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aileron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Classism
Minor: Racism, Medical content, and Colonisation
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The humor in this book is incredibly dry and clever, sneaks up on you. Story and dialogue is simple but full of intellect. Characters feel evasive but real, monotonous day-to-day life of twentysomethings who hate harping on their privilege but definitely take advantage of it. Dolan’s wit is sharp and relentless at times, which works well for the temperament of our main character, Ava. Her not-boyfriend Julian is very noncommittal and quite dull, actually, but his and Ava’s routine of being somewhere between roommates and FWB is interesting although played out. Thus, it is with the turn of the arrival of Edith into Ava’s life that shoots the plot into more compelling territory, though not altogether interesting, even with the announcement of love between them. In any case, the writing is great and very introspective. Many comparisons can be drawn to Sally Rooney, beyond them both being Irish authors of the same age. This one was quite similar to the plot of “Conversations With Friends”, but less engaging, and I do find that Rooney’s writing carries more weight to it.
Dolan’s take on the daily rituals of an Irish millennial living abroad is very functional and slice of life. I didn’t really care for any of the characters, which is not always great when a story is character-driven. In the end, I found myself skimming through paragraphs. I wished for more plot. But that is another pointed joke of Dolan’s—a book called “Exciting Times” with very little excitement.
There were many quotes I liked, especially this one:
“We were the sum of the routines we’d built around each other.”
Graphic: Cursing and Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
jrow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism
themeanfrench's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Infidelity and Colonisation
Moderate: Abortion
ramreadsagain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I enjoyed the writing style itself, as well as Ava as a deeply-flawed, largely unlikeable narrator. But that just wasn't enough to make me care at all about what happens. Overall this lacks substance and achieves nothing.
Also, another reviewer pointed out that there is no reason for this book to take place in Hong Kong and I agree.
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Colonisation
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual content
Minor: Medical content
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
i want to talk about the ending. at first i was disappointed, asking myself how the author could think that's a good place to stop. but i read it back and there's more to it:
Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Colonisation
noveltay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Infidelity
antoniav's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Infidelity and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Homophobia and Rape
Minor: Racism and Sexism
skudiklier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"The best wedges of words were the ones my eight-year-olds wrote: I like her face. With her I am happy. I wished I’d never learned more advanced grammar and could only make sentences like that. It would give me an excuse to say them aloud."
Anyway. This book didn't really go anywhere and I'm not sure the characters are very good in any real way, but I enjoyed the narration for sure. It's interesting and I'd recommend it to some people, but not everyone.
Graphic: Biphobia, Cursing, and Infidelity
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation
Minor: Racism
coreysbooks's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
⭐️⭐️/5 for me
Main character doesn’t get a lot of character development, a love triangle between our bisexual main character and her male roomie banker and a female lovely lawyer. Our main character is kind of cruel, she blatantly used both people, and then goes back to the banker in the end. She’s dishonest, and uses the people she “loves”. I think the only reason I finished is I loved the voice of the audiobook narrator.
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic friendship