faysieh's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very unusual book and I loved it for its originality and quirkiness.
Sheridan is an optometrist but he cannot see his own face.
Heidi works in Candleina, a shop across the road, and in between the two is 'The Bench' where their love story started and where it ended. Will 'The Bench' be where love is rekindled or has the love completely died?
For the greater portion of the book I believed I would be awarding this tale 5 glorious, golden and easily seen stars because the dialogue is fantastic, as is the humour. However I ended up dropping a star purely because of a development that seemed too ordinary and tired to have been the cause of a romantic split.
However, How We Got To Today is a romance with a twist which made me question the reality of Sheridan's trouble. Is his 'condition' real or is it imaginary? As a reader I asked myself what it would be like to see my body and outline but never the detail of the features on my face. In a society caught up in an Instagram frenzy where looks are everything, this book made me think about the superficial versus the significant aspects of contemporary life. It is way too easy to simply state the pursuit of aesthetic perfection is shallow and educated professionals with their minds on higher things are more serious and intelligent. The distinction, like so many stereotypes, is just not that clear.
And yet Sheridan makes a hobby of throwing money at all manner of different ways to capture his reflection whicht at times makes him seem extremely self-obsessed and at other times, lost, lonely and like most of us, desperately seeking acceptance and validation.
I preferred Sheridan and his shades of grey to Heidi, his girlfriend, but both characters were well written and I found myself falling in love with Sheridan. I wanted a happy ending for him but was never sure if this would happen.
I liked the countdown in months to 'today' and the fact that we did end up hearing Heidi's take on their relationship as Sheridan's viewpoint is the dominant voice.
I cannot really add any more to my review without spoiling the plot so I will simply say, if you are after an enjoyable romantic read with quirky traits and dialogue that will make you laugh, then visit Wigthorn, a fictional south coast seaside town, take a stroll down the high street and keep a look out for a female photographer hiding a secret and a male optometrist wanting nothing more than to view his own face. Stick around long enough and Heidi and Sheridan will lead you past the predictability shop and into..? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out!
Sheridan is an optometrist but he cannot see his own face.
Heidi works in Candleina, a shop across the road, and in between the two is 'The Bench' where their love story started and where it ended. Will 'The Bench' be where love is rekindled or has the love completely died?
For the greater portion of the book I believed I would be awarding this tale 5 glorious, golden and easily seen stars because the dialogue is fantastic, as is the humour. However I ended up dropping a star purely because of a development that seemed too ordinary and tired to have been the cause of a romantic split.
However, How We Got To Today is a romance with a twist which made me question the reality of Sheridan's trouble. Is his 'condition' real or is it imaginary? As a reader I asked myself what it would be like to see my body and outline but never the detail of the features on my face. In a society caught up in an Instagram frenzy where looks are everything, this book made me think about the superficial versus the significant aspects of contemporary life. It is way too easy to simply state the pursuit of aesthetic perfection is shallow and educated professionals with their minds on higher things are more serious and intelligent. The distinction, like so many stereotypes, is just not that clear.
And yet Sheridan makes a hobby of throwing money at all manner of different ways to capture his reflection whicht at times makes him seem extremely self-obsessed and at other times, lost, lonely and like most of us, desperately seeking acceptance and validation.
I preferred Sheridan and his shades of grey to Heidi, his girlfriend, but both characters were well written and I found myself falling in love with Sheridan. I wanted a happy ending for him but was never sure if this would happen.
I liked the countdown in months to 'today' and the fact that we did end up hearing Heidi's take on their relationship as Sheridan's viewpoint is the dominant voice.
I cannot really add any more to my review without spoiling the plot so I will simply say, if you are after an enjoyable romantic read with quirky traits and dialogue that will make you laugh, then visit Wigthorn, a fictional south coast seaside town, take a stroll down the high street and keep a look out for a female photographer hiding a secret and a male optometrist wanting nothing more than to view his own face. Stick around long enough and Heidi and Sheridan will lead you past the predictability shop and into..? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out!
lorrainewardy's review against another edition
4.0
So I was a bit unsure on this book, I was drawn to the synopsis of the book but I really struggled with the first part of the story, I found I just couldn’t “feel” Sheridan if that makes sense. I kept with it as I was drawn to know what happens, the second half with his girlfriends Heidi side of the story made me understand Sheridan and I found the love for the story, I’m so glad I stuck with it, A well thought book and a deserving 4 stars from me.
laurahastoomanywips's review against another edition
4.0
Read via The Pigeonhole, thanks for the opportunity to read a book with a quirky plot.
First half of the book was from Sheridan's point of view, which was difficult in places although I did enjoy the humour. The second half was Heidi's point of view and this was easier/more enjoyable to read.
Like others on the pigeonhole I thought the ending came a little abruptly and was overly sugary sweet. Not sure if in same position, in real life, others would be so forgiving of Heidi's deception.
Still an enjoyable, light read.
First half of the book was from Sheridan's point of view, which was difficult in places although I did enjoy the humour. The second half was Heidi's point of view and this was easier/more enjoyable to read.
Like others on the pigeonhole I thought the ending came a little abruptly and was overly sugary sweet. Not sure if in same position, in real life, others would be so forgiving of Heidi's deception.
Still an enjoyable, light read.
bookbeforeuleap's review
3.0
This is the story of Sheridan, who suffers from a rare condition where he cannot see his own face and has just broken up with his girlfriend.
There were some humorous observations as to what we would miss if we couldn't see our own reflection (Jam on your nose, stray stubble) and I liked the friendship that Sheridan had with the journalist and the sense of community Heidi's story created when she was hosting her prop party.
I really liked that Sheridan had a condition that I had never heard of as it brought something new to the story but I wasn't a massive fan of his half of the book, I think this would have worked better if the chapters from the characters were told alternately rather than the first half as Sheridan and the second half as Heidi because I was really bored with Sheridan's story and would have DNF'd this book if I hadn't read the reviews that said the second half picked up and was from Heidi's point of view.
There were some humorous observations as to what we would miss if we couldn't see our own reflection (Jam on your nose, stray stubble) and I liked the friendship that Sheridan had with the journalist and the sense of community Heidi's story created when she was hosting her prop party.
I really liked that Sheridan had a condition that I had never heard of as it brought something new to the story but I wasn't a massive fan of his half of the book, I think this would have worked better if the chapters from the characters were told alternately rather than the first half as Sheridan and the second half as Heidi because I was really bored with Sheridan's story and would have DNF'd this book if I hadn't read the reviews that said the second half picked up and was from Heidi's point of view.
aminakara's review
4.0
A nice lighthearted read, with plenty of humor, making it entertaining too. Nice to sit down with a lighthearted read once in a while, that doesn't involve using up too many brain cells! This book totally ticked that box.
Thank you to Ben Ellis and Pigeonhole for the chance to read this book.
Thank you to Ben Ellis and Pigeonhole for the chance to read this book.
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