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A review by luluwoohoo
Time to Rise by Heléne Holmström
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Time To Rise by Heléne Holmström (translation by Marlaine Delargy)
☀️☀️☀️
A big thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
As an overall shape I liked the plot of this book, though it didn't do anything special for the genre. I was actually more drawn to the flashback scenes once that storyline got going, with that relationship feeling more authentic than the (purposefully scripted) manufacturing of our main pairing.
The sex scenes felt a bit rushed and clinical in the writing but that's a personal preference of mine, though I also felt like the rapid progression of the main relationship towards the end felt fast too in comparison to the 'enemies' portion. I also wasn't a fan of the ending (pre-epilogue) but I can see why Holmström went in that direction.
As someone who has only a passing knowledge of European traditions when it comes to Christmas, this book leaned into them just enough to enlighten me without being overbearing with the details, particularly with the focus on food.
The formatting itself could use reviewing before publication - some text message segments were written as regular paragraphs, and in another spot italics continued incorrectly beyond an internal thought, which pulled me out of the story completely.
3/5 stars
☀️☀️☀️
A big thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
As an overall shape I liked the plot of this book, though it didn't do anything special for the genre. I was actually more drawn to the flashback scenes once that storyline got going, with that relationship feeling more authentic than the (purposefully scripted) manufacturing of our main pairing.
The sex scenes felt a bit rushed and clinical in the writing but that's a personal preference of mine, though I also felt like the rapid progression of the main relationship towards the end felt fast too in comparison to the 'enemies' portion. I also wasn't a fan of the ending (pre-epilogue) but I can see why Holmström went in that direction.
As someone who has only a passing knowledge of European traditions when it comes to Christmas, this book leaned into them just enough to enlighten me without being overbearing with the details, particularly with the focus on food.
The formatting itself could use reviewing before publication - some text message segments were written as regular paragraphs, and in another spot italics continued incorrectly beyond an internal thought, which pulled me out of the story completely.
3/5 stars
"All you have to do is gaze at her for a few extra seconds, maybe make a nice remark after you've been all critical. Enemies to lovers... we'll take care of the rest."