Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting

Cute but too long winded. This was great as an audiobook, the narrator did an excellent job with all the characters. I typically love books with the "a bunch of strangers realize they have more in common than meets the eye" plot line, but I found the writing here a bit heavy handed. I missed the nuance of the characters getting into each others stories and felt like the author sped through the first half, then dragged the rest of the book out unnecessarily.

Spoiler

Some might enjoy a good HEA, but I found that this lacked conflict and consequences. There were no moments where I felt anxious for any of the characters or their outcomes.

Overall, this was a solid feel good book but was too slow paced.

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ekclar's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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ofpagesandparagraphs's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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theunfinishedbookshelf's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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jiggs_482's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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miss_stephenson's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was such a light hearted and fast paced read. I was in between some heavy books and was looking for something quick and fun. This book definitely delivered! Normally, references to modern life in books make me cringe but they’re blended in neatly. Would recommend for anyone looking for a bit of escapism, especially if you’ve lost faith in the kindness of strangers (but not in a Streetcar Named Desire way, in the best way).

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burnt_milk's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I bought this book in Heathrow coming home, and after floundering about on public transport it seemed very apt to pick this up. Mostly I quite enjoyed it! Some writing I didn't love, as well as needless body shaming but it's very palatable, optimistic, and predictable, in a nice way. You have to go in with a suspension of disbelief about how entrenched in each other lives these people get, in the end it's a little silly but very sweet. Pooley obviously believes that literally everyone you see has a rich inner life and sees the beauty in the mundane. and I LOVE books written in multiple point of views. I liked that Iona was kind of a mess !! I would love to have a cup of train tea with her.

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