ZMR

Loved it! *spoilers*

Reviewed: 06-17-19

I very much enjoyed ‘If Only’.

I appreciate a story told from this modern perspective that people in my generation are not settling as often as generations before us and are often lost at an age when our parents and grandparents had long since established their lives. We all feel that pressure that we’re “behind” in life and it’s refreshing to see that explored.

I also really liked how honest Erin’s character was. It’s rare that we get to see all the dark and typical thoughts that cross peoples minds in real life and it was done so naturally. We got to see her stupid humor and paranoia and quirks and insecurities and moments of being selfish or being a bad friend and it made her feel so alive. We also got to see her fight the negative parts of herself and learn from them. We got to see her use the necklace in ways that made her appreciate her real life and trust herself. It was such a great thing to see her learn to trust herself.

I was really into the seemingly mundane day-to-day situations and conversations between her and her friends that, when you looked below he surface, is meaningful without being as obvious. It truly just felt so real that I connected with it in a way different then most stories.

I also loved the evolution of ErIn’s character, the foundation of friendship, the effect of family, the serious topics represented without it being the “theme” of the story, the realistic timeline of her falling for Finn.

Such a lovely story! It felt so warm. One of my favorite movies is “About time” and this book gives me the same feelings. Brilliant job to Melanie Murphy!

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