The best way to describe this book is by referencing the comparison picture game in Highlights Magazine. You know the one – two pictures look almost identical, but you have to find the subtle differences. That describes this book to a “T”! At first, you think you’re just reading how the initial meet-cute plays out. But you quickly realize the chapters are paired – one from Joanna’s perspective, followed by the same events from Logan’s – and just how wildly they differ.

I made the mistake, on my initial read, of enjoying the first chapter by Joanna, taking a pause, and then reading the second by Logan. I noticed subtle differences and assumed I had just remembered the first chapter incorrectly. But by Chapters 3 and 4, I quickly realized – nope – they’re remembering the same situations completely differently. That’s when it clicked: the bread and butter of this book is how much perspectives can shift when two people tell the same story. It’s almost like playing telephone! Sometimes the situations are so wildly different, you have to decide who has the more accurate memory (my vote is for Joanna – she has far more detail, while Logan tends to gloss over a lot). From that point on, you find yourself wanting to read the chapters back-to-back (which I highly recommend) to fully catch how differently the two weave their story.

There are a few things to note – while the story is strong at the beginning, about 70% in, it starts to lose its way and becomes somewhat muddled. Once we begin focusing on Pauline’s weekend, the story becomes harder to track. Yes, given how the story is structured, there are intentional gaps, but there were still parts I had to reread because they didn’t fully make sense. As I mentioned, grouping the chapters together helps with clarity, but the ease of visualizing each person’s perspective starts to dip. By the time the story wraps up, it feels like we’ve completely left reality behind in favor of tying everything up with a neat bow – while still leaving quite a few “what happens next?” questions.

I also felt like the added scenes of intimacy weren’t necessary, as they came across as rather lackluster. In most cases, you see closed-door, open-door, or metaphorical approaches to these moments. Here, it felt more like an “ajar door” approach – glossing over just enough to feel awkward rather than meaningful.

While creative in both concept and delivery, She Wrote, He Wrote starts off strong but loses steam where it needed it most. Since it holds up well for nearly three-quarters of the book, I would still recommend checking it out – if only to experience how hilariously different the two perspectives are. While that contrast fuels the story early on, it may also be what ultimately slows it down by the end.