trisshy59's review against another edition
3.0
A very different approach to a novel
I enjoyed this book once I got used to the approach. I both loved and hated the main character but in the end began to understand her.
I enjoyed this book once I got used to the approach. I both loved and hated the main character but in the end began to understand her.
crystal7's review against another edition
5.0
I simply devoured this book, I loved Fawn and her quirky ways and the characters she meets. The writing style was so much fun ~ it’s made up of diary entries, emails, texts, online reviews ~ it really allowed me to get lost in the story and go on Fawn’s journey with her.
Fawn felt like a long lost relative by the end!
Thank you to Netgallery for allowing me to read this amazing book!
Fawn felt like a long lost relative by the end!
Thank you to Netgallery for allowing me to read this amazing book!
plants_pages_poultry's review against another edition
2.0
Y’all this was not good. I wanted to love it because it’s about a bookshop but the MC had zero endearing qualities. Zero. And the “redemption” came in the last 10 or so pages of an entirely too long epistolary novel.
annamontana's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I think the author wanted this to be the type of book that has a quirky main character that you like and want good things to happen to. Unfortunately, the main character comes across as bitter, drunk, mean, self-absorbed, and so on. She treats her employees terribly. She blames everything on everyone else, her father, the employees, the owner of the bookstore down the street. She is a liar. I am pretty sure that selling her tenants things is not only illegal, but also elder abuse, in this case.
If she had any self awareness and progressed through the novel I might have liked her but the change comes at over 90% of the book, in a revelation, that would have most likely taken years of therapy to realize. The only reason this is getting 2 stars instead of 1 is that I did find it easy to read.
If she had any self awareness and progressed through the novel I might have liked her but the change comes at over 90% of the book, in a revelation, that would have most likely taken years of therapy to realize. The only reason this is getting 2 stars instead of 1 is that I did find it easy to read.
acrosstheskyinstars's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This book has so many problems, and so few things it did right. First off, I did not like this book. It reminded me way too much of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine which I also did not like. Check out my review of that to see the issues I pointed out there. The main character Fawn is similar to Eleanor in every bad way possible. As I pointed out in my other review, the character of Fawn is seemingly written to either be autistic or mentally ill, but at the same time this is never acknowledged. Her behavior is rude, out of line, dangerous, neglectful, and often unhinged. And yet this never comes up! Fawn mistreats others constantly, and yet she never faces any consequences for her rude behavior. Even her lack of relationships with others comes across as being more that she doesn’t value the potential for these relationships, rather than that others are punishing her for her poor behavior. In the beginning of the novel, she berates a poor man that she went on a date with because he spilled soup on himself. Meanwhile, she lives in a building that is literally rotting around her, which she doesn’t (or can’t?) do anything about.
Next up, let’s tackle my issues with the lesson the reader takes away from this book. In the last 5% of the book or so, Fawn has a revelation that suddenly her abusive childhood wasn’t that bad. She should really just forgive her neglectful and cruel father actually because he really wanted the best for her and just move on with her life. This is such a toxic, horrible mindset for anyone to keep perpetuating. Additionally, it’s boring. This is no revelation. Everyone who acknowledges their abusive childhood (as Fawn does) has been told a million times that they should move past it, it wasn’t that bad, your parents were really doing it because they love you, etc. At best, this message is boring, at worst it is directly harmful to those who have experienced abuse (particularly at the hands of their parents).
Now let’s talk about the fact that death seems to be used in lieu of plot. First poor Butterscotch the cat dies. Then Fawn’s father dies. Lastly, Fawn’s elderly tenant Jane dies. This was a lot of death in a book where none of these deaths were really central themes. Also, we’ve already established that the lesson we learn from the book is toxic, so the deaths don’t even work in the book to further a point really. Next, lets talk about these relationships, because Fawn is bad in all of them.
Fawn is responsible for the death of Butterscotch the cat. She doesn’t really seem to blame herself much, even though he dies because she let him get into Jane’s apartment where he ate rat poison. If this were portrayed any other way, I would not blame her. But Fawn actively brings him into Jane’s apartment and encourages his visits. She sees and comments on the open rat poison, so it’s not as if she wasn’t aware. And she knows that Jane is suffering from some sort of dementia due to her old age and therefore can’t really be held responsible for watching her cat or maintain a safe environment. I find it hard to believe that someone who purports to love cats as much as this would be so irresponsible.
