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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I have mixed feelings about this book, mostly because, as someone who does not want to have kids, I felt very let down by the end: Why did Olive need a teenage step daughter to ‘feel needed’? I just wish we would finally get books about women who choose to be childfree without them being written as ‘mothers’ of some sort. You don’t need motherhood in whichever form to feel complete!
Also: Why is Olive’s boss constantly oversharing her plans for sex retreats and ayahuasca? What kind of work deadlines does Olive have that it’s okay to take the duration of someone else’s maternity leave to write an online magazine article? Why does Olive not tell her friends that she has broken up with her boyfriend for months? What kind of friends don’t check in with you when your 9-years-long relationship ends and just assume “you’re fine”? Why is Olive talking to a fertility specialist about NOT wanting kids? Why is Isla assuming that Olive will be her surrogate after a drunken throwaway comment and is angry at her for weeks for taking away that option by not wanting kids, while never having had a serious conversation with Olive about the topic in the first place? Why are the still friends with Isla?! She is simply unbearable! Rant over.
Also: Why is Olive’s boss constantly oversharing her plans for sex retreats and ayahuasca? What kind of work deadlines does Olive have that it’s okay to take the duration of someone else’s maternity leave to write an online magazine article? Why does Olive not tell her friends that she has broken up with her boyfriend for months? What kind of friends don’t check in with you when your 9-years-long relationship ends and just assume “you’re fine”? Why is Olive talking to a fertility specialist about NOT wanting kids? Why is Isla assuming that Olive will be her surrogate after a drunken throwaway comment and is angry at her for weeks for taking away that option by not wanting kids, while never having had a serious conversation with Olive about the topic in the first place? Why are the still friends with Isla?! She is simply unbearable! Rant over.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I could’ve done without the stepchildren ending but it was nice to have some childfree representation for the most part
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This one is for the Dolly Alderton/Meg Mason basic london white middle class bitches (who also hate kids)! As much as I hate to admit it I do have a bit of that in me so I quite enjoyed despite the book being pretty flawed.
Main good points were great pacing and interesting discussions about different approaches to motherhood and not motherhood. It was nice to get a story very centered on a woman who didn't want kids. I enjoyed the lil quotes about not wanting kids interespersed throughout the book. The plot did plot when it needed to, which made this a very compulsively readable and light read. The main four characters were pretty compelling in their different outlooks on life.
HOWEVER, boy does it also have its flaws. The writing stood out to me as being quite bad, and I am not usually very sensitive to bad writing, Olive's inner monologue was way overwritten and said too many of her random self righteous opinions that were already obvious from the context in a kind of jarring way (think - "I just don't like it when people are inconsiderate of others feelings" no shit). Some of the dialogue also did not really feel very realistic to me in that these characters would start shit for like no reason and never resolve it in a normal adult way. Also, not buying that Olive would just not mention her huge breakup for literal months.Finally, that she becomes her stepdaughters new bestie within weeks was pretty unbelievable, especially since the rest of the book frames her as explicitly not wanting kids.
Pretty sure this was rec'd by VLM, I love her and she has taste in a lot of ways but I think not in books (extremely rich white girl books).
Main good points were great pacing and interesting discussions about different approaches to motherhood and not motherhood. It was nice to get a story very centered on a woman who didn't want kids. I enjoyed the lil quotes about not wanting kids interespersed throughout the book. The plot did plot when it needed to, which made this a very compulsively readable and light read. The main four characters were pretty compelling in their different outlooks on life.
HOWEVER, boy does it also have its flaws. The writing stood out to me as being quite bad, and I am not usually very sensitive to bad writing, Olive's inner monologue was way overwritten and said too many of her random self righteous opinions that were already obvious from the context in a kind of jarring way (think - "I just don't like it when people are inconsiderate of others feelings" no shit). Some of the dialogue also did not really feel very realistic to me in that these characters would start shit for like no reason and never resolve it in a normal adult way. Also, not buying that Olive would just not mention her huge breakup for literal months.
Pretty sure this was rec'd by VLM, I love her and she has taste in a lot of ways but I think not in books (extremely rich white girl books).
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought the premise was interesting but I feel like the story wasn’t super cohesive and ended up getting really bored/feeling like it was aimlessly dragging on around the middle parts. I also really didn’t like the main character but not in a “the character was written well to make her intentionally complex and unlikable” way, she just seemed really immature and I don’t think ever grew throughout the novel? Some things she did were just incredibly selfish and unaware (bringing her friend with children to an event meant to be a safe space for child free adults; contacting her ex partner who’s having a baby with someone else and telling him she wishes it were her in another timeline???). i also just felt like the book couldve had more depth on how choosing to be child free comes with feeling misunderstood (e.g., higher expectations or responsibilities at work because she didnt have children) but what they did touch on felt very surface level. i just felt it hard to sympathize with olive bc she had 0 sympathy for her friends and honestly just needed to grow up, move on, and realize that they werent in college anymore
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was so disappointed by this book. It seemed like such an interesting topic - esp. As a 30ish woman who is debating being child free- but while the concept was great, the writing let it down. Such a shame as I thought there were some really interesting conversations happening here. I also feel there was a lack of sensitivity around some incredibly sensitive topics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility
Moderate: Eating disorder, Death of parent
I love the concept of this book, even though I have children I think this is a really important conversation that should be spoken about more widely and normalise this choice.
It was just executed poorly unfortunately and I was desperate for the last 150 pages or so to fly by so I could just finish it.
Every now and then it felt like the characters were going to be developed and rounded and then the scenario or speech was just not believable and spoiled it.
I felt for olive that her friends were disinterested in her break up and this important life choice but then cringey unbelievable things like becoming her boyfriend’s teenage daughter’s confidant after three meetings just irritated me - or at least build the world and scene set so it is believable to your reader!
It was just executed poorly unfortunately and I was desperate for the last 150 pages or so to fly by so I could just finish it.
Every now and then it felt like the characters were going to be developed and rounded and then the scenario or speech was just not believable and spoiled it.
I felt for olive that her friends were disinterested in her break up and this important life choice but then cringey unbelievable things like becoming her boyfriend’s teenage daughter’s confidant after three meetings just irritated me - or at least build the world and scene set so it is believable to your reader!