Scan barcode
lillypowell's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Vomit
Minor: Bullying, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
cezbeams's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
Very slow book and took me a long time to read it. At no point did I feel like I wanted to read the next chapter, not exciting and didn’t feel the love element too much. By the end I just wanted to rush through it to get it finished. Like the way it was written and the Shakespeare theme.
snailinglife's review against another edition
funny
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
suswana's review
emotional
funny
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
4.5
ellysreads's review
5.0
General comment
Charlie Lewis is stuck. His parents have separated, his friends are all going off to live their lives and he is unsure what to do. It's the summer after he'd messed up his exams and the impending doom of the results coming through combined with living with a father without much drive leads him to read in nearby fields and cycle around, and somehow, he ends up discovering a community theatre.
Every so often you read a book that isn’t just brilliant but also touches you in a way that feels so unique and personal you can’t help but want to keep it on your shelf forever. My rating is definitely swayed by a massive personal connection to this book, but David Nicholls’ writing is beautiful and the characters are alive and I couldn’t put it down, so 5 stars is unquestionable. Thank you GT for it!
Characters
Favourite character: Charlie.
Did the characters feel real? Yes.
Plot
Did the story keep you guessing? I enjoyed where it went. It wasn't particularly surprising but it worked.
Favourite part of the book? The meeting in the field.
Any type of scene or feeling conjured well? Young love. Nostalgia. Loss of hope.
Did it grip you? Yes.
Setting
Really beautiful images.
Laugh scale 3/10
Cry scale 2/10
Type of reader you'd recommend it to: Those who enjoy light reading or theatre people.
Reminded me of: Other David Nicholls novels; Nick Hornby.
Charlie Lewis is stuck. His parents have separated, his friends are all going off to live their lives and he is unsure what to do. It's the summer after he'd messed up his exams and the impending doom of the results coming through combined with living with a father without much drive leads him to read in nearby fields and cycle around, and somehow, he ends up discovering a community theatre.
Every so often you read a book that isn’t just brilliant but also touches you in a way that feels so unique and personal you can’t help but want to keep it on your shelf forever. My rating is definitely swayed by a massive personal connection to this book, but David Nicholls’ writing is beautiful and the characters are alive and I couldn’t put it down, so 5 stars is unquestionable. Thank you GT for it!
Characters
Favourite character: Charlie.
Did the characters feel real? Yes.
Plot
Did the story keep you guessing? I enjoyed where it went. It wasn't particularly surprising but it worked.
Favourite part of the book? The meeting in the field.
Any type of scene or feeling conjured well? Young love. Nostalgia. Loss of hope.
Did it grip you? Yes.
Setting
Really beautiful images.
Laugh scale 3/10
Cry scale 2/10
Type of reader you'd recommend it to: Those who enjoy light reading or theatre people.
Reminded me of: Other David Nicholls novels; Nick Hornby.
ina_bo's review
3.0
Enjoyed seeing feelings of an ordinary teenage boy, his relationship with his dad and his dads drama. Enjoyed the contrasts between Charlie and Fran.
Lacked a bit more overall depth imho, thus 3.
Lacked a bit more overall depth imho, thus 3.
lorna_macarthur's review
4.0
An enjoyable easy read. This book captured the feelings of a whirlwind first love without being sentimental and was firmly grounded in the reality of teenage relationships.
As always David Nichols knows how to write flawed characters without them seeming like caricatures.
As always David Nichols knows how to write flawed characters without them seeming like caricatures.
numipig30's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Suicide attempt
yarakeijlard's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
rworrall78's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- 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
David Nichols just captures Britain and the mundanity of life as well as the beauty. Aside from the going into the detail of the start of a love affair which he literally just said was boring to everyone else, I thought it was lovely. Funny and evocative the late 90s.