sooky's review against another edition
3.0
Love comes in many forms, and who says you can’t keep up a relationship that was built on a lie. Well, pretty much everyone with half a brain! An intimate account of an unconventional marriage, Love Will Tear Us Apart has some food for thought for all of us.
This book should be a manual for married people, and all people in fact, who want to have any sort of relationship with another human being, about how not communicating properly ruins everything and our dark secrets will eventually come and bite us in the ass.
Full review on my blog.
This book should be a manual for married people, and all people in fact, who want to have any sort of relationship with another human being, about how not communicating properly ruins everything and our dark secrets will eventually come and bite us in the ass.
Full review on my blog.
zoewright's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
noveldeelights's review against another edition
5.0
4.5* --> 5*
I must say this didn’t turn out the way I expected. I’ve not read any of Holly Seddon’s previous books but I have read reviews about them and so I somehow assumed this would be a psychological thriller. I found myself trying to figure out what the big twist or reveal would be when there wasn’t one. Because this isn’t that kind of novel and if you have read those older books, then I urge you to read this one with an open mind. You won’t be disappointed.
This is a relatively slow novel but it’s wonderfully written and there is a bit of a riddle to solve that intrigued me enough to keep reading. Kate has found a letter hidden away in a book on a shelf which will have an impact on her marriage but who wrote it and what does it say?
The storyline jumps back and forth between the present and the past, taking us on a journey that begins when Kate and Paul meet for the first time as children. They both come from very different backgrounds and Kate’s childhood in particular is quite a sad one, yet they soon become inseparable. With plenty of ups and downs along the way, Kate and Paul always seem to return to one another and it seems rather inevitable that the vow they made to each other to get married if they were still single at the age of thirty, would come to pass. But was it the right decision?
I had a tough time connecting to these characters. I didn’t particularly like any of them and I often found myself slightly angry at the way Paul treated their son, Harry. That said though, I found Holly Seddon did a tremendous job digging into these characters’ complex personalities and I always felt that, although I didn’t necessarily agree with the things they said or did, I could easily see where they were coming from.
Love Will Tear Us Apart is a beautifully written and moving story about friendship and love, trust and honesty. It delves deep into the rather complicated workings of relationships and how well you ever really know someone. Holly Seddon has quite obviously put her heart and soul into this one and I’m not sure I’m doing this novel any justice with my review. It’s a testament to her talent that she is able to switch genres like this and this level of diversity promises nothing but good things from her in the future.
I must say this didn’t turn out the way I expected. I’ve not read any of Holly Seddon’s previous books but I have read reviews about them and so I somehow assumed this would be a psychological thriller. I found myself trying to figure out what the big twist or reveal would be when there wasn’t one. Because this isn’t that kind of novel and if you have read those older books, then I urge you to read this one with an open mind. You won’t be disappointed.
This is a relatively slow novel but it’s wonderfully written and there is a bit of a riddle to solve that intrigued me enough to keep reading. Kate has found a letter hidden away in a book on a shelf which will have an impact on her marriage but who wrote it and what does it say?
The storyline jumps back and forth between the present and the past, taking us on a journey that begins when Kate and Paul meet for the first time as children. They both come from very different backgrounds and Kate’s childhood in particular is quite a sad one, yet they soon become inseparable. With plenty of ups and downs along the way, Kate and Paul always seem to return to one another and it seems rather inevitable that the vow they made to each other to get married if they were still single at the age of thirty, would come to pass. But was it the right decision?
I had a tough time connecting to these characters. I didn’t particularly like any of them and I often found myself slightly angry at the way Paul treated their son, Harry. That said though, I found Holly Seddon did a tremendous job digging into these characters’ complex personalities and I always felt that, although I didn’t necessarily agree with the things they said or did, I could easily see where they were coming from.
Love Will Tear Us Apart is a beautifully written and moving story about friendship and love, trust and honesty. It delves deep into the rather complicated workings of relationships and how well you ever really know someone. Holly Seddon has quite obviously put her heart and soul into this one and I’m not sure I’m doing this novel any justice with my review. It’s a testament to her talent that she is able to switch genres like this and this level of diversity promises nothing but good things from her in the future.
mandylovestoread's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Holly Seddons previous 2 books and could not wait to read this one. I was lucky enough to have the chance thanks to Pigeonhole Books, the publisher and Holly.
This book was very different to the earlier books. This was the story of 2 friends, Kate and Paul. They met when they were 8 and shared everything. At 15 they made a vow to marry each other if they were not already married by their 30th birthdays. Now on their 10th wedding anniversary and 2 kids later, their relationship is struggling. Can best friends really become lovers? Both of them have their secrets and things in their pasts that they are not proud of, it can they be honest with each other and make their family work.
It is an emotional read, sometimes I laughed, sometimes I cried and other times I was angry. But I did really enjoy this book, and would recommend it to people who like a good love story.
This book was very different to the earlier books. This was the story of 2 friends, Kate and Paul. They met when they were 8 and shared everything. At 15 they made a vow to marry each other if they were not already married by their 30th birthdays. Now on their 10th wedding anniversary and 2 kids later, their relationship is struggling. Can best friends really become lovers? Both of them have their secrets and things in their pasts that they are not proud of, it can they be honest with each other and make their family work.
