This review may contain spoilers
From Bitter Winters to Clear Skies
“Their love had endured the bitter winter to reach their own clear skies in early spring, eventually walking into the scorching summer - the most passionate time of their lives.”
A line straight from the novel that somehow manages to summarise their entire relationship. And yes, I have read the novel, so my opinion might be just a teensy tiny bit biased.
The things I love -
1. Main characters
I am SO tired of watching goody-two-shoes cardboard characters whose only personality trait is being perfect. Both Flora and Luke are flawed, complicated, real characters with their own insecurities, baggage and very questionable decisions. And that's exactly what makes them interesting.
When you look at them, you can see that despite the power imbalance between them, they genuinely care about each other. Their relationship isn't perfect, and honestly, that's the point.
Shang Zhitao aka 'Flora' is our FL. From what I understood of her character, she is independent, hardworking, humble and warm, but also deeply insecure about whether she is enough. She is someone who would rather struggle for a long time than accept favours from others. She is principled, sticks to her guns and isn't easily swayed. I particularly love her eagerness to learn and the way she stands up for herself and what she believes in.
As warm as she is with her close friends and family, she is incredibly reserved with outsiders. But when it comes to the people she loves? She would fiercely defend them even at the cost of herself.
On the surface, her upbringing and life seem relatively normal and happy, but underneath all that is an inferiority complex. A lot of it stems from the treatment and “encouragement” she received early in her career. Luke's 'generous' treatment of her in the beginning hits especially hard because he is someone she deeply admires and whose approval she genuinely wants.
And then we have our ML, Luan Nian aka 'Luke'.
At first glance, Luke is hot, arrogant, rude and straight up unapproachable. He is brutally efficient at his work and the kind of person who would discard someone without a second thought if keeping them around disturbed his peace or productivity.
But underneath all that is someone who would go to the ends of the Earth to protect the person he loves.
Luke's biggest problem is his deep-seated belief that he is unworthy of love. And you can trace a lot of that back to his relationship with his father. Instead of encouragement, Luke grew up hearing constant verbal jabs and degradation, which eventually made him believe that he wasn't deserving of affection.
So when he falls for Flora, he has absolutely no idea what the fuck to do with those feelings.
Instead of expressing them authentically, Luke intellectualises them. He tries to rationalise everything because controlling his emotions gives him a semblance of control over the situation. And ironically, the very behaviour that wounded him is the behaviour he unconsciously repeats with Flora.
When Flora makes a mistake or does something he doesn't agree with, instead of comforting or encouraging her, he resorts to criticism and control - the same pattern he experienced from his father. And this is especially damaging to Flora because she thrives on words of affirmation. Someone whose opinion she values immensely is constantly making her feel like she isn't good enough.
So Flora gradually stops confiding in Luke because she becomes afraid of what he'll say.
And THAT is what makes their character development so satisfying to me.
The plot isn't simply about two people falling in love. It's about Flora gradually learning to trust herself, gain confidence, voice her feelings and recognise her own abilities, while Luke learns to stop intellectualising everything and actually express his emotions honestly.
At first Luke pissed me off, but watching him slowly learn to express himself, let go of his old beliefs, imagine a future and accept his own feelings was SO rewarding.
2. Friendships
THIS IS MY FAVOURITE PART.
We barely get to see friendships like these in dramas. Other than the romance, this drama gives us such beautiful friendships between people who stick with each other through thick and thin without constantly expecting something in return.
This healed something in me.
Sun Yu, Sun Yuanzhu, Lumi and Tan Mian supremacy 🙇♀️
I love the setup of not necessarily having childhood friends, but meeting people along the way and slowly developing these deep relationships with them. There is something so comforting about watching people build their own little support system in a huge city.
Imagine being in a big city all alone but at least you've got people you can fall back on.
A hard day? Friends are there.
A bad decision? Friends are there.
Relationship problems? Friends are there.
A shitty time in general? FRIENDS ARE THERE.
I especially loved how Lumi was always ready to fight for Flora, while Sun Yu somehow always had a backup plan ready for her. These relationships feel incredibly lived in and genuine.
And it's especially nice to see the ML actually having heart to hearts with his friends and opening up. Tan Mian must have been EXHAUSTED coaching Luke through his own emotions every day. 😭
Which brings me to the opposite-gender friendships.
