This is unfortunately a book I had to DNF. I got about halfway through when I got really bored of the filler scenes and skipped ahead to find where the plot was going to come back into the scene. Regrettably, I did not find the continuation of the plot until chapter 28 but that was when I found something that immediately made me put the book down. This is where I’m going to put the disclaimer that there will be spoilers ahead, so proceed at your own risk. You have been warned.
Before I start my critique, I wanted to add that I found the writing to be really great, and it is what kept me reading for longer than I typically would have. I hope that Vi Keeland continues to improve and keep writing.
Were there any characters, settings, or ideas that had potential, even if they weren’t fully developed?
Yes! I found that both Sloane and Wilder had so much potential if they had just been fleshed out more and hadn’t had the pregnancy thrown into the story. As I was reading, I found that I knew almost nothing about Sloane except for her love her niece and her job. The same thing with Wilder, except even less than that.
What I found most saddening was reading about Wilder’s traumatic past with his ex-girlfriend who got pregnant and then reading that Sloane got pregnant after the first time they had sex. This absolutely destroyed the whole book for me. I couldn’t understand why this was chosen to be put into the book knowing Wilder’s hurt from this happening in the past. Not only that but what Sloane had been through with being left at the alter because of her ex-fiancée getting back together with his ex. It felt like Sloane and Wilder were getting trapped by Sloane’s pregnancy and yet this was being glossed over to and made to be something good. I felt deceived and cheated of wonderful characters because of the unrealistic events in this book.
The pregnancy trope can be done and done well, but in this story, it definitely weakened it as I felt it did not fit the characters correctly nor their pasts. It seemed that this was put in because the characters didn’t trust each other enough. I really wished something else had brought them together that wasn’t something a character had trauma with.
Were the stakes or conflicts clear and compelling—or did they fall flat?
For me, the stakes and conflicts fell flat and that might be because of the multiple chapters of filler scenes. I had to skip forward to find out when they plot was going to come back into the story and finding that it didn’t come back in until chapter 28 was a bit anticlimactic. Additionally, I did not feel that the stakes were high enough for this story. I just think that Wilder is a bit of a coward and that situations were made to be bigger than they really were.
Reflection
I really wanted to like this book because of its potential. I loved that it sounded like 27 Dresses and yet had its own twist. My favorite part was when Sloane found out the Wilder was going to be at the next six or seven weddings with her because he is her boss’s son and he wasn’t going to let her go that easily. It made me excited to see what would happen, but I was unfortunately discouraged after finding out what happens and being overloaded with filler chapters.
This is a miss for me, but I’m still curious about what other books Vi Keeland has written and whether they’ll be a hit for me.
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