Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Ochtendmens

Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Ochtendmens by Katherine Heiny

8 reviews

kvokolek's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No

2.0

already complained about a million other aspects on Goodreads and Instagram so will just add one new thing: there is a uncomfortable level of praising romantic love to the point where it’s not even just implied that your life is a half-life if you don’t have a romantic/sexual partner, but very explicitly stated, which is a viewpoint that I find unfortunate and unhealthy

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jg34's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful 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

2.75

I thought this was just ok. The first half of the book felt incredibly slow and impersonal. Even through the end I didn’t feel very emotionally attached to any of the characters except maybe Jimmy. The love story (if you can call it that) wasn’t convincing at all and we did not get to see it progress at all it’s just one day they are suddenly in love. Aggie and Gary didn’t seem to be very necessary to the story in my opinion. It was a overall good story but with told in a very surface level way which results in a pretty forgettable book. Also why is it even called early morning riser? I may have missed that somewhere in the story I admit I listened to it on audiobook and may have not paid attention at some crucial moment or something

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atamano's review against another edition

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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livlosiewicz's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Jane moves to Boyne City, Michigan, and is immediately smitten with Duncan Ryfield. The thing with Duncan is, though- he seems to be inextricably linked to the entire town. Whether it be that he slept with the sister of the doctor’s secretary, or that he mows the lawn of his ex-wife Aggie, or that his coworker Jimmy lets himself into Duncan’s apartment whenever he feels like it- Jane likes Duncan, but she’s not sure she’s prepared for all of this. And yet, life has a funny way of happening, and after an unexpected turn of events, Jane soon finds herself tied in this web of small-town folks: Duncan, Aggie, Jimmy. Spanning the course of almost two decades, this is a novel about life- not the big things, but how we manage all the little things in between.

[I’m having trouble explaining the plot in a way that doesn’t give it away]

Pros:

·This is one of those books that made me all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s just a delight.

·I loved the characters- each so unique and specific and messy in their own way. While there wasn’t a central plot, none of the details felt pointless to me because everything contributed to our understanding of the characters. I felt like the characters were my friends by the end of the novel. No character was depicted as perfect, and we got to see different sides of most of them, which I really, really liked. I ESPECIALLY adored Jimmy, and my heart grew three sizes whenever he was on the page.

·I loved the way we read Jane’s raw emotions, even when we see her being perfectly kind outwardly. Heiny captures the casual complexity of being a person so well.

Cons:

·none? The age gap between Duncan and Jane is a little big??

Recommendation: Highly recommend to those who like character-driven stories. This is a feel-good, simple but beautiful novel about the messiness of human connection. Avoid if you don’t like books without main driving plots/character-driven books.

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rachele's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I kept waiting for the plot to start and before I knew it the book was done, I guess that was the point of it, the idea of if you are waiting for your life to start, you’ll keep waiting until you realize you are living it. I can understand the sweet simple life moments, but I couldn’t really connect with how things just seem to happen to Jane, she just seemed to be buoyed along. Overall it was a fine read that kept my focus and held my interest to keep going.

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linesiunderline's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-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

5.0

This is one of those special books that I loved so much I don’t even really want to write about it. I want to tell everyone to read it, gush about it in nonspecific ways, and then I want to let it be, just be there in my consciousness as a glowing kind of experience.

But this is a review site, so I will. If I must.

This is a read for someone who enjoys books that zoom in on ordinary people, that give you a look at how someone else might navigate and understand their life.

Not a lot “happens”, but in a way that’s kind of like saying that not a lot happens in one ordinary life, which I don’t agree with. Still, you know what I mean. Don’t come in looking for drama and plot twists. This isn’t that book. It is quiet. It is a delicate chain of small moments.

The quirk factor of the secondary characters is high. This might come off as too much for some, but I didn’t mind one bit. Not here. Best friend who brings a banjo with her everywhere? No probs. I accept this. I welcome it. That said, this book is also really funny in that, “Ah, life…” kinda way. I laughed out loud in spots.

Read if you like:
Katherine Center (but with more of a literary quality)
Elizabeth Strout
Amy Poppel
Gilmore Girls
Amelie (another reviewer made this comparison and I have to agree - the light, soft tone, the quirky quality, the sweet moments of melancholy)
Indie movies where not a lot happens but they still grab onto your heart

I hope this book finds all of the readers who will love it most. Maybe that’s you?

Content Warnings

bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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? No

5.0

Reading this felt like a warm hug. How do you capture everything tender and messy and mundane about life? Katherine Heiny does it beautifully. Totally encourage you to pick this one up if only so we can gush over it together.

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lcg527's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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