A review by inkwitchery
This Is How It Ends by Kathleen MacMahon
3.0
I received this book as a galley on NetGalley.
I was attracted to this book after reading the synopsis even though I don’t often read books taking place in the recent past. However, it took me quite a while to get through this book due to other hobbies/projects. Additionally, the story didn’t grab me right away. I feel it was mostly due to the characters being on the verge of middle age, I couldn’t quite relate. Not that I’m a spring chicken, but you know what I mean. ;)
The story takes place in 2008, during the economic downturn, and a few months before Obama was elected president. We are introduced to Bruno, a banker in his late 40s who has recently lost his job due to the global economic collapse, and felt a need to get away, or distract himself from, the chaos. Fulfilling his promise to his father, he embarks on a mission to trace back his roots. His researching has led him to the house of his distant cousins in Ireland.
Addie is a 38 year old architect, who’s temporarily taking care of her father, a surgeon named Hugh. Addie has recently suffered a miscarriage and broken up with her long time boyfriend. Her way of coping with this is to take her dog, Lola, out for daily walks along the beach and/or going to the local pool to swim out her frustrations.
While this story is billed as a romance between Bruno and Addie, I was a little put off about them being (distant) cousins. Maybe it’s just me? However, their romance was very sweet. Bruno was someone Addie needed to bring a little lightness, and fun to her life. I felt the Obama angle was superfluous. It didn’t really make much difference to the story nor did it play any major part other than Bruno wanting Obama to win the election. I felt including that in the synopsis was a little bit of false advertising.
Overall, I liked this book. I didn’t love it, but I liked it. It was an easy read, with likable characters. I think the only character I didn’t care for, until the end, was Hugh. I was happy for Addie and Bruno. They made the most of each other, and their time together. The ending was predictable and I hate to say this, but it didn’t on pull my heartstrings as much as what happened to Lola. Poor, poor Lola! :(
I was attracted to this book after reading the synopsis even though I don’t often read books taking place in the recent past. However, it took me quite a while to get through this book due to other hobbies/projects. Additionally, the story didn’t grab me right away. I feel it was mostly due to the characters being on the verge of middle age, I couldn’t quite relate. Not that I’m a spring chicken, but you know what I mean. ;)
The story takes place in 2008, during the economic downturn, and a few months before Obama was elected president. We are introduced to Bruno, a banker in his late 40s who has recently lost his job due to the global economic collapse, and felt a need to get away, or distract himself from, the chaos. Fulfilling his promise to his father, he embarks on a mission to trace back his roots. His researching has led him to the house of his distant cousins in Ireland.
Addie is a 38 year old architect, who’s temporarily taking care of her father, a surgeon named Hugh. Addie has recently suffered a miscarriage and broken up with her long time boyfriend. Her way of coping with this is to take her dog, Lola, out for daily walks along the beach and/or going to the local pool to swim out her frustrations.
While this story is billed as a romance between Bruno and Addie, I was a little put off about them being (distant) cousins. Maybe it’s just me? However, their romance was very sweet. Bruno was someone Addie needed to bring a little lightness, and fun to her life. I felt the Obama angle was superfluous. It didn’t really make much difference to the story nor did it play any major part other than Bruno wanting Obama to win the election. I felt including that in the synopsis was a little bit of false advertising.
Overall, I liked this book. I didn’t love it, but I liked it. It was an easy read, with likable characters. I think the only character I didn’t care for, until the end, was Hugh. I was happy for Addie and Bruno. They made the most of each other, and their time together. The ending was predictable and I hate to say this, but it didn’t on pull my heartstrings as much as what happened to Lola. Poor, poor Lola! :(