Before reading Love, Rosie, I watched the 2014 movie staring Lily Collins and Sam Claflin. It was cute if not a little predictable but I didn’t expect the poor reviews from critics. Many referenced that the movie diverted drastically from the book. And they were right. Hollywood simplified and glamorized most of Love, Rosie. Brian was eliminated for Greg. Sally cheated on Alex (these are all inaccurate so not spoilers). Alex had no children with other women.
And yet, I finished the book deeply unsatisfied. Maybe it’s my age (28) but it felt like Alex and Rosie wasted lifetimes telling each other how they felt. They went from one bad relationship to the next. It was painful how many trials Ahern put them through. There were also so many moments early on where feelings could have been revealed. Such as the first flight to Boston airport when Alex and Rosie first separate. Both are unattached. Lives are changing. Great moment to reveal feelings and the kiss that happened when Rosie was 16, don’t you think!?
Also while I appreciate the unique way the story is told (letters, texts, chats) not everything had to be a letter. Exhibit b, when Alex saw how miserable Greg was making Rosie, he wrote a letter saying she deserved better. She deserved him. Said letter was stolen by the evil Greg. One - she deserved to hear that in person. Two - some may argue that it wasn’t the right time. She was giving her marriage a chance and it would be selfish. But I don’t understand how? She kissed him years earlier. He had a better than average chance and frankly, we know how it ended with Greg.
I know the ending is supposed to be unusual and sweet but to me Bethany is the winner in this story. This fact alone makes my blood boil. The rich princess won Alex at 17 when he was too scared to tell Rosie how he felt. She won him at 29. She won the picture-perfect house with the secure family life and no monetary issues. Rosie struggled from 18 on and the only reason she succeeds is her mother and sister take pity on her and reward her with the house that becomes her inn! This is after her finishing her education and interning at a run-down hotel. Ahern must really hate teen moms because Rosie does not catch a break until 50.
I’m sure this is an unpopular opinion but if Rosie was on birth control her life would have been quite different. Which is why abstinence, taught in primarily catholic schools, drives me mad. I’m not advocating that she should have aborted but she gave up her life and doesn’t catch a break. Sure, Katie was an amazing child but the struggle, hours at dead end jobs, dingy apts, dead-beat boyfriends and more seem like a punishment. As a result, I viewed her story as a cautionary tale not a happy romance. She gave up her dreams because of one night with a boy she didn’t even like! Her BnB is a cute consolation prize late in life.
Anyway, this book left me deeply unsatisfied. I spent hours trying to dissect it and my conclusion is that while Hollywood was inaccurate at least it saved us from the real horrors of teen pregnancy.
Stayed home from school today because I’ve felt very sickly and my head is killing me at the moment, I’m excited for the baby shower on Sunday but I hope I’m not going to be as drowsy as I am now
