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angelicathebookworm's review
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This fast-paced narrative is insightful but written in prose that’s easy to read and makes Amy, the main character and our narrator, seem quite relatable and realistic. The characters were definitely the strongest element of the novel as they’re all relatable in their own way yet distinct from one another. It’s something I always enjoy coming across when reading a new book but it’s quite a difficult thing to achieve. I especially liked reading about the characters of Ed, Ben, and Nathan who are all just really lovely throughout. There are also quite a few realistic scenarios peppered through the narrative and the characters’ speech seemed quite authentic which is, again, something I don’t see as often as I’d like in books. Riva also does a wonderful job of evoking various emotions throughout the text and there is also some strong mental health representation that I thought was well executed. This contemporary novel which includes some important messages has quite an interesting plot and also includes some budding romances that appear and develop naturally and not in a forced and predictable manner.
The only issue that I really had with the novel was that I didn’t get on very well with Riva’s writing style. I found it quite clunky and jarring in places. I also found Riva’s writing style to be quite formal which made for quite a weird juxtaposition with the very informal and chatty tone presented by the main character and the everyday elements of the plot. There’s also a lack of descriptions throughout the text in places where I thought they were necessary or would have at least enhanced the narrative. For example, when the characters go to Australia it would have been nice to have some passages of text dedicated to the scenery that makes it really obvious to the readers the differences between Australia and their place of work back home.
(I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
The only issue that I really had with the novel was that I didn’t get on very well with Riva’s writing style. I found it quite clunky and jarring in places. I also found Riva’s writing style to be quite formal which made for quite a weird juxtaposition with the very informal and chatty tone presented by the main character and the everyday elements of the plot. There’s also a lack of descriptions throughout the text in places where I thought they were necessary or would have at least enhanced the narrative. For example, when the characters go to Australia it would have been nice to have some passages of text dedicated to the scenery that makes it really obvious to the readers the differences between Australia and their place of work back home.
(I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Cursing
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