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A review by andintothetrees
Nothing Serious by Emma Jokinen, EMMA. MEDRANO
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Plot/compellingness 3/5 - I didn't feel desperate to pick the book up but once I did it rumbled along nicely
Themes 3/5 - interesting themes but somehow it didn't quite go deep enough
Characters 3/5
Emotional resonance 3/5
Writing style 4/5
One thing I really liked about the book was that Nicki and her partner were a carer and a removal man respectively. It was really refreshing to read a book where the characters weren't all working in corporate/media office jobs!
There were a few things that didn't quite make sense and which I was surprised weren't picked up in the editing process (minor spoilers follow)
- a 90s-esque answering machine is referred to as a "voicemail", even by it's elderly owner. This could be a regional thing but I've never heard people refer to an old school machine in this way
- there is reference to someone needing a "scholarship" to attend a particular university. This isn't something I've ever heard of in the UK
- likewise one of the characters is taking "Advanced English" in a 6th form in England. This isn't a thing I've ever heard of - I thought people just did A Levels in 3 or 4 subjects?
- Nicki talks about how she could never afford a detached 3 bedroom house in Hove because it's £200k. Did the author do no research at all on this?! That's what you'd pay to live in a house like that in my small Scottish town, in Hove you'd be looking at something nearer a million! Nicki and her partner are apparently often on Zoopla, but it doesn't seem like the author was
(I know these are very minor points but they made the novel feel less believable for me)
Themes 3/5 - interesting themes but somehow it didn't quite go deep enough
Characters 3/5
Emotional resonance 3/5
Writing style 4/5
One thing I really liked about the book was that Nicki and her partner were a carer and a removal man respectively. It was really refreshing to read a book where the characters weren't all working in corporate/media office jobs!
There were a few things that didn't quite make sense and which I was surprised weren't picked up in the editing process (minor spoilers follow)
- a 90s-esque answering machine is referred to as a "voicemail", even by it's elderly owner. This could be a regional thing but I've never heard people refer to an old school machine in this way
- there is reference to someone needing a "scholarship" to attend a particular university. This isn't something I've ever heard of in the UK
- likewise one of the characters is taking "Advanced English" in a 6th form in England. This isn't a thing I've ever heard of - I thought people just did A Levels in 3 or 4 subjects?
- Nicki talks about how she could never afford a detached 3 bedroom house in Hove because it's £200k. Did the author do no research at all on this?! That's what you'd pay to live in a house like that in my small Scottish town, in Hove you'd be looking at something nearer a million! Nicki and her partner are apparently often on Zoopla, but it doesn't seem like the author was
(I know these are very minor points but they made the novel feel less believable for me)