I’ll admit, I saw that this had been made into a movie and was curious about the book. Now that I’ve finished the book, I actually don’t want to watch the film because I’d rather leave the taste of the book in my mind and not risk tainting it with an adaptation.
This, to me, was the definition of an easy read, but not in the way they’re traditionally portrayed. Sure, it’s a love story that primarily focuses on the woman’s point of view, and yes it’s about two young adults, but I’ve never looked up so many words for a book in the traditionally ‘easy read’ category (“insouciance,” “perseverate,” to name a few). I say it’s easy because I constantly found myself reaching for the book, easily slipping back into the story again and again.
Heather is on one last hurrah, traveling around Europe with her friends before joining corporate America, well, Bank of America, to be precise. Her five-year plan is mapped out and set in stone until she meets Jack on a train to Amsterdam. Jack is a wanderer, literally, as he haphazardly follows a diary his grandfather kept while traveling after World War II. As the two form a relationship and end up traveling together, Jack’s relaxed view of the world begins to rub against Heather’s carefully planned future, forcing Heather to decide which future she needs to re-evaluate: her job or Jack.
In many ways this hits a lot of tropes – namely the “Americans traveling around Europe,” “opposites attract,” etc etc. However, for all the ways I would’ve made different decisions than Heather did, I liked her processing. I liked her ability to call things as she saw it, and I like that Heather and Jack had real conflict.
Overall, I thought it was a great read and flew through it in a matter of days. If you’re someone who wants an entertaining read without fully committing to the Emily Henry-side of the genre (who I enjoy reading immensely, btw), then I would give this one a go.
2% Rating: 7.5/10
Recommend? Yeah
Re-Read? Maybe!
Time: 1:57