This book is about love, self-discovery, self-acceptance, and learning to survive from trauma so you can live a happy life.From the New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas comes the next stunning novel in the Hathaways series - perfect for fans of Sarah MacLean, Julia Quinn and Eloisa James.Īs a lover of animals and nature, Beatrix Hathaway has always been more comfortable outdoors than in the ballroom. I will forever recommend it to anyone who’s ever been hurt or who feels isolated, as this book is so damn heartwarming and healing for the soul. This book is very cathartic and comforting for me, in that sense. This book always leaves me with this feeling that no matter what happened to you in your past, no matter what inner demons and scars you struggle with, you still can find love and joy. I love how even though I’ve never personally experienced the traumas that the characters faced, I’m still able to relate to them deeply, because who amongst us hasn’t ever felt alone and afraid? I love how together, they uplift and inspire each other to be better people. I love how Beatrix is such an awesome, caring heroine, how she unconditionally loves and accepts him and ultimately helps him to find himself again. I love how Kleypas so vividly captures Christoper’s feelings of horror, isolation, and loss of humanity as he struggles with his PTSD. I love how this book has always provided me immense comfort, hope, and positivity during stressful moments in my life. I love the incredible slow-burn of their relationship, how I get such crazy butterflies in my stomach from the breathless, magnetic moments between them. I love how their love for each other gives Christopher normalcy and hope in the midst of the abnormal, frightening reality he is living in. I love the way the heroine Beatrix gives the hero Christopher this precious feeling of joy and solace, in spite of the terrible PTSD he struggles with. I love the quiet, thoughtful, compassionate conversations they exchange with each other-conversations that are about humanity and love and trying to find hope in a hostile world. I was nearly moved to tears by the deeply vulnerable, intimate ways the hero and the heroine bare their souls to each other through their letters. The epistolary element of this book, in which the hero and the heroine write letters to each other, is absolutely breathtaking.

It left such a powerful, lingering impact on me in a way that no other romance novel has came close to.įirstly, the writing in this book is so, so, so beautiful. To this day, Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas is my all-time favorite romance book. I feel like I’m always recommending and raving about this book on this sub, so I wanted to dedicate a little appreciation post for it. I’m feeling really terrified and fucking sick to my stomach right now for obvious reasons, so I thought maybe it would help calm me down to talk about a book I love dearly.