Book Club #1 This Time Next Year

[Yel]

Thanks to @Oohthedrama for suggesting it and everyone for voting. Our first book is

Amazon product

Please hit watch on this thread if you want to join in. This thread will be unlocked at 8pm Friday 8th January 2021!

But anyone can pop in whenever they want to, but you can't complain about spoilers so you might not want to read the thread until you've finished.

We're not exactly sure how the tattle book club will work - more of a suck it and see. Please discuss it on the other thread. I wanted to set this up while it's still 99p on Kindle. I think you can sign up for a free audiobook trial if you prefer

Tattle Life Book Club

Again, it’s in the title, but I’m not sure how well it would work when it comes to choosing a book that most have access to, monthly or bi monthly, what genre is most popular etc. there’s a real community growing on tattle and it would be good to see if that can include something more than...

tattle.life

 

[OliviaPope]

It was an easy read - something would read on a beach holiday.

I could see it being made in to a romcom film, had a lot of Bridget Jones/ Mark Darcy vibes.

This Time Next year I will have forgotten all about it.

 

[iShihTzunot]

The short answer is that I personally really enjoyed the book, I am a low key hopeless romantic so love stuff like this to get lost in. It was a lovely light read that couldn’t have come at a more accurate time of the year, especially given the times we are living in.

I guess the long answer is that, whilst I felt the book was light, there were some serious themes throughout, delivered in an attentive way. One thing I will say though, is that I felt like the book was in 2 halves. The first part was quite slow, the seeds to various themes planted, with not a great deal happening. And then the other half it completely changed. For example Minnies character development was great but I felt like it was from 0 to 100 quite quickly. It’s probably because of the way the chapters are structured to skip months, as a reader I felt we saw the start and the end of that development. Not the middle.
Overall, I’d recommend! Liked the main characters, apart from Greg, hes a right twat! God knows what she saw in him. Felt emosh when her dad offered to sell his clocks for her to set up the business again and glad she gave Quinn a second chance, as I think that’s a major theme in the book, second chances.

Can’t wait to hear what everyone else thinks!

 

[Miscanthus]

Finished the book the other day throwaway(second book of year) and posting stream of consciousness thoughts before reading others' comments.
Not my normal type of book, very lightweight and frothy, felt almost teenage reading. I did like the writing style though. Only spotted one typo
Interesting plot device of the New Year (pre Covid) / birthday/ what were you doing / where do you want to be this time next year.
However, jumping back and forward has been done to death by students of the East Anglia school of creative writing or whatever it's called....and can be annoying.
The heroine was quite engaging but was a contradiction in that she had started a company (buying a lot of expensive equipment, hiring staff etc), was unconventional, but was also quite timid with hangups and a thing about being unlucky....very Bridget Jones.
The hero was understandably messed up by his demanding mother but you saw very little interaction berween them.
Was this a book about how your parents mess you up, or a love story, how your name defines you, how you can survive against all odds?
A couple of thoughts on the plot....
I didn't understand the sudden transformation of Minnie's mother....
There was very little basis for her relationship with Quinn's mother.
The ' sliding doors ' moments where they nearly met over the years were a bit cryptic and not fully explored...and then we had the Hampstead ponds wild swimming coincidence....
Completely confusing a close friend's dream engagement with a throwaway teenage comment
We didn't really get to the bottom of Quinn's relationship with his mother other than 'carer'
I didn't believe that his mother had suffered so much the she was agoraphobic and nervous...yes she was divorced but financially comfortable...what other trauma had she had?
The business didn't stack up....'accountant' (her friend), driver, three other people, London rent, van, yet hardly any output/income.
Why just pies? Unfair to quiche!
How did she get funding when she clearly had no business plan, had some sort of charitable ethos and employed misfits
Why did it take Lucy to suggest using corporate clients to underwrite more 'deserving' ones? It would have been more likely that Quinn would use his expertise to advise this
I could go on about the business...
To sum up....light start to the year, enjoyable but lacking substance.

