A review by lololovesthings
Seven Exes by Lucy Vine
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75 stars!
"Seven Exes" by Lucy Vine might be hard to get through for a lot of people, and that's completely understandable. Such is the nature of a story like this. The main female character, Esther, is a absolute hot mess of a person. She is a very selfish, dishonest protagonist who only seems to care about her own feelings, wants, and desires. She's the friend who always brings the conversation back to her, who lets others pay for her and doesn't pay them back, who uses people within an inch of their lives, who lies to get what she wants, who pushes people's buttons but gets mad when they push hers. We all know an Esther. If Lucy Vine's goal was to make her readers absolutely dislike Esther from the get-go, she did a great job.
In an effort to revisit all seven of her ex-lovers, Esther gets back in touch with each of them and casts away their feelings and the feelings of her friends so she can attempt to find the one that got away. She shirks off her works responsibilities and is then surprised when she thinks she's going to het fired. It becomes painfully oblivious right away that Esther is the cause of most of her breakups. From ignoring her exes to cheating on them, she is the source of most of her relationship problems. It is exceedingly difficult for some people to read a book about a protagonist like this. For me, despite Esther's unlikability factor, I found enough in this book to call it a success overall. I laughed many times. I liked to overall story, regardless of how bonkers the premise may seem. I loved Esther's friends Bibi and Louise, and I would totally read novels about them! The pacing is good and it doesn't overstay its welcome. I didn't have a problem with the writing. I found it to be funny and witty at times, painful at others, reflective and introspective here, difficult to process there. The British humor and the potty humor won't land for every reader, but I didn't mind it. I will definitely read another Lucy Vine novel if the protagonist isn't such a selfish jerk! It's hard to deny that Esther is a pill, but we should strive to support women's wrongs as well as women's rights, right? I wish there had been a touch more recognition from Esther about her terrible behaviors...her "ah-ha" moment felt a little too easy to me. Still, I liked this book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Vine, and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for my review.
"Seven Exes" by Lucy Vine might be hard to get through for a lot of people, and that's completely understandable. Such is the nature of a story like this. The main female character, Esther, is a absolute hot mess of a person. She is a very selfish, dishonest protagonist who only seems to care about her own feelings, wants, and desires. She's the friend who always brings the conversation back to her, who lets others pay for her and doesn't pay them back, who uses people within an inch of their lives, who lies to get what she wants, who pushes people's buttons but gets mad when they push hers. We all know an Esther. If Lucy Vine's goal was to make her readers absolutely dislike Esther from the get-go, she did a great job.
In an effort to revisit all seven of her ex-lovers, Esther gets back in touch with each of them and casts away their feelings and the feelings of her friends so she can attempt to find the one that got away. She shirks off her works responsibilities and is then surprised when she thinks she's going to het fired. It becomes painfully oblivious right away that Esther is the cause of most of her breakups. From ignoring her exes to cheating on them, she is the source of most of her relationship problems. It is exceedingly difficult for some people to read a book about a protagonist like this. For me, despite Esther's unlikability factor, I found enough in this book to call it a success overall. I laughed many times. I liked to overall story, regardless of how bonkers the premise may seem. I loved Esther's friends Bibi and Louise, and I would totally read novels about them! The pacing is good and it doesn't overstay its welcome. I didn't have a problem with the writing. I found it to be funny and witty at times, painful at others, reflective and introspective here, difficult to process there. The British humor and the potty humor won't land for every reader, but I didn't mind it. I will definitely read another Lucy Vine novel if the protagonist isn't such a selfish jerk! It's hard to deny that Esther is a pill, but we should strive to support women's wrongs as well as women's rights, right? I wish there had been a touch more recognition from Esther about her terrible behaviors...her "ah-ha" moment felt a little too easy to me. Still, I liked this book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Vine, and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for my review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Infidelity