This book was a surprisingly wild ride--I was expecting a "they-meet-up-every-few-years" -type romcom like One Day or A Lot Like Love. Instead, their global meetups are relatively close in time--and then there's a huge shake-up more than 60% of the way through the book that changes everything. The first part of the book was focused on the relationship conflict--she doesn't want commitment, he does; she's a traveler/pantser, he's a planner. The author skillfully evokes each global setting (Chicago, NYC, Hong Kong, Boracay, Santorini, etc.) in a short amount of time, sending the characters to local restaurants and reminiscing about their histories with each place. However, for me, the story truly acquired depth and stakes at that 60% point, and created a need for the characters to find a poignant and nuanced way back to each other. Normally, how I feel about a book 50 pages in is how I'll feel at the end, but this one was a gamechanger where the second half's higher stakes made it more compelling. Although I wish there had been more external rising action, this is a solid internationally-set, open-door romance with some thoughtful insight into how global events affect individual lives.
Received for review from LibraryThing; all opinions are my own.
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