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steadyboyfriend's review against another edition
5.0
This book so so well written, it's like I had Ashworth's character Annie sitting right next to me as I read. Annie's voice came through the pages so loudly it's like a I was getting punched in the face (in a good way of course), she was completely believable and not overdone like I was afraid was going to happen. She progressed slowly throughout the book, becoming more and more crazy and even more self obsessed and indulgent. I couldn't put this book down, I read it in just under two days and that is only because I had to work. I just had to see what next crazy thing Annie was going to do next. Well done, this is my top read of this year.
mauviasorensen's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! I read this book in 3 days. I had to know what was up with this girl. I felt so attached to her that I felt guilty and disgusted by her actions for hours after finishing the book almost like it had been me. I think that is the beauty of a good story, being able to empathize enough to put yourself in their place. I was there with her until about the last 50 pages or so and then I was hoping someone would stop her. I do not recommend this book to friends who like happy endings or are skittish about sex.
ladyk23's review against another edition
3.0
A darkly comic tale says the goodreads blurb, and on the book too it talks about Ashworth’s “comic gift”. I don’t know if I was reading a different book but at no point did I think that the tale of a deranged neighbour from hell was in any way funny.
I was just yesterday having a conversation about favourite films and books, and I discovered then that my taste is more in favour of media that is a little dark and twisted. Black comedies in particular stood out to me as a genre that I appreciate more than I realised. Yet this book, which claims to sit in that same genre did not appeal to me at all in that sense.
It’s very well written so don’t think that my issues with the book have anything to do with Ashworth’s skills as an author. I was at a talk by the author last year and so I was not surprised by that fact. She made a great impression on me then, and discovering that she was from my home town gave me an affinity towards her that I doubt I would have had otherwise. As such I was very much looking forward to reading this, her debut novel.
My issues are more around how the book has been marketed. It’s a tough one to pigeonhole for sure as the main character is entirely unsympathetic (another thing I would disagree on with the blurb), and the situations she finds herself in are probably not scenarios that would regularly appear in the kinds of books that appeal to the masses. But I feel if it had been marketed better, it might have been read by the sort of audiences who would love it.
It’s certainly a tough read, and from the light way it’s depicted - poor fat girl struggling to fit in - you wouldn’t necessarily be prepared for the shocks to come. I know I wasn’t. It covers mental illness, the death of a baby, a murder, and an attempted murder. It’s not all sunshine and roses that’s for sure. And I’m not saying it should be. It pulls no punches, but I’m not sure that’s what I signed up for after reading the brief synopsis on the back of the cover.
In tone I would say that this book is quite similar to my brother’s debut novel. Although my brother’s novel - Free At Last A Novel - is definitely more darkly comedic than this book claims to be. And don’t get me started on what it says about people who grow up in Preston that they go on to write really dark and twisted characters when they grow up. That’s a topic for someone much more qualified than I.
One thing I will say about this book is that it has made me really curious as to the direction Ashworth’s writing has gone in since she wrote this.
The novel she came to talk about when I saw her was Fell, which seems a million miles away from this book, and whilst the book didn’t appeal to me at the time (it’s about two ghosts trapped in a house trying to communicate with their daughter who’s just moved back into the family home), that had more to do with the fact that I’d just recently finished reading Her Fearful Symmetry which seemed very similar. Now I would quite like to read it just to see how Ashworth’s writing has changed in the intervening years, and perhaps how she’s grown too.
If you like books very much based in reality, which has a few good twists and turns, and a very dark and disturbed main character, this is definitely one for you.
I was just yesterday having a conversation about favourite films and books, and I discovered then that my taste is more in favour of media that is a little dark and twisted. Black comedies in particular stood out to me as a genre that I appreciate more than I realised. Yet this book, which claims to sit in that same genre did not appeal to me at all in that sense.
It’s very well written so don’t think that my issues with the book have anything to do with Ashworth’s skills as an author. I was at a talk by the author last year and so I was not surprised by that fact. She made a great impression on me then, and discovering that she was from my home town gave me an affinity towards her that I doubt I would have had otherwise. As such I was very much looking forward to reading this, her debut novel.
My issues are more around how the book has been marketed. It’s a tough one to pigeonhole for sure as the main character is entirely unsympathetic (another thing I would disagree on with the blurb), and the situations she finds herself in are probably not scenarios that would regularly appear in the kinds of books that appeal to the masses. But I feel if it had been marketed better, it might have been read by the sort of audiences who would love it.
It’s certainly a tough read, and from the light way it’s depicted - poor fat girl struggling to fit in - you wouldn’t necessarily be prepared for the shocks to come. I know I wasn’t. It covers mental illness, the death of a baby, a murder, and an attempted murder. It’s not all sunshine and roses that’s for sure. And I’m not saying it should be. It pulls no punches, but I’m not sure that’s what I signed up for after reading the brief synopsis on the back of the cover.
In tone I would say that this book is quite similar to my brother’s debut novel. Although my brother’s novel - Free At Last A Novel - is definitely more darkly comedic than this book claims to be. And don’t get me started on what it says about people who grow up in Preston that they go on to write really dark and twisted characters when they grow up. That’s a topic for someone much more qualified than I.
One thing I will say about this book is that it has made me really curious as to the direction Ashworth’s writing has gone in since she wrote this.
The novel she came to talk about when I saw her was Fell, which seems a million miles away from this book, and whilst the book didn’t appeal to me at the time (it’s about two ghosts trapped in a house trying to communicate with their daughter who’s just moved back into the family home), that had more to do with the fact that I’d just recently finished reading Her Fearful Symmetry which seemed very similar. Now I would quite like to read it just to see how Ashworth’s writing has changed in the intervening years, and perhaps how she’s grown too.
If you like books very much based in reality, which has a few good twists and turns, and a very dark and disturbed main character, this is definitely one for you.
andintothetrees's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book! The suspense built perfectly towards the end and I loved that we were kept guessing as to what had happened to Annie in the past and what her plans were. It's also an excellent satire on suburban life; and I appreciated that none of the characters were solely good or bad - just like real people. I've docked a star because I felt the book's attitude towards Annie's weight often veered into fat-shaming, and because .
Spoiler
taken as a whole I feel the book could damage efforts to support/believe women who have experienced domestic abuseromcm's review against another edition
5.0
Disturbing. Like Gone Girl and Girl on the Train, the protagonist is odd from the start. But it's hard to not to feel sorry for her - she's had such a rough time. Can't we all just welcome her to the neighbourhood? And then things begin to get dark.
elliemcc11's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't sure of this book when I first started it but it actually turned out to be an interesting read, which I think really took on a pace more towards the end. Mainly a psychological drama, but also part crime (without court cases and gory details) novel, it's set in contemporary England in the town of Fleetwood. The main character is a female who is seeking attention and affection from men. She turns her attention to her neighbour who she believes feels the same about her. As the reader we see her descent into "madness" (too strong a word but am finding it hard to find another)as her obsession over her neighbour grows, and likewise we are able to rationalise her actions and see it from the point of view of the outsider. It made me just want to go "No. Don't do that. He doesn't love you." etc Whilst the story is set mainly around her obsession with this neighbour the story also flits back to the past, which helps provide a context and explanation (perhaps) for her actions.
ruthie_the_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
This was a book group read. I didn't finish it as I just wasn't enjoying it. It didn't help that a cover quote talks about how funny the author is...I just found it all very uncomfortable, even painful to read about someone who was so obviously damaged and in need of help.
laurynmailey's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0