I bought the paperback yesterday 🫣 another reason to hate Bezos lol
Books #44
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Agreed, they really did a great job
I love the bird chat in the countryside, with his line drawing of the bird
I have just finished People in Love 2/5.
It started off relatively promising, but by the end I didn’t just hate it, I felt like actually asking Daverley for an explanation and apology!
I need to rant and rave. Enormous spoilers ahead because I’ll have wiped this from my brain within 24hrs.
It started off relatively promising, but by the end I didn’t just hate it, I felt like actually asking Daverley for an explanation and apology!
I need to rant and rave. Enormous spoilers ahead because I’ll have wiped this from my brain within 24hrs.
Bren did NOT leave his mum alone because, deep down, he knew she’d be okay. He left because he couldn’t cope with her madness and his own grief at the same time. Turning that into some Nobel or profound act of faith in her ability to cope alone was infuriating. And the woman was very clearly only just about surviving.
The open marriage plot was bizarre, her ending up with Robyn felt completely wrong to me (had the man no pride) and the wedding dress sounded hideous. I’ve just realised I can’t remember her name.
Then we got the utterly random brain bleed, followed by the Bobby Ewing in Dallas callback of “he dies… … actually he lives”. Just whhhhhhhhhy.
As for the hospital blessing, and Bren suddenly being lovingly incorporated into their relationship?
just a contrived, manufactured, and desperate attempt to manufacture a tidy emotional resolution
Daverley could have written something engaging about grief, mental illness, family, first love, etc, but every time it got even close to something messy and interesting, it Rocketed into convenient sentimentality instead. Soap opera-like, melodramatic mess.
The open marriage plot was bizarre, her ending up with Robyn felt completely wrong to me (had the man no pride) and the wedding dress sounded hideous. I’ve just realised I can’t remember her name.
Then we got the utterly random brain bleed, followed by the Bobby Ewing in Dallas callback of “he dies… … actually he lives”. Just whhhhhhhhhy.
As for the hospital blessing, and Bren suddenly being lovingly incorporated into their relationship?
just a contrived, manufactured, and desperate attempt to manufacture a tidy emotional resolution Daverley could have written something engaging about grief, mental illness, family, first love, etc, but every time it got even close to something messy and interesting, it Rocketed into convenient sentimentality instead. Soap opera-like, melodramatic mess.
WHAT A REVIEW MS POP!!I have just finished People in Love 2/5.
It started off relatively promising, but by the end I didn’t just hate it, I felt like actually asking Daverley for an explanation and apology!
I need to rant and rave. Enormous spoilers ahead because I’ll have wiped this from my brain within 24hrs.
Bren did NOT leave his mum alone because, deep down, he knew she’d be okay. He left because he couldn’t cope with her madness and his own grief at the same time. Turning that into some Nobel or profound act of faith in her ability to cope alone was infuriating. And the woman was very clearly only just about surviving.
The open marriage plot was bizarre, her ending up with Robyn felt completely wrong to me (had the man no pride) and the wedding dress sounded hideous. I’ve just realised I can’t remember her name.
Then we got the utterly random brain bleed, followed by the Bobby Ewing in Dallas callback of “he dies… … actually he lives”. Just whhhhhhhhhy.
As for the hospital blessing, and Bren suddenly being lovingly incorporated into their relationship?
Daverley could have written something engaging about grief, mental illness, family, first love, etc, but every time it got even close to something messy and interesting, it Rocketed into convenient sentimentality instead. Soap opera-like, melodramatic mess.
even more glad i didn’t get it in the kindle deals now, though i really disliked talking at night and this sounds somehow more insufferable!!
I actually only gave talking at night three stars I’ve just realised. I thought I’d liked it more. Why was I so excited to read this load of nonsense.
I will say, my utter distaste for it and my plan to share a detailed review here, did at least motivate me to take some notes along the way of each incident that inspired ire. It’ll probably be the one book I actually remember this year 
AN HONOUR IT DOES NOT DESERVEIt’ll probably be the one book I actually remember this year
Oh no I did buy People in Love in the Kindle deals today… I have bought into the hype. I also bought The Shampoo Effect. I’m also considering getting one of the 99p deals that would help me get the Literally Summer bookmark off GR. I only have 5 bookmarks atm! Think I’ll be pushing to get the other 6 before September. But I have worked out that reading Whistler by Ann Patchett will get me 2..
Reading Strangers ticked off 3/4 bookmarks for me!
YES!I have just finished People in Love 2/5.
It started off relatively promising, but by the end I didn’t just hate it, I felt like actually asking Daverley for an explanation and apology!
I need to rant and rave. Enormous spoilers ahead because I’ll have wiped this from my brain within 24hrs.
Bren did NOT leave his mum alone because, deep down, he knew she’d be okay. He left because he couldn’t cope with her madness and his own grief at the same time. Turning that into some Nobel or profound act of faith in her ability to cope alone was infuriating. And the woman was very clearly only just about surviving.
The open marriage plot was bizarre, her ending up with Robyn felt completely wrong to me (had the man no pride) and the wedding dress sounded hideous. I’ve just realised I can’t remember her name.
Then we got the utterly random brain bleed, followed by the Bobby Ewing in Dallas callback of “he dies… … actually he lives”. Just whhhhhhhhhy.
