide the tools for these special friends to finally reconnect. I received my copy from the publisher.

This was the sweetest, nicest, cleanest contemporary romance I have read in a long time. I loved the two main characters and thought the story was very sweet. I did want a tiny bit more from the ending, but otherwise I just loved this story.

Chloe is such a sweet and endearing character. She is at times maybe a little on the naive side, but I kind of liked that about her. She always saw the best in people, which is something many people can’t do these days. Her idea of spreading joy and kindness through her origami roses was also a very fun part of the story. I loved the few little stories we got from some of the people that the flowers found their way to at just the right moment, and then that some of those people found their way back to Chloe. It was such a nice addition to this romance.

Oliver was a little harder to love at first, but eventually as you get to know him you start to really understand him. His gruff no nonsense exterior is just a facade that he developed to protect himself. I so get that. I also loved how numbers made more sense to him then people. I loved his relationship with his brother and father. That was a really nice side to his personality.

The story is just such a good one. Both Chloe’s and Oliver’s story is told, with flashbacks to their childhoods and how much they meant to each other. They truly were meant to find each other again when they were both ready. There is a little bit of a love triangle, as Chloe has just started a relationship with someone, before running into Oliver, but it didn’t bother me that much. I loved how the story developed and the secondary characters were almost as much fun as Chloe and Oliver. There is some magical realism, as Chloe and Oliver write to each other through the paper roses, but it was nicely done and worked with this story. The end was the only thing that I wanted more of. The airport scene is beautiful, but I just wanted to know what happened afterwards.

I think that my favorite part of this story has to be the origami roses. I really loved the messages and the idea that any acts of kindness, no matter how small they are, have that ripple effect and eventually impact many lives. It would be nice to see something like this happen in real life. It might make the world a bit kinder.

If you are looking for a sweet and warm hearted romance, with some magical realism thrown in, this is a story you should give a chance.

A heartwarming and imaginative novel that explores the power of kindness and human connection. Skye's writing is gentle and uplifting, making this a delightful read.

The Incredible Kindness of Paper was sweet and heart-warming with a dash of magical realism. If you're looking for a cute, quick read about kindness and serendipity, this will do the trick...though it also has a fairly high level of cheesiness and requires a LOT of suspension of disbelief! If you go into this book knowing and expecting that, I think you'll really enjoy it!

I love the premise of this book and how it stimulates the senses through Evelyn Skye's descriptions of paper. I felt invested in the friendship between Chloe and Oliver and engaged with the storyline. I would recommend this for fans of romance, magical realism, and sweetness—this book seems to drip with sugar. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

#TheIncredibleKindnessofPaper

Magical realism is hit or miss for me but this one was definitely a hit. I tore through it in a matter of days and have been recommending it to other readers ever since. What a fun, happy read!

"The Incredible Kindness of Paper" is a novel that is charming, heartwarming, and is infectious in its optimism. The story is about Chloe and Oliver, childhood friends who've lost touch with each other due to unforseen circumstances, only to connect again as adults. When Chloe is at the nadir of her life, she makes origami roses with special messages to cheer herself up. These roses tend to find their way to the right person who needs to hear that particular message. Pretty soon, her hobby becomes a movement where kindness begets kindness, ultimately leading to the reunion of Chloe and Oliver. I adored this book and would have given it five stars, but I really disliked the sex scene. Not that I am a prude, but because I didn't feel it matched Chloe's character. Chloe seemed honorable and dignified, and the sex scene was debasing. Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, and Evelyn Skye for the ARC.

I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this one, but wow I am pleasantly surprised! It ended up making it to my favorites list for this year. This book is very heartwarming and uplifting. My favorite romance trope is second chance romance and so that was an added bonus. If you are looking for something to lift your mood, this is the book! This is one that hits in a way that will have me thinking about it for a long time to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

dnf @ 15%

This author’s writing style is just not for me. I’ve pushed through her most recent two books, but I just can’t do the same with this one. It feels like I am being told exactly what’s happening in a way that makes it seem like the author is assuming the reader is stupid and cannot make any inferences on their own. Like there was a whole paragraph about why a character wiped down a table after sitting down (which felt so incredibly unnecessary).

I think the overall premise is interesting and I can see that other people may really love this, but I am just not one of them, unfortunately.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read The Incredible Kindness of Paper through NetGalley. I absolutely ate it up. From the very beginning, I felt such a strong connection to the main character—their experiences and reflections felt incredibly real and relatable.

