Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Seven Exes

Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Seven Exes by Lucy Vine

11 reviews

leligavi's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This book should have easily been a 3 or 4 star read, but it just really really wasn't. I didn't like the main characters at all, except maybe Lou

once I found out she wasn't really cheating. But the whole book you think she is and I can't STAND cheating tropes. So the book was already a goner and by the time they reveal she's just foreplaying with Sven, it's too late. It's tainted.

So, I didn't like it. I wish we had more time with

Nick, because everyone else just really really sucked. Except for Rich the Bastard.

And while the story's main focus was on Bibi's, Esther's, and Lou's friendship, I feel like there was this manic obsession of the mission and a lack of communication amongst them that felt so frustrating. I just think it was so oddly written and then when the book was wrapping up, everything just had an explanation...and if it was so easily explained, why the heck were they so concerned about not sharing it or explaining it?
Really didn't like it. Kinda sucks.

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lifeofawannabee's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

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shelby22's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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jazzuar's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

Lucy Vine’s Seven Exes was a comical a reflective read. I enjoyed it more than I expected to, given that the main character was a bit annoying from the start. This story ended up taking a lot of twists and turns, all of which revealed more about the main character, but not all of them made her redeemable in my eyes. I think overall though, this is a story about how growth isn’t linear which I really liked about it. The concept kept me entertained, as did the structure, but I did find it to be a little predictable. I think if you’re looking for a lighthearted story about finding oneself, though, this is a good place to start.

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beckyyreadss's review

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

I wanted to read this book after I met Lucy back in October. She was so lovely and wanted to get it when I met her, but the book was sold out after the event, I am going to another book event this month and wanted to read this book as I promised her I would. My brother gifted me this book for Christmas, I really enjoyed it.

This book is based on Esther. She is nearing thirty, with a great job and a flat she shares with her two best friends, Bibi and Louise. But her life is missing that special someone, she is tired of being single and sick of bad date after bad date and she thinks she’s found the answer to her romance problem in an old women’s magazine. According to the magazine’s dating column, there are seven archetypes a woman will date before finding Mr. Right. It all seems silly at first, until Esther realizes she has exactly seven exes that match the profile: The First Love; The Work Mistake; The Overlap; The Friends with Benefits; The Missed Chance; The Bastard and The Serious One. Is it so hard to believe that perhaps one of them is “the one”? Deciding she must have left her true love in the reject pile, Esther contacts each of her old lovers. But finding her soulmate isn’t as simple as she hoped it would be. Madness, mayhem, laugh and tears ensure as she valiantly works her way through her past love life and faces up to her previous mistakes.

This storyline was so funny and adorable and I'm glad that this book didn’t end up being a full romance story and then it ended up being a development of Esther’s character. Esther did take a while to grow on me and I think one of the main reasons is I kept forgetting she was over thirty. I kept thinking she was in university with a part time job like Katie, but this is a grown ass woman who wasn’t happy that she didn’t have her person, but she didn’t realise that until further into the book. Bibi and Louise really kept this book and Esther grounded and I enjoyed their presence. I am Louise as a friend – I will be politely blunt and stop being all delusional.

Each of these exes were rememberable and it didn’t feel like one was liked more than the other, though Esther was trying to push to be with one more than the other. I could never picture meeting my exes ever after and I'm glad of the way it ended.

I enjoyed Lucy’s style of writing, and I cannot wait to meet her again and to read her newest book when it is released in May.

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sophie_katharina's review

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

Honestly, Esther is the worst or at the very least annoying af and if you can’t look past that you won’t enjoy this book.

HOWEVER, I you can do this and just look at it as a satire of the dating life nowadays it’s honestly pretty fun. The found family is great and you will be absolutely frustrated, but in a kind of nice way?

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oliviaclaire's review

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Seven Exes was a middle of the road read for me because parts of me warred between loving the nostalgia and relatability of some of the situations Esther, our protagonist, finds herself in and at the the same time, loathing Esther herself as a character.

Despite featuring about ten relationships, at its core Seven Exes is a book about personal growth and learning to love yourself. Which is odd because you'd think that with the level of self absorbtion Esther is capable of, that would be no problem for her. She is incredibly selfish and immature and I have to keep reminding myself that she's nearly thirty years old. She makes poor decisions and immediately excuses her own behaviour while holding other's actions against them in the pettiest of grudges and refusing to accept any form of constructive criticism.

Having said that, there were moments in this book that were laugh out loud funny or deeply relatable if you happen to be a British woman in her late twenties to early thirties. Reading about teenage Esther and Louise really had me looking back (not very fondly) at my own fourteen year old self because yes, I really did dress and speak and act like that and yes, it was ludicrously cringey on reflection. I've also known a crappy landlord or two and the reference to Jackie Weaver is just a fantastic lockdown throwback!

On balance, if Esther had been less of a dick or the story had been less relatable this book could have swung between a 2 star and a 4 star read so I feel like 3 stars is a solid compromise.

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cowahbull's review

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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kfmcf's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Oy.
BIG TW for this book - the last third deals with a lot of non-consensual moments with a man in power.

This book is not a romance. It's barely chick lit. I don't honestly know what it is. It feels like someone had a movie idea and then just decided to write an underdeveloped book instead.

Esther is awful. There's a fine line between quirky and sardonic and obnoxious and distasteful. She's very immature and she must have been the hottest woman on the face of the earth since everyone was falling for her. Again. Oy.

I wanted to like her friends, but honestly they wouldn't talk to each other and their blow out felt like middle schoolers. And the toilet thing got old.

WHY should I care or be invested in her choosing Nick? It's not something that's been built up to. We haven't seen him in like 10 chapters and then it's just like OOP BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING HARDY HAR. No. I did. Because you LAVEL YOUR CHAPTERS WITH THEIR NAMES. And I happened to glance at the chapter titles in the TOC and so *maybe* that worsened this "twist" but like?! Why would he want to get with her so quickly?! Baffled. Truly.

I had fun with the first third or so of this book. It is *very* British which is not a bad thing at all, but might take some adjustments for some folks. I just wish their had been ANY character development across the board and we actually got time with some important ones who didn't get enough page time. I also do think it would have been a better movie.

If you like this concept - read "Exes and O's" by Amy Lea. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea but it is a better execution of revisiting your exes.

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