 

[birdiefly246]

Finally we can talk about it!
So idk if this is the kind of thing we're doing cause I've never done a bookclub but I'll say what I liked and then what I didn't like and I'm going to give a rating, also I can't remember who wrote it so I'll use "they" )

It's a 6/10.

Likes:
- I liked that Minnie had a lovely group of wacky friends who seemed to really have her back. I get the idea that it was done on purpose to contrast Quinn's lone wolf persona?
- Leila was a fab character and I loved her. I'd read a book about Leila's life tbh
- I liked the near misses of past New Years Eve's (was unrealistic but it was fun to read)
- I liked her strong independent woman thing she had going on when she dumped Greg and then with Quinn.
- It was quite refreshing to see a character who at 30 was a bit more realistic than what we normally see in mainstream media I think.

Dislikes: (here we go)
- it was bit to choppy for me and it didn't flow nicely. I understand that it had to be for the story but the flashbacks were written fine, it was just the choppiness of 2020 that bugged me but I think that's because of the point I'm going to make next
- It was too deep on some parts but not deep enough on others. They spent ages talking about how her business was failing, then it wasn't, then it was, then they quit the business anyway okay fine... but the emotional abuse from her previous relationship (before Greg) was just glossed over despite that (I'd imagine) having a major impact on the way Minnie is. They glossed over Connie's sudden drop in resentment as well. You had to read between the lines of why connie all of sudden became the mum and husband that her family needed and why she dropped 30 years worth of resentment and misery overnight it seems (I mean it wasn't overnight but it was in the sense that it was just dropped on us out of nowhere. There was no build up to it).
- the Leila engagement thing was kind but I don't really see why the they included the bit where Leila didn't remember saying it to Minnie? I don't know whether it was meant to be funny. I get the engagement in that Minnie wanted to give Leila that = excellent friends and I get the set up for her ending up at Quinn's mum's house in a mermaid outfit but that part just seemed bizarre.

Overall I did enjoy it but it was just too jumpy for me - but it isn't the usual type of book that I read as I normally read thrillers/detective books which tend not to be jumpy cause they can't be so that could be why.

I probably have more opinions but that's it for now

 

[Yel]

I liked it to start with, but nothing unexpected really happened and it played out just as you expected and got more disappointed the more I read. It needed a twist for me.

The name of the pie shop made no sense "no hard fillings".

I thought the writer was some 70 year old woman from a village that had never visited London as a few things seemed off.

Rolled my eyes most at the vibrator in customs cliche.

Best part for me was probably the ex boyfriend explaining he saw her as a compromise as it reminded me of a guy I went on a few dates with that explained what compromise with seeing me was . Twat.

I did like the London references. Was nice to be reminded of when it was vibrant and not the zombie land it currently is.

 

[Elle]

So?! This was an easy read. Pretty enjoyable. VERY cheesy. I was proud of Minnie when she walked away from Quinn as she was an INDEPENDENT WOMAN and over it. But then of course she ended up going back to him. Girl, come on.

 

[SpiceWeasel]

Not a fan. Found it cheesy, predictable, fluffy and just a bit meh. Reading by numbers as you knew how it would end.

I normally read crime/policey books so I thought I would try something different- Welp. I need a mutilated body or two, and a hard done by, hard drinking detective.

As an antidote to this book I am reading just that Picked it up at random in Tesco, the blurb had me at ‘A corpse with no hands’ was like yes you’ll do, in the trolley you go

 

[Squiggle]

I'm not a big one for romance books but I did really enjoy this. It was pretty clear where it was all going like the midnight kiss and the star wars chat room but even still it kept me involved.
It made me want a best friend like Minnie and Leila as never had that!
I like how their mums became friends. It was a bit far fetched overall but a good distraction from this crazy life we are living in.

 

[fluffyglitterbug]

Not a fan. Found it cheesy, predictable, fluffy and just a bit meh. Reading by numbers as you knew how it would end.

I normally read crime/policey books so I thought I would try something different- Welp. I need a mutilated body or two, and a hard done by, hard drinking detective.

