philatcs's review
1.0
well... this was a disappointment.
i didn’t have huge hopes for this book because i’d never heard anything about it and it was only £2 in the works.
however, the chemistry between yassim and jacob built up my expectations in the first half of the book.
SAYING THAT there were so many elements in this book i didn’t like.
- jacob having sex with a minor?
- the unnecessary scenes?
- how often they solved problems with sex.
- the writing style kinda? didn’t really gel with it.
there was definitely clear chemistry and tension between yassim and jacob and apart from klara and george- who i only came to like in the last half - was probably the only aspect of the book i actually liked.
i didn’t have huge hopes for this book because i’d never heard anything about it and it was only £2 in the works.
however, the chemistry between yassim and jacob built up my expectations in the first half of the book.
SAYING THAT there were so many elements in this book i didn’t like.
- jacob having sex with a minor?
- the unnecessary scenes?
- how often they solved problems with sex.
- the writing style kinda? didn’t really gel with it.
there was definitely clear chemistry and tension between yassim and jacob and apart from klara and george- who i only came to like in the last half - was probably the only aspect of the book i actually liked.
jcutreads's review
4.0
Reese, take note, as this is the kind of book you should be peddling! Cute, touching, evocative. It's both well written and lyrical.
katebelt's review
2.0
I normally love books about books, authors, and writing. This was also about authors and their dogs and friendship, but I didn't see that as a major theme in the book. It felt like a heavy handed critique of writers and writing students, yet there were so many layers in the book that maybe it was critiquing heavy handed critiquers. I had a difficult time following when it was the narrator's voice or another character's voice telling the story. This book won the 2018 National Book Award. I had started it then and abandoned it. This time I completed it for a book group. All this being said, I have the author's last book on hold already! Her writing is excellent, but I had difficulty with the structure. I thought maybe my problem was not relating to the sense of place, but I've read and enjoyed many other books with similar settings.
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