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emmascr's review against another edition
5.0
This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free for a Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Thank you to Simon and Schuster for my copy of this book. This is the first book I have read by Catherine but it will not be the last.
At first I found Jess quite a difficult character to get to know. She is constantly paranoid and seems to over think everything but as I got to know her, her walls seemed to break down and she became very likeable. I was really rooting for her by the end of the book.
I've never been to Cape Town, where a lot of this book is set. To be honest I've never considered it as a destination for myself but Jess' adventures there made me want to go and do all the things she does. All the things the locals do rather than the classic overpriced touristy things.
This book has ALL the emotions. I was angry, I was sad, I laughed, I cried and now it's all over and I don't know what to do with myself. There were some characters I instantly hated (Pete) and some I instantly loved (Diego). There are some absolute hilarious parts of this book. I literally laughed for 5 minutes when Jess' mum explained why they didn't grow up with a dog. Honestly one of the best conversations I have read.
I really enjoyed Catherine's writing style. It has been likened to Lindsey Kelk, who is one of my all time favourite authors and I can totally see that. The story is about more than just love. It's about family and things not always going your way. It's real and it's hard but that's why I enjoyed this book so much. I know I will be buying and reading more of Catherine's books in the future.
At first I found Jess quite a difficult character to get to know. She is constantly paranoid and seems to over think everything but as I got to know her, her walls seemed to break down and she became very likeable. I was really rooting for her by the end of the book.
I've never been to Cape Town, where a lot of this book is set. To be honest I've never considered it as a destination for myself but Jess' adventures there made me want to go and do all the things she does. All the things the locals do rather than the classic overpriced touristy things.
This book has ALL the emotions. I was angry, I was sad, I laughed, I cried and now it's all over and I don't know what to do with myself. There were some characters I instantly hated (Pete) and some I instantly loved (Diego). There are some absolute hilarious parts of this book. I literally laughed for 5 minutes when Jess' mum explained why they didn't grow up with a dog. Honestly one of the best conversations I have read.
I really enjoyed Catherine's writing style. It has been likened to Lindsey Kelk, who is one of my all time favourite authors and I can totally see that. The story is about more than just love. It's about family and things not always going your way. It's real and it's hard but that's why I enjoyed this book so much. I know I will be buying and reading more of Catherine's books in the future.
samstillreading's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve been reading a lot of books that require concentration lately, something that doesn’t always translate well midweek when work and life are busy and you want to escape it all. Make or Break sounded like a fun read, so despite the size (nearly 500 pages), I decided to pick it up. It’s definitely madcap humour in some places, but takes quite a sombre turn towards the end as very difficult decisions are made. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, but be prepared for your feelings to go all over the place.
The story is told to us by Jess in the first person. Jess is 29 and works in the music video industry. (Unfortunately, there’s very little about the music industry here). Jess reminded me of Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series as someone you’ll either adore or find irritating. Jess is a way better decision maker than Becky, but she does have the tendency to let her thoughts run away to the most extreme situations. That has mixed results, such as thinking she will be eaten by a snake on Table Mountain to being convinced that her boyfriend Pete will propose in South Africa. It also makes it difficult for her to get through some major life events in the book. I kind of liked Jess more in the sadder parts of the book. I know that sounds mean, but her thoughts didn’t seem so wacky to me. But then Jess’ family is not exactly typical either. Her sister Annabelle has a penchant for men that love, impregnate and leave which has caused Jess and their mother to ‘protect’ Annabelle at all costs. Jess’ mother is into natural therapies in an extreme way – think mono mealing (eating only one thing at a time) and silence retreats to remove guilt. Boyfriend Pete is a bit obsessed with his assistant teacher role and flatmate Dave lives for zombies. All these quirks add up to some incredibly funny moments.
The majority of the book is set in Cape Town, which seems like Jess to be the epitome of sun and warmth. Until her world comes crashing down. The new characters that come into her life here are my favourites – Jimmy, Diego and Ian. They are more settled and a good grounding point for Jess. That’s not to say that they don’t have their quirks but I found them much more fascinating. After Jess’ holiday ends, so does the sunshine in this book. The tone becomes much more serious. It wasn’t completely unexpected, as things had been hinted at, but the fun was over as Jess needed to face the music in more ways than one. That’s not to say that Catherine Bennetto doesn’t do it well – she handles a very, very sticky situation with grace and without failing any of the characters. It was just a bit of roller coaster ride with that sinking feeling like the end of a holiday. There are some sparkles of wit here, but one character getting a cheeky comeuppance from a sartorial error.
I did enjoy this book, and it gave me the fun times I wanted plus some serious parts. My copy has a blurb for How Not to Fall in Love, Actually which sounds like a fun read. Catherine Bennetto writes well, getting to the heart of the matter with character growth with some laugh out loud moments.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
The story is told to us by Jess in the first person. Jess is 29 and works in the music video industry. (Unfortunately, there’s very little about the music industry here). Jess reminded me of Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series as someone you’ll either adore or find irritating. Jess is a way better decision maker than Becky, but she does have the tendency to let her thoughts run away to the most extreme situations. That has mixed results, such as thinking she will be eaten by a snake on Table Mountain to being convinced that her boyfriend Pete will propose in South Africa. It also makes it difficult for her to get through some major life events in the book. I kind of liked Jess more in the sadder parts of the book. I know that sounds mean, but her thoughts didn’t seem so wacky to me. But then Jess’ family is not exactly typical either. Her sister Annabelle has a penchant for men that love, impregnate and leave which has caused Jess and their mother to ‘protect’ Annabelle at all costs. Jess’ mother is into natural therapies in an extreme way – think mono mealing (eating only one thing at a time) and silence retreats to remove guilt. Boyfriend Pete is a bit obsessed with his assistant teacher role and flatmate Dave lives for zombies. All these quirks add up to some incredibly funny moments.
