Scan barcode
acashton's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Miscarriage
ramreadsagain's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Overall a nice read, I liked the ending few chapters but it did feel like a bit of a slog to get to the “big reveals” as I didn’t like most of the characters and the plot felt a bit stagnant for the middle third of the book.
Better than The Switch, not as good as The Flatshare
Better than The Switch, not as good as The Flatshare
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Grief
Minor: Miscarriage, Death, Sexual harassment, and Dementia
esth3r's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual assault
bex1408's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Grief
Minor: Car accident and Miscarriage
dlrosebyh's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Siobhan is a fiery life coach who has much too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon who is used to being treated like any other worker. Jane is a quiet volunteer at the local charity shop who has no self-esteem.
These three ladies are strangers with only one thing in common: they were all stood up on the same day, Valentine's Day, the worst day to be stood up on. And, unknown to them, they've all been stood up by the same man.
I was completely perplexed for the first 75% of the book. The book moved so slowly. I had to look up the timeline, and one thing I'm thankful about is that there is no formal cheating in this story. The male protagonist was annoying and manipulative in my opinion. I can't believe I knew nothing about this man by the conclusion of the story.
The plot was likewise rushed. Beth O'Leary basically had to cover three romances in under 341 pages. Another point is that until the 80% mark, this book isn't truly a romance novel, unlike what the market sold it to be. They're merely the lives of these women who were dumped by the same guy, as well as their "relationship" with him. None of the characters truly stuck out to me; they all seemed stereotypical and bland.
Speaking about the characters, I found them to be really irritating. Tell me how I know 15-year-old teenagers who can converse with greater maturity than 20-30-year-old adults. They spoke like real toddlers, which I despised. You can't make me like characters I've hated for the previous 200 pages. You should've done it earlier.
Many people advised me to stay for the plot twist component... But where had it gone? I'm not sure if it's because I consume so much media, but I actually predicted the plot twist and it wasn't shocking at all. It was the most transparent plot twist ever. It made me dislike the book even more. If you're going to create a plot twist, make it surprising so your readers will be fascinated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Dementia, Sexual harassment, and Miscarriage
imds's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Abandonment, Car accident, Death of parent, Dementia, Miscarriage, Self harm, and Sexual harassment
bxcvi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia and Grief
Minor: Miscarriage, Car accident, Death, and Self harm
sophsg88's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Grief, Death, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship
megelizabeth's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
"...how futile it was to try not to love Joseph Carter; accepting the agony of it all has been a peculiar kind of relief."
This is a difficult book for me to review, as it essentially consists of three intertwined storylines and two of them I adored but one I absolutely couldn't stand. I did largely work out where the overarching plot was going, but that didn't bother me, as I still thought it was so ambitious and cleverly-done, and also because there was so much I loved in Jane's and Siobhan's storylines; there are brilliantly important conversations, excellent building of tension, relationships that feel agonisingly real, and climaxes that shattered my heart and then went some way to putting it back together.
I found Miranda annoying and difficult to connect to all the way through (and you're clearly supposed to root for all three protagonists), but I'd feel more forgiving because of how much I was drawn into everything else that was happening if it wasn't for the way Miranda's last chapter ended. I just cannot fathom how the author possibly thought what happened could be seen as anything other than downright insensitive, let alone supposedly 'romantic'.
So, yeah, very mixed feelings on this one. It definitely had a huge impact on me, and I'd still say I'm glad I read it because it has an extremely intriguing set-up and because I loved Jane's and Siobhan's characters so much; it just could have been so much better with an equally compelling third protagonist and a far less frustrating end to her story. I did, however, apparently unlike a lot of reviewers, really like Joseph for the most part, and I definitely found his character arc to be a super compelling one.
This is a difficult book for me to review, as it essentially consists of three intertwined storylines and two of them I adored but one I absolutely couldn't stand. I did largely work out where the overarching plot was going, but that didn't bother me, as I still thought it was so ambitious and cleverly-done, and also because there was so much I loved in Jane's and Siobhan's storylines; there are brilliantly important conversations, excellent building of tension, relationships that feel agonisingly real, and climaxes that shattered my heart and then went some way to putting it back together.
I found Miranda annoying and difficult to connect to all the way through (and you're clearly supposed to root for all three protagonists), but I'd feel more forgiving because of how much I was drawn into everything else that was happening if it wasn't for the way Miranda's last chapter ended. I just cannot fathom how the author possibly thought what happened could be seen as anything other than downright insensitive, let alone supposedly 'romantic'.
So, yeah, very mixed feelings on this one. It definitely had a huge impact on me, and I'd still say I'm glad I read it because it has an extremely intriguing set-up and because I loved Jane's and Siobhan's characters so much; it just could have been so much better with an equally compelling third protagonist and a far less frustrating end to her story. I did, however, apparently unlike a lot of reviewers, really like Joseph for the most part, and I definitely found his character arc to be a super compelling one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Death
Moderate: Miscarriage and Self harm
Minor: Death of parent
kshertz's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m fascinated by this premise! It’s so clever! It’s like, you know there’s more to the story than this guy being a dick and standing up all these women but you can never figure out what’s happening until it’s explained. I liked being tricked in this way. I thought it was very smart and well done! Be prepared for the rollercoaster!
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death, Miscarriage, Dementia, Gaslighting, and Pregnancy