I can’t really blame Fawn for the poor relationship with her father, as the book portrays him as abusive.Though the author doesn’t state this, it is clear that he is neglectful and harmful to Fawn and her family. He is controlling, bad with money, stubborn, and negligent. However, I do blame Fawn for letting this negatively impact her relationships with other people. Her past abuse does not give her the right to harm others in the present day. It is her responsibility to fix herself and grow as a person. It’s not on others to have to tolerate her maltreatment of them. While I don’t know if Fawn’s situation makes therapy untenable, she doesn’t even try to become a better person and rise above her abuse.
Finally, Fawn abuses Jane. Jane is elderly and confuses Fawn for her daughter who lives far away. Fawn uses this to manipulate Jane. It is revealed at the end of the book that Fawn was actually stealing Jane’s possessions to sell for petty cash because her personal finances are allegedly that bad. This is elder abuse and is criminal. Fawn’s relationship with Jane is one of the few she maintains, and thinks it’s appropriate to steal from, lie to, and abuse an elderly woman who is clearly disabled.
The last thing I’d like to point out in this review is the structure of the book. This is an experimental epistolary novel. It’s told through written works online. This includes: email correspondence, store reviews, social media posts, etc. There are no chapters or section breaks in this book, which is an odd choice to me. I read it on my kindle, so at least seeing the progress there helped me. I disliked how much the book jumped from one format to the next. I also found it difficult to keep up with which character was writing these entries and which character was receiving them at times.
Ultimately, I’m not sure who the audience for this book is. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I’d assume most of the people into humble, quirky bookstore owner tropes would be into romance novels. This was most definitely not a romance novel. Someone who places emphasis on relationships between characters will be disappointed because Fawn is wholly unlikable and ruins all of her relationships. Someone interested in the main character’s personal development will be disappointed because that doesn’t come until the last 5% of the book, feels very rushed, and is very unsatisfying. I really wanted to like this book, but I just felt that it fell very flat.
Check out my blog: www.acrosstheskyinstars818513457.word...
This book was provided to me as an advanced reading copy by the publisher.
Next up, let’s tackle my issues with the lesson the reader takes away from this book. In the last 5% of the book or so, Fawn has a revelation that suddenly her abusive childhood wasn’t that bad. She should really just forgive her neglectful and cruel father actually because he really wanted the best for her and just move on with her life. This is such a toxic, horrible mindset for anyone to keep perpetuating. Additionally, it’s boring. This is no revelation. Everyone who acknowledges their abusive childhood (as Fawn does) has been told a million times that they should move past it, it wasn’t that bad, your parents were really doing it because they love you, etc. At best, this message is boring, at worst it is directly harmful to those who have experienced abuse (particularly at the hands of their parents).
Now let’s talk about the fact that death seems to be used in lieu of plot. First poor Butterscotch the cat dies. Then Fawn’s father dies. Lastly, Fawn’s elderly tenant Jane dies. This was a lot of death in a book where none of these deaths were really central themes. Also, we’ve already established that the lesson we learn from the book is toxic, so the deaths don’t even work in the book to further a point really. Next, lets talk about these relationships, because Fawn is bad in all of them.
Fawn is responsible for the death of Butterscotch the cat. She doesn’t really seem to blame herself much, even though he dies because she let him get into Jane’s apartment where he ate rat poison. If this were portrayed any other way, I would not blame her. But Fawn actively brings him into Jane’s apartment and encourages his visits. She sees and comments on the open rat poison, so it’s not as if she wasn’t aware. And she knows that Jane is suffering from some sort of dementia due to her old age and therefore can’t really be held responsible for watching her cat or maintain a safe environment. I find it hard to believe that someone who purports to love cats as much as this would be so irresponsible.
I can’t really blame Fawn for the poor relationship with her father, as the book portrays him as abusive.Though the author doesn’t state this, it is clear that he is neglectful and harmful to Fawn and her family. He is controlling, bad with money, stubborn, and negligent. However, I do blame Fawn for letting this negatively impact her relationships with other people. Her past abuse does not give her the right to harm others in the present day. It is her responsibility to fix herself and grow as a person. It’s not on others to have to tolerate her maltreatment of them. While I don’t know if Fawn’s situation makes therapy untenable, she doesn’t even try to become a better person and rise above her abuse.
