ninadb's review
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
sassa0815's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘Dinner with the Schnabels. It could be the title of a horror movie.’
I was fortunate enough to read an ARC of the second book in this series (‘Prettier if She Smiled More’), loved it, and knew that I had to read the first.
So, I picked this book up already knowing a bit about the Schnabels (especially Kylie and Gloria) but not much about Simon, husband of Kylie’s sister Tansy. As the novel opens, things are not looking good for Simon. When his business failed after the pandemic, his family lost their home. He and Tansy and their two children are living in a two-bedroom flat. Everyone has advice for Simon, and to try to keep them off his back he has agreed to landscape a friend’s backyard for an important Schnabel family event. He has one week.
Straightforward? Well, it might be, except an unexpected house guest arrives. And then a few things go wrong, making Simon doubt himself even more. Simon is conscious that he is letting his family down, and what about Tansy? How will it end? Will Simon manage to complete the landscaping, how will Gloria, the formidable Schnabel family matriarch, react to news of Simon and Tansy’s house guest?
While there is plenty of humour in this novel, and more than a few laugh out loud moments, aspects of it will be uncomfortably true for many who found their lives turned upside down during the pandemic.
I do hope that there will be (at least) a third instalment.
‘She was right. It was, however, a truth universally acknowledged that two working parents unexpectedly in possession of a child for the day must be in want of a non-working relative.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
4nnalouise's review
4.25
You'd never believe this book spanned only a single week. A lot happens and you see things from 2 very different perspectives
mla2189's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
oliviawr's review
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent
kjandherbooks's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
rh747's review
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jeanettegtf's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5