4.5⭐️

This book has been on my shelf for an embarrassingly long time and I'm SO HAPPY I finally picked this up. This is the kind of book I used to devour - contemporary, somewhat love story and mostly a protagonist who is feeling lost is life and is finding herself.

I don't have enough words for how much I enjoyed the writing and how many pages I dogeared. I will say I think a huge piece of the connection is because this book is set in a town close to where I grew up so I know it intimately and loved all of the reference points.

Emmy is returning home for her brother Josh's wedding. Emmy walked away from her fiancee a few years ago and that's still something she's coping with. And clearly being at someone else's wedding isn't high on her list of things she wants to do. To add to the complications when she gets home Josh drops a bomb on Emmy - he thinks he might be making a huge mistake. It's 3 days until the wedding and Josh and Emmy go on quite the trip - both internally and a literal road trip - to figure out what choices to make that will ultimately make them happy.

I totally enjoyed this book and loved Emmy and Josh's relationship. I loved the characters in this and am excited to pick up more from Laura Dave soon!

I realized that I had not written a review of this book. To sum up how I felt when finished, I thought it was good but not great. I read it with my book club. They don’t always agree with my assessments, but in this case, they did.

This is really a 3.5. I never heard of Laura Dave, I was just walking down the aisle at the library and picked this up and the reviews were great. I enjoyed this book, the writing was good as was the story. The only thing I didn't like was what I call "filler" going way back in a characters life with too many details, it makes me skip over those as it's not interesting.

It was a quick one day read. I picked up another one of of her books and will see if it is a better Goodread.

This was Laura Dave's first novel, and if you read this first, don't let it be your last of her novels. She's a wonderful writer whose stories definitely improved after this one. Laura Dave writes about love and relationships and has great insight into both. The problem with this book is that she tried to do too much to get her point across, and I found myself reading and searching for the point she was trying to make. There were too many characters who were suffering with the same issue in their search for the best path forward, and I was often confused about what path they'd choose. If this were a mystery, I'd say the author presented too many red herrings. Though I was frustrated and not very happy with this book, I loved Dave's later novels...The Last Thing He Told Me, The Divorce Party, and The First Husband. I look forward to reading her next book.

This was basically shallow but clean, which is a compromise I'm willing to make for a quick read.

This book from Laure Dave was not my favorite despite the fact that I usually really enjoy her work. Somehow I got lost between the storylines and I was unable to feel invested in Emmy's or Josh's characters or what is happening to them.

It is however lovely to read about sibling bonds and it even made me book a holiday with my own brother after reading the book. Somehow I got more motivated to spend time and get to know my brother a bit more.

I would still recommend reading this book if you like this author. If you are not familiar with her work but you would like to get to know it, maybe it is better to start with her other books such as Eight Hundred Grapes or The First Husband.

The characters were not particularly likeable, but the story was one that had many aspects that were relatable. The themes of closure, moving forward, and acceptance are strong throughout the book. There are some truly beautiful descriptions (see some of the other reviews that include quotes). And ultimately, the book reminds the reader of basic psych 101 components, which is nice. It's not as deep or as meaningful, or as poignant, as Eight Hundred Grapes, but then again, it is one of her earlier books, so it's nice to see her progression as an author, even if I am reading them somewhat backwards. It's worth the read, and Josh, rather than coming off as tawdry, comes off as a character very easy to understand.

Although there are moments of interesting insights into relationships, the book is pretty predictable. It was a relatively enjoyable read that kept me somewhat interested, but it certainly wasn't the next great literary novel. In short, if you are looking for a light, breezy read with some interesting thoughts on getting out of relationships, then this is the book for you.

Boring… what was even happening? Nothing. Character driven.

Written for adults, not middle school shelves

Sweet, easy and fast read on family dynamics and the choices we make (i.e. leaving the past behind if you want a future for yourself).

This is a chick-lit type novel with characters the reader will enjoy and probably be able to understand, relate to, and have compassion and understanding for each one.

Well written and easily read in one sitting. This novel is a combination of humor and sensitivity, with kindness and gentleness mixed in.

Young Adults would probably be the primary reading audience; mature adults would find it dull.

The back of this book says it's a romance novel, but I would call it an anti-romance. People have a tendency to stick with a relationship on expectations of what they want it to be. This is a story of ending those relationships and getting on with life. It was somewhat humorous, a little too repetitive, and for some strange reason divided into five parts. If you read it with your sense of humor in tact, it's enjoyable.

The characters were likeable. The brother sister relationship was believable. Emmy finally got out of her rut in the end.

I read this book because I recently read Laura Dave's n  The Last Thing He Told Men, which captured me.

Book description - “London is the Best City in America, is the story of two siblings who have found themselves at a crossroads. In mapping their struggles over one mild and somewhat apathetic wedding weekend, Laura Dave gives us a subtle look at relationships when we have to make choices.” There I fixed it. 1.5 stars.