Finally, Fawn abuses Jane. Jane is elderly and confuses Fawn for her daughter who lives far away. Fawn uses this to manipulate Jane. It is revealed at the end of the book that Fawn was actually stealing Jane’s possessions to sell for petty cash because her personal finances are allegedly that bad. This is elder abuse and is criminal. Fawn’s relationship with Jane is one of the few she maintains, and thinks it’s appropriate to steal from, lie to, and abuse an elderly woman who is clearly disabled.
The last thing I’d like to point out in this review is the structure of the book. This is an experimental epistolary novel. It’s told through written works online. This includes: email correspondence, store reviews, social media posts, etc. There are no chapters or section breaks in this book, which is an odd choice to me. I read it on my kindle, so at least seeing the progress there helped me. I disliked how much the book jumped from one format to the next. I also found it difficult to keep up with which character was writing these entries and which character was receiving them at times.
Ultimately, I’m not sure who the audience for this book is. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I’d assume most of the people into humble, quirky bookstore owner tropes would be into romance novels. This was most definitely not a romance novel. Someone who places emphasis on relationships between characters will be disappointed because Fawn is wholly unlikable and ruins all of her relationships. Someone interested in the main character’s personal development will be disappointed because that doesn’t come until the last 5% of the book, feels very rushed, and is very unsatisfying. I really wanted to like this book, but I just felt that it fell very flat.
Check out my blog: www.acrosstheskyinstars818513457.word...
This book was provided to me as an advanced reading copy by the publisher.
phil_brown's review against another edition
1.0
poor format
this entire book is a collection of snippets of emails and website review back and forth about the store. each one is only a page. very loosely speaking there is some kind of story to be eaked out, but it is akin to trying to figure out a person by reading their twitter feed. very unsatisfying. i’d like to read an actual book, not “excerpts from @catbookstorelady #midlifecrisis”
this entire book is a collection of snippets of emails and website review back and forth about the store. each one is only a page. very loosely speaking there is some kind of story to be eaked out, but it is akin to trying to figure out a person by reading their twitter feed. very unsatisfying. i’d like to read an actual book, not “excerpts from @catbookstorelady #midlifecrisis”
suzannalundale's review against another edition
2.0
DNF
I love epistolary novels, and was intrigued by the idea of the 21st century epistolary work, including tweets and texts, along with letters, emails, blog posts, and diary entries. That it should all revolve around books sweetened the pot. I don't mind really that the protagonist is a horrid, petty woman, because hate-reading can be very satisfying, and I wanted to see how she would develop.
Unfortunately, I got about 2/3 through the book, and she really didn't develop. She just pulled out one groaner after another, and at this point, I no longer feel at all invested in the story. It seems to me that if she is to finish the book as she started it, the narrative should be shorter. If there is to be some significant development of her character, it should start to show earlier. The end result for me was that it really just overstayed its welcome. I enjoyed groaning and disliking her for a while, and then it just got boring. (And also, the whole Mark Twain estate signing scheme was over the top - she's unpleasant, not idiotic.)
I wanted to love this book. I did not.
I love epistolary novels, and was intrigued by the idea of the 21st century epistolary work, including tweets and texts, along with letters, emails, blog posts, and diary entries. That it should all revolve around books sweetened the pot. I don't mind really that the protagonist is a horrid, petty woman, because hate-reading can be very satisfying, and I wanted to see how she would develop.
Unfortunately, I got about 2/3 through the book, and she really didn't develop. She just pulled out one groaner after another, and at this point, I no longer feel at all invested in the story. It seems to me that if she is to finish the book as she started it, the narrative should be shorter. If there is to be some significant development of her character, it should start to show earlier. The end result for me was that it really just overstayed its welcome. I enjoyed groaning and disliking her for a while, and then it just got boring. (And also, the whole Mark Twain estate signing scheme was over the top - she's unpleasant, not idiotic.)
I wanted to love this book. I did not.
jillrock96's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0