"When the darkest part of you meets the darkest part of me, it creates light."
It was quite difficult for me to write this review, I always say that it's more difficult to write a good review than a bad one, because you don't have many things to criticize. But maybe this time it's because I went through the book without really thinking about the technicalities of writing and plotting. I just absorbed the story and kind of empathized with some of the characters, but, as said, I didn't pay attention to the writing style or the coherence of the plot, which I guess was okay, because I couldn't put the book down and it all made sense to me. The only "bad" thing I have found is that it can be slow sometimes, but then something happens, the story takes a turn, and you're hooked again. So you never really get bored, I think they're just little breaks from all the drama and intensity of the story.
What I missed, if anything, was the development of some of the storylines, I would have liked to see more of Quentin and Eleanor's lives, for example, as they are introduced and even have some chapters for themselves, but you never get to see how they end, if they heal or still struggle. But I understand that it's not their story, it's Cleo and Frank's, but I would love to read a sequel about Anders or Santiago, for example. I'm sure they would have great stories to tell.
I wish I could say that this book will be one of the top 5 of the year, even though it is the first book I read, but at the same time I hope to read better books throughout the year, so yes, you can say that this is a good book, but defenitely not the best.
What I do have to say is that this book reminded me a lot of Mad Men. The whole office drama, Cleo staying at home while Frank travels to exotic locations to shoot commercials, his stress and how he drowns it in alcohol, drugs, sex, etc., thing... yeah, I kind of pictured Frank as Don Draper at some points, sorry not sorry. So if you watched the show and liked it, you'll probably like this book, too.
"Cleo and Frank could not make each other happy, no matter how hard they’d tried."
All in all, it's a beautiful story about how youth and love can make you feel young, but at the end of the day you have to accept your age and the phase you're in, and that you can't be with someone who's not in the same phase as you, because even if it's the right person, things can go really wrong if it's not the right time, and sometimes you have to accept that maybe, just maybe, there will never be a right time. When the characters finally realize this, they learn to grow on their own, and out of their growth comes something beautiful, which is true and pure friendship.
As always, thanks for reading me.
