I read A. J. Fikry twice in anticipation of my book club. The first time I completely fell under its spell. It was charming, heart warming and at times, a real tear jerker. The second time I read it, about a month later, I still found it to be charming but without the tears part. This was my pick for book club, so I'm hoping the others enjoyed it as much as I did. 
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 I have to say that in my second reading, I tried to be much more skeptical, looking for that certain blend of author manipulation and literary trope that can fool a first time reader of a highly lauded book. I'm happy to say that I still did not feel fooled. The characters, dialogue and situations (while a bit simplified) still felt authentic. There was some overuse of the book plot metaphor in character's conversation, but not enough to annoy or distract. 
 My only real disappointment in the book is that in two sections, the main characters, both A.J. and Amy state definitively "I do not believe in God." I don't want to sound naive or biased, especially as most books don't even mention God or religion, but it was shocking to me that a book so full of the message of love, hope and togetherness would need to include that phrase. It was a real let down. 
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 Overall, the book was a breeze to read thru and very enjoyable. 4.5 stars.