I went in with no expectations, and I really enjoyed it! It was a twist on the Kennedy family’s history, and I loved the way the author interwove the personal histories of the two main characters. Would recommend!

This was a 3 star read UNTIL I read the Author's note.... rounding up to 4 stars! Full review to come.

the number of times this book made me giddily giggle 🥲

I'm a big fan of Emily Giffin's books. I always find them to be very sweet and refreshing, and I feel like they're the perfect books to read in between more involved fantasy romance series or just heavier books in general. I thought the love story between Joe and Cate was so heartwarming, and I thought the almost mundane quality of their relationship once they were fully committed and settled was a nice contrast to the majority of romance books where the relationship between the main characters is filled with constant ups and downs throughout. I did, however, feel like the ending was a bit rushed compared to the rest of the book, which is why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 4.5 or 5.

I really don’t like books with alternating points of view. It’s hard for me to fully sink into a story when the storylines are so detached at the beginning. I find myself falling into love with stories with a strong opening, and most alternating POV books don’t allow for that. I’ve mentioned that I rarely know anything about a book prior to the start, and this was no exception. I had no idea what I was getting into, nor had I ever read a book by Emily Giffon, so I really was going in blind. After about 30 pages, I read the description, so I was able to discern that the two points of view I was getting were related, and there was indeed a full story. Both characters were intriguing from the beginning, otherwise I might have thrown in the DNF towel and moved on. Joe was a young man who grew up under the umbrella of wealth and privilege. He wanted neither of those things but wanted the benefits they brought into his life. Cate was an incredibly beautiful young woman who was brought up in a working-class household fraught with emotional and physical abuse. Cate wanted nothing more than to shed the fear of her stepfather, while Joe wanted nothing more than to shed the hero-worship of his actual father. The two of them had nothing in common. Yet, somehow, when they finally met, sparks flew. Once I finally read the book description, I was aware this was an historical romance, so I knew where this story was going to go. This story had amazing waves of romance versus real life. Cate spent so much of her time trying to shed the stigma of being an abuse victim, and when she did finally cave into Joe’s advances, she fought hard to maintain a relationship she was comfortable with. Joe had spent his entire life trying to shed the stigma of his father’s heroism and was able to quietly make a career for himself, despite the press following his every move. Giffin did an effective job of creating two characters that I wanted to enjoy AND root for. One of the things I want out of a good book is its ability make me feel something…ANYTHING. This book gave me feels from beginning to end. When my husband and I first got together, I frequently felt like he would be better off without me. He eventually wore me down, and we are clearly doing well, but I identified with this book more than I have with any book in a while. I haven’t run across a book that made me cry since Nicholas Sparks published The Wedding, but this one came close. I was verklempt towards the end. I won’t spoil the reason why, but I will strongly suggest this one to anyone who needs a dose of the feels.

This solidified the fact Emily Giffin is my favorite author. I felt so connected to the story. Not once lost or just skimming past parts to get to the good. The ending happened very quickly and seemed out of place at first but she ties it back in.