A review by blewballoon
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

There were a lot of things I liked about this book. I liked the reflections on death, grief, and different cultural and historical practices about those subjects. In some ways I could empathize with Clover, but sometimes I found her solitude strayed too far into rudeness and I had a harder time rooting for her. Mild spoilers:
More than half of the book is spent painting her as a lonely person who avoids people and risks, and reflecting on her memories of the past that are either bittersweet or just reminders of why she prefers not to engage with anyone. I wish more of the book had been showing her gradual emergence from her shell and embracing connections with people and the present. Instead, it felt like the book suffered from ending fatigue as it dealt with these changes briefly and sequentially in a montage-like way.
Heavy spoilers:
I was very glad she didn't end up with Sebastian, and that was refreshing. Hugo pops in suddenly being absolutely perfect, and that's fine, but I wish it hadn't been so sudden? A little too insta-lovey. I also like that the book didn't imply that getting with Hugo was the sole way to open up Clover's life, she had other things she wanted to do, and getting to know him was one of them.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings