Synopsis:

Henry Page is a film buff and a hopeless romantic. He’s waiting for that slow-mo, heart-palpitating, can’t-eat-can’t-sleep kind of love that he’s seen in the movies. So, the last person he expects to fall in love with is Grace.

Grace Town is not your normal leading lady. She dresses in oversized men’s clothing, smells like she hasn’t washed in weeks and walks with a cane. She’s nobody’s idea of a dream girl, but Henry can’t stop thinking about her.

There’s something broken about Grace; a small part of her soul is cracked from the secrets in her past. Henry wants nothing more than to put her back together again, but will she let him?

Review:

When I first received this book, it wasn’t something that fell into the category of “I have to stop everything I am doing and read this immediately”. In fact, I only really read it because there was a movie coming out, but I ended up really enjoying it. The writing was very modern and I really enjoyed the way Henry’s friends were written. Their friendship was adorable.

The dialogue was hilarious, and kept the book lighthearted, even though it dealt with some serious issues involving Grace and her mental state after a traumatic event. I felt like the novel was realistic, especially the ending. Something that others might have loved, but I did not, was the overuse of pop culture references. A few would have been fine, but it felt like there was one every few pages.

Overall, I thought that, although it had its flaws, it was a very quick and enjoyable read. Hidden among the references was definitely some wisdom, and it definitely wasn’t your typical love story.

I recommend this to anyone who is sick of the typical love story! And make sure to watch the movie starring Lili Reinhart!

Discussion: SPOILERS

Okay, so let’s get into all the spoilers. If you have not read the book, make sure to read it and then pop back here to read the discussion! So firstly, I thought Grace was not a great character. I understand she lost her boyfriend, whom she was completely in love with, but to get into a relationship with Henry when she knew she wasn’t ready, was unfair towards him. Not that I am saying Henry wasn’t at fault, because he definitely was. He admitted to being in love with the Grace in his head, and kept hoping that she would eventually be like that again, which I think was pretty uncool of him. They both knew they were not meant to be together but continued to pursue a rather toxic relationship which was meant to end.

On page 257, Lola says “People are perfect when all that’s left of them is memory.” And this was one of my favourite quotes from the book, because if you think about it, it’s true. Grace had this perfect version of Dom in her head, and he could never do anything wrong because well… he’s dead. Henry really couldn’t live up to this, and for Grace to make him think that he ever could was wrong of her. Not to say Grace wasn’t well written, but she seemed very cliché of a character with a tragic backstory.

That’s about it for the discussion, let me know your thoughts!

Until next time

Jenna

xoxo