Reviews with content warning for Infertility - Writers & Lovers

This book seemed very up my alley but I found it extremely melodramatic and trying very hard not to be. It felt like it was trying to do something original but just chocked the story full of loads of rom-com cliches. Like, everything was going badly for the narrator (too much and even though it would be reasonable to be self-pitying when all of this has happened to you, I found her self-pity oddly obnoxious) and then all of a sudden, everything was wonderful and it had all worked out perfectly. I kept waiting for something new and interesting to appear and it never really did. I had high expectations which were not met, so maybe I’m being too harsh.

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samarakroeger's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.5

I'm conflicted because I really really did not like the first ~1/3 of the book, but then I found myself really liking the second half. kinda feels like two different people wrote the sections of this book -- the first half was pretentious, overwritten, and not very engaging. I was bored. I did not notice these issues in the latter half of the book.

I'm really glad I stuck with this book (ended up reading it in one day) despite the shaky start. I did find the storyline and Casey's ultimate path to be pretty predictable (to be fair, I would have been mad had she made different decisions). parts of it reminded me of Miss Iceland (restaurants, aspiring writers, mediocre men, mental illness), and parts of it reminded me of You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty (not a compliment).

I'd give the first third 2 stars but the rest of the book 4/5, so I'll settle with 3.5.

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hkburke2's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Slow burn. The MC was aggravating for me, but in a way that means she felt real and like someone I should be able to reason with? Very immersive.

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lindseyhall44's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

Originally, when I picked up Writers and Lovers, I had assumed it would be a romance with a cast of artists. While romance is a subplot throughout the novel, the focus is more on grief, a creative calling, and the transition from one point of your life to another.
Writers and Lovers follows Casey, a thirty-one year old waitress who dreams of becoming a writer. After the death of her mother, her life is at the point of upheaval, becoming even more tumultuous when she becomes romantically involved with two men.
The idea of childhood or even young/new adult disillusionment, especially in regards to a creative life, is a key point, as most of her friends have given up this pursuit for stable and well paying jobs. The setting of a restaurant-both humorous and exhausting-highlights Casey’s ambitions extremely well. This paired with the narrative allows readers to really get into Casey’s head in an extremely relatable way.
Writers and Lovers is messy, hopeful, and in the end beautiful, and I would recommend checking it out (after searching trigger warnings as always).

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hannakutlu's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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marypr4's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

I have rated a total of 4 books 5 stars in the last 2 years, but this book changed everything for me. I’ve felt that buzzing, the buzzing Casey talks about, for years and years- it’s been humming along the surface of my skin, dormant at intervals, but always there, since I first wrote- and today when I finished “Writers and Lovers,” I felt like a shaken soda. Especially reading everything after the scene where she reads the Memoir of madness and her “insides burn in terrifying recognition.” I’ve been in that place for so long. I’m so absolutely full of things I’m finally ready to say. I’m so grateful. I’ve been on the verge for so long and this did it. Sometimes, like Muriel’s itchy ankles, when I read a good book I just go quiet for days. I only speak when absolutely necessary, I stop answering my texts. My roommates actually get worried about me. But today, when I finished this book, I opened my notes app and I wrote and wrote and I could hardly stop myself to drive home when the coffee shop I was in closed. I used voice-to-text on the drive home, till my phone died, and then I practically ran inside to plug it up and immediately pulled out my laptop for the first time in ages. I can FEEL the words and they bubble in me till I fizz over. I want to express how absolutely eternally grateful I am for this book. This is the most wonderful relief.

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