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kelly_e's review
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Title: The Messy Lives of Book People
Author: Phaedra Patrick
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: May 31, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Dull • Far-fetched • Bookish
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Mother of two Liv Green barely scrapes by as a maid to make ends meet, often finding escape in a good book while daydreaming of becoming a writer herself. So she can't believe her luck when she lands a job housekeeping for her personal hero, megabestselling author Essie Starling, a mysterious and intimidating recluse. The last thing Liv expected was to be the only person Essie talks to, which leads to a tenuous friendship.
When Essie passes away suddenly, Liv is astonished to learn that her dying wish was for Liv to complete her final novel. But to do so Liv will have to step into Essie’s shoes. As Liv begins to write, she uncovers secrets from the past that reveal a surprising connection between the two women—one that will change Liv’s own story forever…
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was originally drawn to The Messy Lives of Book People because of the absolutely stunning cover. After reading the synopsis, the idea sounded promising, so I was grateful when a friend sent me her copy.
I will start out by saying that I adored the idea behind this book, however, the execution just wasn't there for me. I was never particularly drawn into the lives of the characters, nor did I ever feel the connection I so desperately wanted to feel. The pacing is very slow and as the plot was revealed it became harder and harder to believe. The writing also felt over indulgent at times, which I suppose is to be expected in a novel about books.
Despite being able to see the 'twist' coming a mile away, I still enjoyed how the book concluded. I thought this part of the book came together nicely and offered a satisfying ending to what was a rather slow developing plot.
Unfortunately, The Messy Lives of Book People felt like one that has been done a million times before. It constantly felt like the author was borrowing too many elements from other books and packing them all into this one book. Given this was my first time reading Phaedra Patrick, I will give her another chance, but I will likely do a little research before deciding on where to go next.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• self-discovery
• happy endings
⚠️ CW: alcohol, alcoholism, mental illness, terminal illness, death, death of parent, grief, classism, infidelity, infertility, pregnancy
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"If you meet something insurmountable, don't try and fight it. It will only leave you with bruises. The trick is to outsmart it and do something it wouldn't expect."
Author: Phaedra Patrick
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: May 31, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Dull • Far-fetched • Bookish
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Mother of two Liv Green barely scrapes by as a maid to make ends meet, often finding escape in a good book while daydreaming of becoming a writer herself. So she can't believe her luck when she lands a job housekeeping for her personal hero, megabestselling author Essie Starling, a mysterious and intimidating recluse. The last thing Liv expected was to be the only person Essie talks to, which leads to a tenuous friendship.
When Essie passes away suddenly, Liv is astonished to learn that her dying wish was for Liv to complete her final novel. But to do so Liv will have to step into Essie’s shoes. As Liv begins to write, she uncovers secrets from the past that reveal a surprising connection between the two women—one that will change Liv’s own story forever…
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was originally drawn to The Messy Lives of Book People because of the absolutely stunning cover. After reading the synopsis, the idea sounded promising, so I was grateful when a friend sent me her copy.
I will start out by saying that I adored the idea behind this book, however, the execution just wasn't there for me. I was never particularly drawn into the lives of the characters, nor did I ever feel the connection I so desperately wanted to feel. The pacing is very slow and as the plot was revealed it became harder and harder to believe. The writing also felt over indulgent at times, which I suppose is to be expected in a novel about books.
Despite being able to see the 'twist' coming a mile away, I still enjoyed how the book concluded. I thought this part of the book came together nicely and offered a satisfying ending to what was a rather slow developing plot.
Unfortunately, The Messy Lives of Book People felt like one that has been done a million times before. It constantly felt like the author was borrowing too many elements from other books and packing them all into this one book. Given this was my first time reading Phaedra Patrick, I will give her another chance, but I will likely do a little research before deciding on where to go next.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• self-discovery
• happy endings
⚠️ CW: alcohol, alcoholism, mental illness, terminal illness, death, death of parent, grief, classism, infidelity, infertility, pregnancy
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"If you meet something insurmountable, don't try and fight it. It will only leave you with bruises. The trick is to outsmart it and do something it wouldn't expect."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism
jessicalarson125's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Chronic illness
missrosymaplemoth's review
3.75
An intriguing mystery that unfolds at a good, steady pace. It wasn’t traditionally predictable for me and I enjoyed being made to keep guessing. I did think there were a lot of cheesy, uncharacteristic monologues. The main character is constantly the victim of other people’s rude actions and poor choices, and at times it felt like an endless barrage. Very meta, a book about an author who writes books about an author- depending on the reader, this could be a pro or a con. Overall just “meh,” no strong feelings either way but I would recommend it to women in the main character’s age range (late thirties-mid forties).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I loved the synopsis for this one but was quite hesitant to start it incase I didn’t end up enjoying it.