I LOVE the fact that there weren't unnecessary second leads whose entire purpose was to create jealousy and misunderstandings. I almost thought Zang Yao would riot and cause problems, and I was equally suspicious of Sun Yuanzhu, but I was SO relieved when they handled their unrequited feelings with maturity.
They liked the leads, realised their feelings weren't reciprocated and eventually accepted it.
No scheming. No unnecessary sabotage. No “I'll destroy their relationship because I can't have them.”
It's so refreshing.
In fact, most of the major problems in the story are caused by Luke and Flora themselves - which brings us back to the fact that THEY are the ones who actually need to grow.
3. Side characters and conflict
ITS SO GOOD TO SEE NO EVIL PEOPLE TRYING TO RUIN EVERYTHING.
I loved that the drama doesn't need some cartoonishly evil third party to manufacture conflict every five minutes. There are minor inconveniences and external obstacles, but they're largely ignorable.
Most of the meaningful conflicts arise organically from the leads themselves - their insecurities, communication issues, misunderstandings and inability to properly express what they're feeling.
And I especially loved Tracy's speech about women making up 55% of Lime. I LOVE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.
4. OSTs
Whenever 'We Should Know' starts playing, we SHOULD damn well know what is going to happen next. 🫣
(Except when Luke was just serving face and his Louboutins)
Each song fits the drama so perfectly.
There are songs that immediately make me associate them with certain moments in the drama, and I think that's the sign of a good OST.
5. Luke and Flora's character development
From a naive intern to a bosslady, Flora has come SUCH a long way.
She learns to say no, stand up for herself and other women, hold people accountable, deal with harassment and, most importantly, trust herself.
And I loved that her growth isn't simply “Flora becomes more successful.” She becomes more secure in who she is.
Luke's growth is equally satisfying. He slowly lets go of the beliefs he's carried for years, learns to communicate without accusing, learns to speak nicely (hehe), allows himself to imagine a future and finally accepts what he feels instead of trying to rationalise it away.
Watching two people become better versions of themselves while still retaining their flaws is infinitely more satisfying to me than watching two perfect people fall in love.
6. Luke the Dog
GAAAHHHHH I LOVE HIMMMMM.
THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE REVIEW.
7. Cinematography and costumes
So pretty!!
I absolutely loved the cinematography, especially the Tibet photoshoot and all the scenic views. Everything looked so warm and beautiful, and the costumes were equally gorgeous.
There are so many shots that genuinely feel like they belong in a photo album.
What I didn't like -
1. Length of the drama
This is probably my biggest problem.
It's a real bummer to see so much of the story get cut down. Especially after reading the novel, I KNOW how much more material there was to work with.
And unfortunately, the cuts don't just remove little details but also sometimes remove the context needed to properly understand the characters.
2. Pacing
From a 24-episode POV, the early episodes dragged a little too much (not that it was filler but still taking away time), which unfortunately meant that the later parts of the story had to be rushed and certain details were cut.
I really wish the pacing had been distributed more evenly because there were so many little moments from the novel that I would've loved to see on screen.
Nevertheless, I think the ending was beautifully done and managed to wrap things up quite well considering everything that had been cut.
3. Flora's story
This one bothers me the most because the cuts sometimes end up smearing Flora's character.
There are moments where she can come across as cold or even heartless if you haven't read the novel, when the additional context makes her actions much more understandable.
For example, Yuanzhu's death.
In the novel, Flora completely breaks down, and Luke comes over and cooks for her and Sun Yu for a week, basically making sure they're fed while they deal with their grief. There are also various moments that explain much more clearly what ultimately contributed to Flora deciding to leave Beijing.
Without those details, some of her decisions don't have the same emotional weight.
And that's the frustrating part! Not that the drama changed things, but that it sometimes removed the very context that allowed us to understand WHY the characters behaved the way they did.
All in all, the drama is a solid 9.5/10 for me.
It isn't a perfect adaptation, and I desperately wish we'd gotten more episodes, but the characters, friendships, emotional growth and overall warmth of the story made it incredibly special to me.
My biggest complaint is honestly just that I wanted MORE.
More Flora and Luke.
More of their friends.
More little moments.
More of the novel's details.
More Luke the Dog.
