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bionicsarah's review against another edition
5.0
What a lovely little book I enjoyed this one so much , the narrator a young girl works as a death doula in New York and the story is told via a series of flash backs into the lives of those she has helped in the past . At the same time we learn about her own childhood orphaned as a young child and growing up in the house of her elderly eccentric grandfather surrounded by a museum quantity of natural history objects
The novel looks at what its means to be lonely in the middle of a modern busy city and how family can be made through unexpected friendships .
I adored the characters immediately they were so real and well described totally recognisable people , there is a cast of smaller parts all as well detailed .
The author writes with an easily read style and I enjoyed the whole experience of reading this book , the job of the narrator I suppose might put some people off from reaching for the book but I would say that this would be a mistake as the general feeling of the book was warm welcoming and life affirming a big gental hug of a book that I shall remember for a long time
I would recommend if you liked a little hope by Ethan Joella , this is us by David Nicholls or A man caked one by Frederick Backman
I read an copy of the book on Netgalley uk it was published by Penguin Uk in January 2023
The novel looks at what its means to be lonely in the middle of a modern busy city and how family can be made through unexpected friendships .
I adored the characters immediately they were so real and well described totally recognisable people , there is a cast of smaller parts all as well detailed .
The author writes with an easily read style and I enjoyed the whole experience of reading this book , the job of the narrator I suppose might put some people off from reaching for the book but I would say that this would be a mistake as the general feeling of the book was warm welcoming and life affirming a big gental hug of a book that I shall remember for a long time
I would recommend if you liked a little hope by Ethan Joella , this is us by David Nicholls or A man caked one by Frederick Backman
I read an copy of the book on Netgalley uk it was published by Penguin Uk in January 2023
jocelyngammie's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyable read. Light but with depth and still easy to read.
bethanygladhill's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this sweet and poignant book (though reading while I was so sick I'm feeling like death is probably not my best choice).
keepyoursoftheart's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
kaitwernsing's review against another edition
5.0
Such a beautiful book. This story gave me all the feels and I just loved it so so so much. Highly recommended.
saeuler93's review against another edition
3.0
Clover is a 36 year old death doula in New York City and keeps notebooks of her clients’ last wishes, advice and regrets. While she has admirable emotional availability and caring for her clients, she never applies any of their messages to her own life.
And i don’t say that lightly - she straight up isolates herself from everyone around her and goes out of her way to avoid social interaction and life experiences. Like, taking her dog out at weird times just so she doesn’t have to see or possibly speak to another person. She has no friends, has never dated, has never been kissed. She spies on neighbors (with binoculars!!) she’ll never speak to and watches & rewatches rom com scenes over and over again just to ~feel something~.
The author choosing to create Clover this way was interesting to me - i just didn’t connect with her and at times being privy to her thoughts made me uncomfortable. She had certainly experienced really tough loss in her life and for that i have sympathy, but at the risk of sounding insensitive…. I couldn’t get behind her personal choices to not engage in life. Her lack of willingness to even just try turned me off.
Again, the concept was good - YOLO, but in a poignant way. The angle of the main character being a death doula was new and fresh. But Clover was such an extreme character that i felt the message didn’t resonate as much as it could have and created too much distance for me as a reader.
And i don’t say that lightly - she straight up isolates herself from everyone around her and goes out of her way to avoid social interaction and life experiences. Like, taking her dog out at weird times just so she doesn’t have to see or possibly speak to another person. She has no friends, has never dated, has never been kissed. She spies on neighbors (with binoculars!!) she’ll never speak to and watches & rewatches rom com scenes over and over again just to ~feel something~.
The author choosing to create Clover this way was interesting to me - i just didn’t connect with her and at times being privy to her thoughts made me uncomfortable. She had certainly experienced really tough loss in her life and for that i have sympathy, but at the risk of sounding insensitive…. I couldn’t get behind her personal choices to not engage in life. Her lack of willingness to even just try turned me off.
Again, the concept was good - YOLO, but in a poignant way. The angle of the main character being a death doula was new and fresh. But Clover was such an extreme character that i felt the message didn’t resonate as much as it could have and created too much distance for me as a reader.
cadencole's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
bessadams's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Alcohol
sammerjam's review against another edition
4.0
A delightful quick read. I quickly cared for Clover and rooted for her the whole book.
bronnie_dee's review against another edition
2.0
This had such promise, but failed to live up yo it. There some pretty writing but I found that it turned out to have very little substance.
I felt frustration that some plot points were barely skimmed over, and they were the things I wanted to be expanded
I felt frustration that some plot points were barely skimmed over, and they were the things I wanted to be expanded