Same - glad I persevered and got to the end but it was predictable, with quite a few poor storylines.

I found Minnie to be very annoying!

However - still pleased to be part of book club and I look forward to the next one

 

[Niknak]

An easy read, but didn't overly enjoy it.

It reminded me slightly of One Day by David Nicholls, but the lead characters of This Time Next Year were neither likeable nor unlikeable - I felt indifferent to both Minnie and Quinn. I don't want to give spoilers of One Day away, so won't go into any more detail.

Minnie's sudden confidence transplant was unrealistic for a girl who took months to dump horrible Greg.

I dislike when a fairly minor character is over-described just to make a very small part of the plot work. Bev's anxiety regarding the environment was detailed throughout, yet the only real relevance to the plot was Minnie passing Quinn's office whilst waiting for the printing on the plastic bottle. It felt like a lot of effort and description was put into Bev for that particular coincidence.

And I'm glad Tara won the £50k. After putting up with Connie during labour, she deserved it

 

[petitspois]

I found it uplifting and a warm, easy read. It really reminded me of a screen play in that it seemed to have been written with a TV adaptation in mind in that so much would actually be better on screen (the elaborate wedding proposal, the relationship between the parents and Minnie, the frisson between the lead characters). I thought the same about 'Us' by David Nicholls and that was a good TV adaption before christmas.

 

[Dogleggedhat]

I like this genre but really struggled with this book. Didn’t like any of the characters really and as someone else said I couldn’t really picture any of them and what they looked like. The cheesiness was next level and there were just so many unrealistic moments,particularly the bus driver pulling a double shift-come on! That whole part of the book was really cringey.


I also COULDN’T STAND the constant reference to the owls in her stomach. Every time it was mentioned I just cringed.

like others have said it did seem to speed up in the second half but I found myself constantly checking how many pages I had left to read which isn’t a good sign.

 

[The Devils Arse]

Not a fan. Found it cheesy, predictable, fluffy and just a bit meh. Reading by numbers as you knew how it would end.

I normally read crime/policey books so I thought I would try something different- Welp. I need a mutilated body or two, and a hard done by, hard drinking detective.

 

[Oohthedrama]

I will come back for a more in-depth comment but my very quick summary.

it was good enough, not exactly a page turner that will keep you up all night, I’m glad it was the first of our book club books because it was perfect for a January read,
Like the end of the Christmas chocolates that don’t bring much nutritional value but hit the spot

I have to say I found the start hard to get into, I think it was the joking “banter” with the puns, the “oh I’m so unlucky...see”dialogue, it all felt a bit YA.

I really thought “Jesus’s is this overly cheddar script gonna continue”

But it got better!
I’ve read better and I’ve got sure read worse great plot for a book for sure.

It just wasn’t as good as the “trending” hype I’d bought into

it’s a solid 2.8/3

The first part was quite slow, the seeds to various themes planted, with not a great deal happening. And then the other half it completely changed

YES!!!!! it limped and than tried to run

 

[prinnygrace]

Why just pies? Unfair to quiche!

This proper made me chuckle. Absolutely no reason for the pies

 

[Oops...]

I particularly liked the acknowledgements page at the back. It made me like the author. Read that first as usual so got off to good start.

Deffo better as a screenplay rather than a book.
Got irritated that the overheads for the business were nowhere near covered by selling 40 pies a day and so business would predictably fail. In reality it would have failed in the first two months or so. It would never have lasted 3/4 years. The lack of research in ‘running a company knowledge’ lets the book down. This stopped me enjoying the earlier part of the book. The clamping fee and the rent alone would have bankrupted them...even with part-time staff. No bank would have let the fiscal problems continue so long. They would have had to produce accounts to get the help from the charities they were approaching to help bolster them and so it goes on....Might have been a better storyline if Minnie had churned the pies out from her tiny kitchen and delivered them herself...Maybe her altruistic side could then have been developed in a different way.

Quinn would have had his phone fully charged on NYE... There was a weakish cover-up of that afterwards (use of friends phone to ring Tara) but it didn’t sit right.
The pies didn’t work at all for me. Pies in the boardroom in the City? Unlikely...Paying for thousands of them upfront? More unlikely...