But even with the cuts, I still came out of this drama feeling like I'd watched a story about people who genuinely changed each other for the better.
A line straight from the novel that somehow manages to summarise their entire relationship. And yes, I have read the novel, so my opinion might be just a teensy tiny bit biased.
The things I love -
1. Main characters
I am SO tired of watching goody-two-shoes cardboard characters whose only personality trait is being perfect. Both Flora and Luke are flawed, complicated, real characters with their own insecurities, baggage and very questionable decisions. And that's exactly what makes them interesting.
When you look at them, you can see that despite the power imbalance between them, they genuinely care about each other. Their relationship isn't perfect, and honestly, that's the point.
Shang Zhitao aka 'Flora' is our FL. From what I understood of her character, she is independent, hardworking, humble and warm, but also deeply insecure about whether she is enough. She is someone who would rather struggle for a long time than accept favours from others. She is principled, sticks to her guns and isn't easily swayed. I particularly love her eagerness to learn and the way she stands up for herself and what she believes in.
As warm as she is with her close friends and family, she is incredibly reserved with outsiders. But when it comes to the people she loves? She would fiercely defend them even at the cost of herself.
On the surface, her upbringing and life seem relatively normal and happy, but underneath all that is an inferiority complex. A lot of it stems from the treatment and “encouragement” she received early in her career. Luke's 'generous' treatment of her in the beginning hits especially hard because he is someone she deeply admires and whose approval she genuinely wants.
And then we have our ML, Luan Nian aka 'Luke'.
At first glance, Luke is hot, arrogant, rude and straight up unapproachable. He is brutally efficient at his work and the kind of person who would discard someone without a second thought if keeping them around disturbed his peace or productivity.
But underneath all that is someone who would go to the ends of the Earth to protect the person he loves.
Luke's biggest problem is his deep-seated belief that he is unworthy of love. And you can trace a lot of that back to his relationship with his father. Instead of encouragement, Luke grew up hearing constant verbal jabs and degradation, which eventually made him believe that he wasn't deserving of affection.
So when he falls for Flora, he has absolutely no idea what the fuck to do with those feelings.
Instead of expressing them authentically, Luke intellectualises them. He tries to rationalise everything because controlling his emotions gives him a semblance of control over the situation. And ironically, the very behaviour that wounded him is the behaviour he unconsciously repeats with Flora.
When Flora makes a mistake or does something he doesn't agree with, instead of comforting or encouraging her, he resorts to criticism and control - the same pattern he experienced from his father. And this is especially damaging to Flora because she thrives on words of affirmation. Someone whose opinion she values immensely is constantly making her feel like she isn't good enough.
So Flora gradually stops confiding in Luke because she becomes afraid of what he'll say.
And THAT is what makes their character development so satisfying to me.
The plot isn't simply about two people falling in love. It's about Flora gradually learning to trust herself, gain confidence, voice her feelings and recognise her own abilities, while Luke learns to stop intellectualising everything and actually express his emotions honestly.
At first Luke pissed me off, but watching him slowly learn to express himself, let go of his old beliefs, imagine a future and accept his own feelings was SO rewarding.
2. Friendships
THIS IS MY FAVOURITE PART.
We barely get to see friendships like these in dramas. Other than the romance, this drama gives us such beautiful friendships between people who stick with each other through thick and thin without constantly expecting something in return.
This healed something in me.
Sun Yu, Sun Yuanzhu, Lumi and Tan Mian supremacy 🙇♀️
I love the setup of not necessarily having childhood friends, but meeting people along the way and slowly developing these deep relationships with them. There is something so comforting about watching people build their own little support system in a huge city.
Imagine being in a big city all alone but at least you've got people you can fall back on.
A hard day? Friends are there.
A bad decision? Friends are there.
Relationship problems? Friends are there.
A shitty time in general? FRIENDS ARE THERE.
I especially loved how Lumi was always ready to fight for Flora, while Sun Yu somehow always had a backup plan ready for her. These relationships feel incredibly lived in and genuine.
And it's especially nice to see the ML actually having heart to hearts with his friends and opening up. Tan Mian must have been EXHAUSTED coaching Luke through his own emotions every day. 😭
Which brings me to the opposite-gender friendships.