It is an emotional read, sometimes I laughed, sometimes I cried and other times I was angry. But I did really enjoy this book, and would recommend it to people who like a good love story.
melaniesreads's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book about a childhood pact to marry each other if still single at 30. But it’s so much more than that. Set in two time lines and told from Kate’s perspective we see a marriage hitting a 10 year anniversary . Two completely different family backgrounds means neither really knows how a stable family works. I loved the 80’s timeline as I was around the same age and it was filled with nostalgia and current events. The author had really done her research. It’s slow paced but don’t let that put you off as the characters make it worth the read (Viv in particular). I’m really glad Holly changed the ending and it tied everything up nicely. I read via pigeonhole where a stave was released a day and it was a nice way to read it as it left you wanting more.
mrsruthiewebb's review against another edition
5.0
Downloaded on a whim, this was not quite what I expected but I loved it. Really clever storytelling that drew me in. It dropped enough information to keep me interested but not enough to give away the thing we’re waiting to hear until the very, very end. Usually this is frustrating and a big reveal can feel rushed but I had such emotional investment in the characters that I stayed with them and it felt so natural.
Easy read whilst being quite a heart-heavy story.
Easy read whilst being quite a heart-heavy story.
owls_rainbow's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-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
snazzybooks's review against another edition
5.0
Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com
This is the first novel I've read by Holly Seddon, and I think this is why I expected something else when starting this novel - I thought it would be more mystery / pyschological thriller for the sole reason that someone else I know had really recommended Try Not To Breathe, which seems to have more of a suspense/ mystery element to it. However, I found that Love Will tear Us Apart is far more of a character-driven, thoughtful and moving story and I really loved it!
The characters, and the way you follow them from their younger days right through to adulthood, is what makes this novel so absorbing. I loved reading about Paul and Kate, plus their very different but interesting respective families. No character is perfect; they each have their faults but, unlike many novels which feature relationships in them, that doesn't mean that, as the reader, you can instantly tell 'well things won't work out this or that way' because they're not this black-or-white 'good or bad' person. People are, of course, more complex in actualist, and never more so than how they're portrayed here. Kate took a while for me to like her, and same with Paul, but I felt like I truly got to know them as the story spans many years. I sped through this novel and didn't want it to end!
The narrative stretches over many years, and there are seperate timelines that show us Kate's (and Paul's) younger life, their time growing up and starting a career, and adulthood, plus a seperate 'present' storyline that follows them and their family in the present day. We learn all about their lives, both together and apart, and the many different forms that love can come in.
I suppose there is a small element of mystery throughout the book, as we wonder from the beginning what announcement or discussion Kate wants to bring up on her and Paul's 10 year wedding anniversary. I did find myself intrigued to know what this was, and in the first quarter of the book I kind of wanted the story to stay in the present narrative so I could find out what it could be. Soon, though, I was just as invested in the past storylines as the present.
The plot, despite having various happier moments, felt quite sad at times and poignant - I cried a good few times, and I know when that happens that a story has completely sucked me in. I would definitely recommend Love Will Tear Us Apart and will certainly be adding her other novels to my reading list!
Many thanks to Atlantic Books for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
This is the first novel I've read by Holly Seddon, and I think this is why I expected something else when starting this novel - I thought it would be more mystery / pyschological thriller for the sole reason that someone else I know had really recommended Try Not To Breathe, which seems to have more of a suspense/ mystery element to it. However, I found that Love Will tear Us Apart is far more of a character-driven, thoughtful and moving story and I really loved it!
The characters, and the way you follow them from their younger days right through to adulthood, is what makes this novel so absorbing. I loved reading about Paul and Kate, plus their very different but interesting respective families. No character is perfect; they each have their faults but, unlike many novels which feature relationships in them, that doesn't mean that, as the reader, you can instantly tell 'well things won't work out this or that way' because they're not this black-or-white 'good or bad' person. People are, of course, more complex in actualist, and never more so than how they're portrayed here. Kate took a while for me to like her, and same with Paul, but I felt like I truly got to know them as the story spans many years. I sped through this novel and didn't want it to end!
The narrative stretches over many years, and there are seperate timelines that show us Kate's (and Paul's) younger life, their time growing up and starting a career, and adulthood, plus a seperate 'present' storyline that follows them and their family in the present day. We learn all about their lives, both together and apart, and the many different forms that love can come in.
I suppose there is a small element of mystery throughout the book, as we wonder from the beginning what announcement or discussion Kate wants to bring up on her and Paul's 10 year wedding anniversary. I did find myself intrigued to know what this was, and in the first quarter of the book I kind of wanted the story to stay in the present narrative so I could find out what it could be. Soon, though, I was just as invested in the past storylines as the present.
The plot, despite having various happier moments, felt quite sad at times and poignant - I cried a good few times, and I know when that happens that a story has completely sucked me in. I would definitely recommend Love Will Tear Us Apart and will certainly be adding her other novels to my reading list!
Many thanks to Atlantic Books for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
lorrainewardy's review
5.0
This book came from a book club I’m part of, I was really intrigued by the description - however it started on a very rocky start for me. I was really close to giving up with it but something snapped and I was hooked! A very well deserved five stars, absolutely brilliant read!