As for the hospital blessing, and Bren suddenly being lovingly incorporated into their relationship?
Daverley could have written something engaging about grief, mental illness, family, first love, etc, but every time it got even close to something messy and interesting, it Rocketed into convenient sentimentality instead. Soap opera-like, melodramatic mess.
Bren’s mum - yes! He was old enough to comprehend she’s not choosing her behaviour and is definitely NOT OK.
Miscommunication - I just don’t believe Bren wouldn’t have sent an email to ask when she was joining him on the trip or whatever the issue/messages that wasn’t passed on was.
The death fake out!!! Lazy and cheap. The hospital blessing was ridiculous mostly because he got out of bed and walked to the chapel?! I clearly haven’t watched enough Grey’s Anatomy because didn’t he have emergency brain surgery hours beforehand?!
I don’t think I ever saw there being any potential for Bren and Nora from the start, we never spent any time/enough time with them in a romantic sense. Also.. think it went to heavy on Robin being a ‘good guy’, yeah we get it,
Off to adjust my rating down.
Miscommunication - I just don’t believe Bren wouldn’t have sent an email to ask when she was joining him on the trip or whatever the issue/messages that wasn’t passed on was.
The death fake out!!! Lazy and cheap. The hospital blessing was ridiculous mostly because he got out of bed and walked to the chapel?! I clearly haven’t watched enough Grey’s Anatomy because didn’t he have emergency brain surgery hours beforehand?!
I don’t think I ever saw there being any potential for Bren and Nora from the start, we never spent any time/enough time with them in a romantic sense. Also.. think it went to heavy on Robin being a ‘good guy’, yeah we get it,
Off to adjust my rating down.
I was enjoying it up until the point when she's like nah, dawg, don't care if me giving up means my country is left to my shifty uncle. My boyyfrieeeend is most important.
Has anyone read Main Characters by Bobby Palmer? I thought the premise - a love story told from the POV of everyone but the two peoole - could be fun, or could be gimmicky and am giving it a try but sadly it IS falling towards gimmicky and impersonal. Like it's hard to be invested in the love story of two characters you only get to know in hearsay almost.
Ooooooh I got an ARC of it but have yet to start. I’ll let you be my Guinea pig please and thank you
Also, as I’ve been pondering it this evening,
why was she actually with Robyn, like what attracted her to him? There didn’t seem to be an ounce of chemistry whereas she was fantasising about Bren, and she just kept saying what a solid reliable comfortable choice Robin was. Talk about just settling for what’s familiar.
I know!!! I wasn’t routing for either of them, when Robin was ‘dead’ I barely cared and assumed the ending was going to be more along the lines of neither of them were the right person, Bren supports her as a friend etc.
The more I think about it the less I like any of the characters.. apart from the art cafe friend.
Plus I feel cheated that the premise is so similar to her debut but with less plot or character development.
Not sure if I complained about this already but just incase.. lack of speech marks was hard work sometimes / meant I had to go back a few lines to remind myself or figure out who was saying what.
The more I think about it the less I like any of the characters.. apart from the art cafe friend.
Plus I feel cheated that the premise is so similar to her debut but with less plot or character development.
Not sure if I complained about this already but just incase.. lack of speech marks was hard work sometimes / meant I had to go back a few lines to remind myself or figure out who was saying what.
Funnily enough I never notice lack of speech marks. Since my review, I’ve been reading all the 1 and 2* reviews on Goodreads and so many people found it basically unreadable purely cos of the lack of speech marks. And yes every single character was essentially insufferable.
Though I’d like to have known more about Josie. Bren was so discompassionate and unforgiving of her. I would understand being angry as a kid or teen growing up in a difficult atmosphere. But as an adult he should have a greater appreciation of her situation. It’s like he blamed her for her being sick. The woman wasn’t choosing it. He was so immature. They didn’t develop Freya’s character at all apart from rather stereotypically eccentric and unconventional. And I have no idea why these men were in love with our protagonist. Pain in the a she was. Did we know what happened to her father?
Im in the position of a book I thought was ok - 3.75 stars, is one i now want to give 1 or 2 stars. It was my highest rated book of July. I misunderstood something in the description of a character and what is actually being said doesn't sit well with me. I didn't pick up on this until I read some reviews. I always do this. Ignore anything that could spoil a book before or during reading, but seek out all the reviews once I've finished it.
Ooooooh can you share more details I’m intrigued! And I feel ya, reviews can be dangerously influential
IIt's the book What You Are Looking For Is In The Library. I thought it was ok initially. Each character talks of their shock at how big the librarian is. And there's a whole paragraph each time on it. I presumed they meant really tall and broad like a strong Amazonian type compared to generally shorter Asian women. They actually mean large. And it doesn't sit right with how it changes their attitude towards her.
Omg yes! I know exactly what you’re talking about and I’m so glad you say it. I almost applied for an ARC for it as I liked the concept but then read the reviews about how fatphobic it was and it instantly dissuaded me. I do think some cultures can be particularly brutal in that regard. Japan makes a lot of very spoofy unkind weight related content.
Yeah I know Japan and South Korea are both similar like that. Ive been watching some toutube documentaries about south east Asian attitudes to body image. I get the cultures are fatphobic in very much a state and society approved way, so I should have been aware but it just made me feel uneasy.