I LOVE the fact that there weren't unnecessary second leads whose entire purpose was to create jealousy and misunderstandings. I almost thought Zang Yao would riot and cause problems, and I was equally suspicious of Sun Yuanzhu, but I was SO relieved when they handled their unrequited feelings with maturity.
They liked the leads, realised their feelings weren't reciprocated and eventually accepted it.
No scheming. No unnecessary sabotage. No “I'll destroy their relationship because I can't have them.”
It's so refreshing.
In fact, most of the major problems in the story are caused by Luke and Flora themselves - which brings us back to the fact that THEY are the ones who actually need to grow.
3. Side characters and conflict
ITS SO GOOD TO SEE NO EVIL PEOPLE TRYING TO RUIN EVERYTHING.
I loved that the drama doesn't need some cartoonishly evil third party to manufacture conflict every five minutes. There are minor inconveniences and external obstacles, but they're largely ignorable.
Most of the meaningful conflicts arise organically from the leads themselves - their insecurities, communication issues, misunderstandings and inability to properly express what they're feeling.
And I especially loved Tracy's speech about women making up 55% of Lime. I LOVE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.
4. OSTs
Whenever 'We Should Know' starts playing, we SHOULD damn well know what is going to happen next. 🫣
(Except when Luke was just serving face and his Louboutins)
Each song fits the drama so perfectly.
There are songs that immediately make me associate them with certain moments in the drama, and I think that's the sign of a good OST.
5. Luke and Flora's character development
From a naive intern to a bosslady, Flora has come SUCH a long way.
She learns to say no, stand up for herself and other women, hold people accountable, deal with harassment and, most importantly, trust herself.
And I loved that her growth isn't simply “Flora becomes more successful.” She becomes more secure in who she is.
Luke's growth is equally satisfying. He slowly lets go of the beliefs he's carried for years, learns to communicate without accusing, learns to speak nicely (hehe), allows himself to imagine a future and finally accepts what he feels instead of trying to rationalise it away.
Watching two people become better versions of themselves while still retaining their flaws is infinitely more satisfying to me than watching two perfect people fall in love.
6. Luke the Dog
GAAAHHHHH I LOVE HIMMMMM.
THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE REVIEW.
7. Cinematography and costumes
So pretty!!
I absolutely loved the cinematography, especially the Tibet photoshoot and all the scenic views. Everything looked so warm and beautiful, and the costumes were equally gorgeous.
There are so many shots that genuinely feel like they belong in a photo album.
What I didn't like -
1. Length of the drama
This is probably my biggest problem.
It's a real bummer to see so much of the story get cut down. Especially after reading the novel, I KNOW how much more material there was to work with.
And unfortunately, the cuts don't just remove little details but also sometimes remove the context needed to properly understand the characters.
2. Pacing
From a 24-episode POV, the early episodes dragged a little too much (not that it was filler but still taking away time), which unfortunately meant that the later parts of the story had to be rushed and certain details were cut.
I really wish the pacing had been distributed more evenly because there were so many little moments from the novel that I would've loved to see on screen.
Nevertheless, I think the ending was beautifully done and managed to wrap things up quite well considering everything that had been cut.
3. Flora's story
This one bothers me the most because the cuts sometimes end up smearing Flora's character.
There are moments where she can come across as cold or even heartless if you haven't read the novel, when the additional context makes her actions much more understandable.
For example, Yuanzhu's death.
In the novel, Flora completely breaks down, and Luke comes over and cooks for her and Sun Yu for a week, basically making sure they're fed while they deal with their grief. There are also various moments that explain much more clearly what ultimately contributed to Flora deciding to leave Beijing.
Without those details, some of her decisions don't have the same emotional weight.
And that's the frustrating part! Not that the drama changed things, but that it sometimes removed the very context that allowed us to understand WHY the characters behaved the way they did.
All in all, the drama is a solid 9.5/10 for me.
It isn't a perfect adaptation, and I desperately wish we'd gotten more episodes, but the characters, friendships, emotional growth and overall warmth of the story made it incredibly special to me.
My biggest complaint is honestly just that I wanted MORE.
More Flora and Luke.
More of their friends.
More little moments.
More of the novel's details.
More Luke the Dog.
But even with the cuts, I still came out of this drama feeling like I'd watched a story about people who genuinely changed each other for the better.
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