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lizzillia's review
4.5
This is my third Mike Gayle book and I am beginning to think of him as an author to go to when I want a read that is full of observations and character that are easy to connect with. We meet Jim and Alison in 2003 when a chance event throws them back together for the first time in 4 years and then we go back to 1989 to their first meeting at Birmingham University and their relationship back to 2003. They were such an easy couple to like and as I went to university in Birmingham, I was almost transported back to my student years, so many situations and places were familiar. We see their relationship through their own alternate perspectives, their first dates, meeting the parents, moving in together - and then splitting up. As I said this pair are relatable and Mike Gayle is brilliant at observing situations and people and then putting it down on paper. Mundane, boring activities seem to be interesting because they are described in such a way that we can recognise them - we've all been there. There is romance, there is humour, I really enjoyed it and I'm so pleased there are other Mike Gayle books to pick up.
sazziehams's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
anafbeja's review against another edition
3.0
A maneira como Mike Gayle conta a história deste casal é altamente fascinante. Mostra-nos o lado sensível do amor e apesar de estar rodeado de clichés dá para nos surpreender-mos numa parte ou outra do livro.
mrs_char_baker's review
4.0
Another good book from Mike Gayle. It took me a while to get into as I had to get my head around who was who. I didn't know if I was going to like it but once I got into it, it was good. I loved that it was set in Birmingham as I'm originally from there and some of my family still live there. The characters even lived on the same road in Selly Oak that some of my relatives used to live on! It was relatable for that reason and also because like the main characters, I met my husband at uni.
planetpammy's review against another edition
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
4.0
mrsbooknerd's review
3.0
I have been slowly but surely working my way through Mike Gayle's early novels in the last few months with mixed results. In general I've found them hard to engage with, especially when compared to his more recent novels. More specifically I haven't liked the lead characters or been able to connect to their story. For example, with Mr Comittment.
However, I enjoyed His 'N' Hers. The key for me was liking both Jim and Alison despite their flaws, even more I loved them together. I thought that their relationship was well captured and developed and I loved the slow layering of events and emotions which bought them together and made up their story.
The element that I didn't enjoy was their break-up. Not because it was an anti-HEA but because it came so left of field, even though we knew from the off to expect a break up at some point. It didn't stem from an event or even a series of tiny events that suddenly ignited. Literally one page they were Jim and Alison and then the next they hated each other and were splitting upand sorting their possessions into boxes. I kept re-reading the pages around this event thibking that I had missed some vital clue, but it was genuinely just so sudden and it was never properly explained, it felt like it undermined their relationship and by the end I wasn't fully in support of them anymore because I didn't trust them not to break MY heart again with their snap decisions.and sudden out of love falling.
However, I enjoyed His 'N' Hers. The key for me was liking both Jim and Alison despite their flaws, even more I loved them together. I thought that their relationship was well captured and developed and I loved the slow layering of events and emotions which bought them together and made up their story.
The element that I didn't enjoy was their break-up. Not because it was an anti-HEA but because it came so left of field, even though we knew from the off to expect a break up at some point. It didn't stem from an event or even a series of tiny events that suddenly ignited. Literally one page they were Jim and Alison and then the next they hated each other and were splitting upand sorting their possessions into boxes. I kept re-reading the pages around this event thibking that I had missed some vital clue, but it was genuinely just so sudden and it was never properly explained, it felt like it undermined their relationship and by the end I wasn't fully in support of them anymore because I didn't trust them not to break MY heart again with their snap decisions.and sudden out of love falling.
debrasbookcafe's review against another edition
5.0
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