In a world that often feels heavy and uncertain, this book was a much-needed breath of fresh air. I appreciated its gentle message about hope, community, and the power of positivity. It was never overdone—just sincere and quietly powerful.

This was truly a treasure of a book, and I’ve already started recommending it to everyone I know. Thank you again for sharing it with me.

Delightful and adorable! The Incredible Kindness of Paper is a sweet and magical book. Suspend disbelief and embrace the magic of the origami flowers to be fully immersed in this endearing story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I found this book very slow to get through. I was interested in the beginning and didn’t gain interest back until probably 55% - 60% through. I thought it was silly they didn’t recognize each other right away, it’s not like it was 40 years ago since they last seen each other. I like the concept of the origami flowers but I just didn’t love it like I thought I would. I still really appreciate getting this arc and do think others will enjoy it!

A syrupy sweet story for fans of serendipity and second-chance love.

After losing her job, Chloe begins folding yellow origami flowers and writing encouragement inside them to hand out to people or leave places for others to find. Her flowers become a sensation, connecting people of the Big Apple and beyond, including reconnecting Chloe to her childhood love, Oliver.

There is some clunky writing at times and the serendipity often felt forced or too obvious. I also had a hard time believing that Chloe wouldn’t recognize Oliver if they had been best friends from ages 7-16, and then run into each other at 32…

That said, I’m a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine pairing. I also like that Zac, her situationship, is never villainized in Chloe’s eyes. This speaks well to Chloe’s overall positive and loving attitude that stays consistent throughout the story. While Oliver’s sour attitude is very off-putting initially, the author does a great job building his backstory gradually so you begin to feel compassion for him. Finally, I love the messages about avoiding monetizing kindness and reminding readers that most people are good, they might just need a little push.

“We’re all better when we look out for each other…”

I needed this book at this time. Sometimes, the universe just knows.

I discovered Evelyn Skye through the book “The Hundred Loves of Juliet” - which I loved. I was so excited to get an early copy of this one. Five stars for this story about the power of kindness.

Chloe just lost her job as a guidance counselor, and she’s not sure what she wants to do next. She loves helping her students and helping people. She is known for her yellow origami roses - symbolizing friendship and joy. By accident, she drops one in the mailroom of her apartment building. This sets off a chain of events that will change Chloe’s life - and the lives of so many others.

Oliver was Chloe’s best friend and first love growing up. At the age of sixteen, a life-changing event separated them. But now, they are both living in New York. Oliver’s life is about to change as well.

This is a story about human connections. It reminds us that it truly can be a small world when it comes to these connections. It reminds us that we are not alone. The way that the characters interact and intersect in this book is nothing short of miraculous. I lost count of the number of times I teared up or had to put the book down to just feel all of the feelings - and this book will give you all of the feels.

I have made multiple trips to New York - one of my happy places - and this story mentioned some of my favorite stops. The next time I’m in New York, I will be looking around, hoping to see yellow origami flowers.

This is shaping up to be my favorite book of the year. It’s a love story and a story of hope and kindness, with a touch of magical realism. It is absolutely beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my digital copy. Thank you also to Goodreads for the giveaway book! This book releases on August 12th. I will be shouting its praises to everyone!

When Chloe's life is upended, she finds herself adrift in New York. So, she decides to start spreading joy one little origami rose at a time, and before she knows it the city is buzzing and multiple lives are changed forever.

This is a really lovely fun and quick read with second chance romance and adorable characters. I loved it!

Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy to review

In this charming novel by excellent writer Evelyn Skye, the main character, Chloe, discovers (as a child) that she can fold an origami rose and whatever she says will be able to be heard by the recipient. She sends her first origami message to a boy named Oliver whom she picked in a pen pal project at school.
Now, as an adult, Chloe is loosely in a relationship with Zac, who is wonderful to her but awful to his fellow worker Oliver, whose job and talent Zac is trying to steal. She herself has just lost her job as a high school counselor, the one that the students really love. So what now?
Oliver, it turns out, is also in New York City. They had become close as children, but Oliver’s mother had torn them apart when the family had to move (because his mother was a grifter). He never said goodbye to Chole and, broken-hearted, she never saw him again. Until….
Chloe turns her paper roses into a project to cheer up the city dwellers, and she finds other people want to join her. She also finds her messages, written in the roses, are touching peoples lives where they need to be touched.
Now that you've read this review, you have to read the book to find out whether Chloë and Oliver—or Clover as they were known in high school—did find each other in vast New York City. You won't regret it. Like I said in the first sentence, this novel is charming. And fun.