However I shouldn’t have doubted myself. I really enjoyed this book!
I loved the journey that Liv went on and how much she had developed her confidence by the end of the book. It was really nice to read!
I didn’t expect the twist towards the end and I actually enjoyed how that was fed into the storyline.
The one thing that did bug me was that at the beginning I feel like the author got mixed up when referring to Johnny or Jake - I think their names may have been mixed up a couple of times which is an easy mistake to make since both their names start with J!
Other than that, I thought this was a solid book and easy to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, and Death of parent
tctimlin's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I totally enjoyed this story of middle-aged, middle-class Liv, mother of two, financially strapped, cleaning houses while escaping through contemporary chick lit (she mentions lots of popular authors/books). Her favorite job is cleaning for her favorite author, the recluse Essie Starling, who is always kind to Liv even though she is difficult with everyone else. When the author dies, Liv is tasked with finishing her unfinished novel, and as she attempts to figure out who Essie would have cast as her “hero” she ends up exploring Essie’s mysterious past, and learning a great deal about herself along the way. Sometimes you have to learn to be the hero in your own life.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
sleeson's review against another edition
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
A lighthearted gentle audiobook. It felt a little longer than necessary. I wasn’t too impressed with the ending, however, I am still glad I got to listen to the audiobook. The characters weren’t lovable but some were relatable. No sexual content.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
gcreed13's review
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent
what_heather_loves's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
"As she was discovering more about Essie, Liv was finding things out about herself too...She felt like a very different person to the one who sat timedly with Essie nibbling tiny cakes in the kitchen."
Present day London and 42 year old mother of two, Olivia (Liv) Green works as a cleaner. Thanks to her late father, a university writing professor and to the Georgia Rory series of books, she dreams of being a writer. Fortunate to find herself cleaning for the author of the Georgia Rory books, reclusive and spiky Essie Starling, nervous Liv is given a dilemma when Essie dies unexpectedly and wants her to finish her last novel. Will Liv take a risk and why does Essie need her help?
Told from protagonist Liv's perspective, the reader learns about her life with preoccupied childhood sweetheart Jake, and their teenage sons, bound for university. Close to her mum, they both miss her late father, who inspires Liv to write. As she decides to find out more about Essie's life, whilst keeping her death a secret until publication date, Liv also finds out more about herself. Initially naive and perhaps too sweet, Liv (who also makes her own cleaning solutions), becomes braver, whisky staying true to herself and to Essie's wishes. Charming and full of hope, I will definitely search out the author's other books. Perfect for fans of Hazel Prior and Beth Morrey, this is wonderful uplit.
"If you meet something insurmountable, don't try ans fight it. It will only leave you withe bruises. The trick is to outsmart it and do something it wouldn't expect."
Present day London and 42 year old mother of two, Olivia (Liv) Green works as a cleaner. Thanks to her late father, a university writing professor and to the Georgia Rory series of books, she dreams of being a writer. Fortunate to find herself cleaning for the author of the Georgia Rory books, reclusive and spiky Essie Starling, nervous Liv is given a dilemma when Essie dies unexpectedly and wants her to finish her last novel. Will Liv take a risk and why does Essie need her help?
Told from protagonist Liv's perspective, the reader learns about her life with preoccupied childhood sweetheart Jake, and their teenage sons, bound for university. Close to her mum, they both miss her late father, who inspires Liv to write. As she decides to find out more about Essie's life, whilst keeping her death a secret until publication date, Liv also finds out more about herself. Initially naive and perhaps too sweet, Liv (who also makes her own cleaning solutions), becomes braver, whisky staying true to herself and to Essie's wishes. Charming and full of hope, I will definitely search out the author's other books. Perfect for fans of Hazel Prior and Beth Morrey, this is wonderful uplit.
"If you meet something insurmountable, don't try ans fight it. It will only leave you withe bruises. The trick is to outsmart it and do something it wouldn't expect."
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism and Grief
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