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jessicalarson125's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Chronic illness
missrosymaplemoth's review
3.75
An intriguing mystery that unfolds at a good, steady pace. It wasn’t traditionally predictable for me and I enjoyed being made to keep guessing. I did think there were a lot of cheesy, uncharacteristic monologues. The main character is constantly the victim of other people’s rude actions and poor choices, and at times it felt like an endless barrage. Very meta, a book about an author who writes books about an author- depending on the reader, this could be a pro or a con. Overall just “meh,” no strong feelings either way but I would recommend it to women in the main character’s age range (late thirties-mid forties).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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
I loved the synopsis for this one but was quite hesitant to start it incase I didn’t end up enjoying it.
However I shouldn’t have doubted myself. I really enjoyed this book!
I loved the journey that Liv went on and how much she had developed her confidence by the end of the book. It was really nice to read!
I didn’t expect the twist towards the end and I actually enjoyed how that was fed into the storyline.
The one thing that did bug me was that at the beginning I feel like the author got mixed up when referring to Johnny or Jake - I think their names may have been mixed up a couple of times which is an easy mistake to make since both their names start with J!
Other than that, I thought this was a solid book and easy to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Grief
tctimlin's review against another edition
adventurous
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
I totally enjoyed this story of middle-aged, middle-class Liv, mother of two, financially strapped, cleaning houses while escaping through contemporary chick lit (she mentions lots of popular authors/books). Her favorite job is cleaning for her favorite author, the recluse Essie Starling, who is always kind to Liv even though she is difficult with everyone else. When the author dies, Liv is tasked with finishing her unfinished novel, and as she attempts to figure out who Essie would have cast as her “hero” she ends up exploring Essie’s mysterious past, and learning a great deal about herself along the way. Sometimes you have to learn to be the hero in your own life.
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Death, and Death of parent
sleeson's review against another edition
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
A lighthearted gentle audiobook. It felt a little longer than necessary. I wasn’t too impressed with the ending, however, I am still glad I got to listen to the audiobook. The characters weren’t lovable but some were relatable. No sexual content.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
gcreed13's review
emotional
inspiring
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent and Alcoholism
what_heather_loves's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
"As she was discovering more about Essie, Liv was finding things out about herself too...She felt like a very different person to the one who sat timedly with Essie nibbling tiny cakes in the kitchen."
Present day London and 42 year old mother of two, Olivia (Liv) Green works as a cleaner. Thanks to her late father, a university writing professor and to the Georgia Rory series of books, she dreams of being a writer. Fortunate to find herself cleaning for the author of the Georgia Rory books, reclusive and spiky Essie Starling, nervous Liv is given a dilemma when Essie dies unexpectedly and wants her to finish her last novel. Will Liv take a risk and why does Essie need her help?
Told from protagonist Liv's perspective, the reader learns about her life with preoccupied childhood sweetheart Jake, and their teenage sons, bound for university. Close to her mum, they both miss her late father, who inspires Liv to write. As she decides to find out more about Essie's life, whilst keeping her death a secret until publication date, Liv also finds out more about herself. Initially naive and perhaps too sweet, Liv (who also makes her own cleaning solutions), becomes braver, whisky staying true to herself and to Essie's wishes. Charming and full of hope, I will definitely search out the author's other books. Perfect for fans of Hazel Prior and Beth Morrey, this is wonderful uplit.
"If you meet something insurmountable, don't try ans fight it. It will only leave you withe bruises. The trick is to outsmart it and do something it wouldn't expect."
Present day London and 42 year old mother of two, Olivia (Liv) Green works as a cleaner. Thanks to her late father, a university writing professor and to the Georgia Rory series of books, she dreams of being a writer. Fortunate to find herself cleaning for the author of the Georgia Rory books, reclusive and spiky Essie Starling, nervous Liv is given a dilemma when Essie dies unexpectedly and wants her to finish her last novel. Will Liv take a risk and why does Essie need her help?
Told from protagonist Liv's perspective, the reader learns about her life with preoccupied childhood sweetheart Jake, and their teenage sons, bound for university. Close to her mum, they both miss her late father, who inspires Liv to write. As she decides to find out more about Essie's life, whilst keeping her death a secret until publication date, Liv also finds out more about herself. Initially naive and perhaps too sweet, Liv (who also makes her own cleaning solutions), becomes braver, whisky staying true to herself and to Essie's wishes. Charming and full of hope, I will definitely search out the author's other books. Perfect for fans of Hazel Prior and Beth Morrey, this is wonderful uplit.
"If you meet something insurmountable, don't try ans fight it. It will only leave you withe bruises. The trick is to outsmart it and do something it wouldn't expect."
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism and Grief
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