You, With a View by Jessica Joyce ~ Book Review

My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪
Genre: Romance
Read if you liked: Mrs. Nash’s Ashes

After Noelle loses her grandmother, she discovers photos and letters hinting at an old flame her grandmother had and never told her about. Noelle and her grandmother shared all their secrets, or so she thought, and she takes to TikTok for answers about the lost love she never knew about. Noelle is ultimately successful in tracking down Paul, only to discover that he’s the grandfather of her devastatingly handsome high school rival, Theo. Together, the three of them set off to take the road trip Paul never got to take with Noelle’s grandmother.

First of all, posting the info about her grandma without asking her family first felt weird to me, although Noelle seems to have issues telling the truth to people she cares about, so I guess that tracks. That part aside, I loved the premise of this story, Noelle’s unlikely friendship with Paul, and the way he told his story over the course of their travels through the letters he got from Noelle’s grandma.

The actual trip itself was pretty boring. It had so much potential, but it kept focusing on Noelle feeling guilty for not being honest about her life, Theo being in awe of her photography skills, and her going through comments on her TikToks. There wasn’t a whole lot of substance, particularly enough to make the romance feel realistic.

The concept behind this book was incredible and there certain relationships that I really enjoyed. I also love a ‘finding yourself road trip.’ The overall execution though, was lacking for me.

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