Reviews

Olive by Emma Gannon

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zeemonodee's review against another edition

4.0

Enjoyed this one - wanted to stay glued to it, to be honest. Olive's take on children was one I haven't come across a lot in fiction, and I wanted to see how that played out, how she was going to come out of it all as authentically herself. I'll admit I did get exasperated with Olive many times during the read, but here's the thing - she's authentic. Olive makes no excuses for being who she is, and that was refreshing. Borderline unlikeable at times, but the author (imo) didn't feel the need to make her totally unlikeable and then add some moments when she seems human (I see soooo many characters written that way!) There was a level of 'real' in this one, and that proved refreshing. It was very chick-lit of the earlier decades, but tackling a novel and even difficult theme, that of being childless by choice, which is still frowned upon in today's world.
I still would've loved more about her personal life in the second half of the book (not going to spoil, but those who've read will know what I mean, because her personal life gets a noticeable change in its chugging along), and the timing of the book was also very fluid and overly so at times - I had no idea what season it was, how much time had passed between instances, that sort of thing
Still, it was a storyline and persona that resonated with me, and I wanted to know what would happen to Olive and how it would all end - gotta say I wasn't disappointed!

pennyfictions's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.0

vvmarquez's review against another edition

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5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, there’s something quite special to read (or listen, in my case) to so many of the thoughts and feelings I have had on the subject articulated by someone else.

lucyvf's review against another edition

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2.0

A book about a woman coming to terms with the fact that she doesn't want kids. I found most of the characters annoying and didn't really believe a lot of the story lines. Tied up far too neatly at the end. Easy read, but not for me.

eanseeuw's review against another edition

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hopeful fast-paced

4.25

almondrocher's review against another edition

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2.0

As someone trying to make the daunting decision of whether or not to have kids, I thought this book would provide perspective. I couldn’t really relate though. Olive has a great job (but doesn’t seem to do much or care about it), doesn’t want children (for no articulate reasons), drinks way too much and feels lost in life and then in the end finds meaning and purpose in… being a stepmother. Seems to me like Olive wanted the reward of having kids without having to put in the hard work and effort of early years.