After I Do 4⭐️/5

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

4⭐️/5

Emotional, sweet, not for the faint of heart (or the faint of married - yes, that’s a phrase now)

Marriage, relationships, falling in love, what it means to be single, why love runs out, fights that might sound uncomfortably familiar, and the bonds that tie us to the ones we love most. TJR has (one again) taken a seemingly broad topic (the ups and downs of marriage for goodness sakes) and created an intimate moment to reflect and watch as two people explore some of life’s most difficult and rewarding questions about love.

It’s heavily character-driven, so if you’re here for the plot, this one might not be for you! With that said, this book made me cry in places I wasn’t at all expecting, and I found myself rooting for the side characters with just as much fervor as I was our MC’s. It’s a profoundly important and genuine book, one I’m glad I picked up.

Just like every other TJR I’ve read (Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six, and One True Loves), I read this one in about a day, I had no choice. It’s the law. Her writing is lovely, and even though the plot isn’t particularly fast, her storytelling feels more like a friend is recounting her story to you rather than reading words on a page.

The reason it’s 4 instead of 5 stars is it just didn’t have the same depth as I was maybe hoping for, and it felt a little predictable at times. Though this expectation is my own, and I still highly recommend this one!