Reviews

next year for sure is a book that follows the experiences of a couple, kathryn and chris, after they decide to open up their relationship and become polyamorous.
i decided to read this because personally, i could never have an open or polyamorous relationship. so i was curious to see how one might work with this couple, and i thought it would be interesting. i was sadly disappointed.
we don't even get to know kathryn and chris properly before they open up the relationship and bring emily in. it was a bunch of telling and not showing, so them being a strong couple just wasn't convincing. i pitied kathryn at first for what started happening, but then she just became annoying because there was no development on her part. all the characters were badly written, chris and emily were even worse than kathryn. they're all extremely shallow and one dimensional. because of the author's choices we never get to know them. that's why i didn't connect with any of them emotionally. the writing style was either alright / mediocre depending on the passage, but most of the time it read like a weak attempt at sally rooney's style.

ohlittleowl's review against another edition

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3.0

This was a strange read. I spent a lot of it feeling heartbroken, and then kinda happy at Kathryn's arc, but mostly unsatisfied. I kept going, even though I reached a point I thought I would stop. I was invested enough to keep on, even though I felt like the characters were really underdeveloped, and especially in regards to anything outside of their being in relationships. But I mean, that's what the book is about, so.

Spoiler

But like Moss? What do we know about him except he's a weirdo and quiet and bearded? For all of the things that we learn about Emily, I felt like he was the most "body here to serve a purpose and nothing more" type of character. For Kathryn to be so developed, it was tough to suddenly pair her with such an enigma.

There were these brief, deeply relatable and really resonant moments though, and I think that's what propelled me through. Even though I was aware of it at times, I liked the present tense and dropping of quotation-dialogue -- it wouldn't work for every book, but I thought it did here. It fit the tone.

Bonus: a book that mentions Annie Dillard multiple times... that at least counts for half a star (that I can't give on goodreads, alas).

haskapberries's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

ericotta's review

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

dessa's review

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5.0

Lush and vicious and honest and just about made me weep at work. (Nour also called this “the whitest thing ever” and you know what, that’s not wrong. But still absolutely masterful.)

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