Characters didn’t give me any visuals - in other words I didn’t get a clear picture of them in my head whilst I was reading. They were shadowy.
Wasn’t convinced that the reprehensible Connie would have had such a rapid personality change. However, Connie was the strongest character she created and in few words. So full marks there.
I liked the Primrose Hill and Hampstead references - she came into her own here.
Quite liked the thread she creates with NYE. Thought this was novel.

In summary;
I can see the possible richness this has to offer on screen and I like the author. One to watch. She has the ability to draw dark characters quite well.
A light read. A good diversion. I will keep the book on my bookshelf but doubt I will revisit it.

 

[PixelGirl]

I did enjoy the book, a very easy read. All the way through I kept being reminded of films I'd watched in the past so I think it would stand on its feet better as a film rather than a book. I felt as if the author is a big fan of Bridget Jones/Notting Hill/Hampstead/Friends for instance and had once been told the slip of a story which she'd fleshed out into a full book. Someone mentioned how they didn't understand why it was mentioned that Lelia didn't remember the conversation when they were 15 years old about her perfect proposal. I think this was due to the fact that Leila as a character was light and fluffy, and words just brushed off her. However, Minnie took everything that was said to heart and analysed everything (I saw a lot of myself in her which was a bit annoying) so it was likely Minnie would remember that conversation verbatim and Leila would not.

Their business approach annoyed the heck out of me, I couldn't figure out how they were affording rent, overheads, staff, etc on such a small turnover of pies, plus they were selling them to the needy, at what price for goodness sakes? The name of the business! Just kept picturing tooth fillings being removed from pies (I'm an artist, so a weird imagination comes with the territory).
Characters - Connie (reminded me of a friendlier version of my Mum)
Dad - blimey, nice but, why the hell didn't you step up earlier, why wait until it conveniently fit the plot?
Greg - Argh, I was convinced he was going to end up in a relationship with Clive
Leila - Have had friends like Leila in the past, they always seem to do well whatever life throws at them, even when their wedding was flooded out someone (Minnie and Fleur) stepped up and sorted it for her. (God, I sound bitter here! LOL, very Connie!)
Fleur - I loved this character most of all I think, I would cast Lisa Kudrow as her, she fits that Phoebe character.
Bev - felt she was the one everyone kind of felt sad for, her sadness kind of crept out of the book for me, I kept wanting to give her a metaphorical kick up the arse.
Alan - more could have been made of him maybe, there were hints of his past life, but nothing more.
Minnie - Nice but too much like Bridget Jones in my mind. There were so many coincidences in this book, more than seemed normal to be honest. Some of the clothing issues were too like scenes in Bridget Jones.
Quinn, I swung between liking him, feeling sorry for him, wanting to punch him. I could totally see a young Hugh Grant playing that role. It's been done to death already I know, but I feel this storyline has been done to death too.
Tara, a believable character, I could see this being true. Who to play her, Megan Markle maybe, just for fun LOL

I have a feeling that there might be a sequel to this! What would it be called I wonder?

PS, I can't help wondering about the amount of mileage she got out of a simple name, Minnie Cooper, who in their right mind as a parent doesn't consider how a first name might sit with a surname when naming their child? I don't believe it didn't occur to them at all, that was almost more unbelievable than their first business model.

 

[Geranium]

I have to say I didn’t love it. But I am more of a crime/thriller/mystery person. I just felt it was so formulaic. Wacky best friend -tick. Current boyfriend a dick - tick. Heroine running her own business cooking (it’s usually something domestic or arty, I long for a heroine who runs a garage or a construction company or something ) - tick. However I really liked some of the characters and they did develop. It made a change to read something more lighthearted and uplifting than my usual genre, which is the good thing about a book group - it gets you out of a reading rut.

 

[Squiggle]

I went to school with an Emma Dale so it was believable to me.

I met a Kelly Welly once on a school trip. She was showing us round