The majority of the book is set in Cape Town, which seems like Jess to be the epitome of sun and warmth. Until her world comes crashing down. The new characters that come into her life here are my favourites – Jimmy, Diego and Ian. They are more settled and a good grounding point for Jess. That’s not to say that they don’t have their quirks but I found them much more fascinating. After Jess’ holiday ends, so does the sunshine in this book. The tone becomes much more serious. It wasn’t completely unexpected, as things had been hinted at, but the fun was over as Jess needed to face the music in more ways than one. That’s not to say that Catherine Bennetto doesn’t do it well – she handles a very, very sticky situation with grace and without failing any of the characters. It was just a bit of roller coaster ride with that sinking feeling like the end of a holiday. There are some sparkles of wit here, but one character getting a cheeky comeuppance from a sartorial error.
I did enjoy this book, and it gave me the fun times I wanted plus some serious parts. My copy has a blurb for How Not to Fall in Love, Actually which sounds like a fun read. Catherine Bennetto writes well, getting to the heart of the matter with character growth with some laugh out loud moments.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
maineagle's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kaceyymair's review
- I don’t like the main character but I think she’s supposed to be likeable
- Her bf is a red flag and I don’t like it
- Her family dynamic is weird and just not realistic - it feels very shallow
- Don’t like the writing style
- The plot moves too slow + I’m not staying for the writing or the vibes LOL
sputniknorman's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
katharine_m's review
3.0
3.5? I don’t know. I really like the narrator, and I liked the fact that the story was more than just about her romantic developments. I hated…hated how awful everyone in her life was. Like…oof. Also, I wasn’t really a fan of the guy she met? He seemed…fine. I guess. Maybe just not as awful as all the other people?
drlou's review
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I’m all for a good romantic comedy and this one started well. I liked the quirkiness of the main female character. However, her quirkiness quickly became draining and I wanted to tell her to be quiet.
my main reason for the poor review is the serious gaslighting by the parents in the novel. I can’t stand that the father’s actions, while described as being dishonest, are virtually seen as acceptable because, well, he loved everyone. So lying to everyone in your life is acceptable because well, you just love too much. Puh…lease. Jimmy’s estrangement from his father because of his initial disdain for Jimmy’s brother’s homosexuality is not the same thing as Jess’ disputation with her dad when he has deliberately and consciously lied to two families for over 30 years. The sense of identity that would be questioned, the problems it would cause after his death with funeral arrangements and finances would all be crap those families would be left to deal with. There’s nothing cute and funny about any of that. It is just a seriously sad plot line developed to try and come up with a new spin on rom com and instead oversimplifies a horrific situation of long-term gaslighting. I’m totally unimpressed.
Content Warnings
paddlefoot55's review
4.0
ARC Received for an honest review
This is Miss Bennetto's second novel, and I loved it even more than her first book, How Not To Fall In Love, Actually.
They say a change is as good as a holiday, right?
Well, for Jess, a holiday changes everything.
Boy, does everything change for Jess when she heads to Cape Town with her boyfriend for her best friend's wedding.
Firstly - ugh, don't get me started on the douchenozzle of a boyfriend Pete is and I disliked him from the first minute we met him.
Jess is all kinds of paranoid and scaredy-cat and omg I just wanted to shake some fun into her at times.
I liked that Make or Break was set in Cape Town, somewhere I have not come across a book being set before. Kinda gave me a hankering to visit.
Jess's family is complicated, and man forget the boyfriend, no wonder Jess rides the crazy train! I don't want to give anything away, but wowsers! These people!
They will Make or Break Jess!
Things do really turn out for the better with this holiday though, as much as it doesn't feel like they will.
I did find that the pacing of this book at times was a little slow, however I was completely involved in this story, so it did not bother me that much.
This book was also a lot more emotional than I was expecting. I did find myself reading through watery eyes a few times as things came to pass.
I spent the afternoon on the coach devouring Make Or Break. I laughed, I cried, I yelled at my book.
I am keen to see what Ms Bennetto bring us next.
This is Miss Bennetto's second novel, and I loved it even more than her first book, How Not To Fall In Love, Actually.
They say a change is as good as a holiday, right?
Well, for Jess, a holiday changes everything.
Boy, does everything change for Jess when she heads to Cape Town with her boyfriend for her best friend's wedding.
Firstly - ugh, don't get me started on the douchenozzle of a boyfriend Pete is and I disliked him from the first minute we met him.
Jess is all kinds of paranoid and scaredy-cat and omg I just wanted to shake some fun into her at times.
I liked that Make or Break was set in Cape Town, somewhere I have not come across a book being set before. Kinda gave me a hankering to visit.
Jess's family is complicated, and man forget the boyfriend, no wonder Jess rides the crazy train! I don't want to give anything away, but wowsers! These people!
They will Make or Break Jess!
Things do really turn out for the better with this holiday though, as much as it doesn't feel like they will.
I did find that the pacing of this book at times was a little slow, however I was completely involved in this story, so it did not bother me that much.
This book was also a lot more emotional than I was expecting. I did find myself reading through watery eyes a few times as things came to pass.
I spent the afternoon on the coach devouring Make Or Break. I laughed, I cried, I yelled at my book.
I am keen to see what Ms Bennetto bring us next.