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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Olive just seemed a bit too unlikable & immature with how she handled her friends going through different life experiences than her own.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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 found this book very interesting. It is the first time I have read about someone who really didn't want to have children and why they didn't want to have children. I liked the main character Olive and her friends and I enjoyed finding out about their lives and how their friendship changed over the years. The story opened my eyes and mind to a new way of thinking that I had never explored before.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
funny
sad
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:
Complicated
The writing style was good, but there was not enough depth to the relationships with any of the side characters to sustain them as important to Olive or the plot. I found myself not really buying in, caring much, or feeling it to be believable. They were just plot devices for various arguments against parenthood and it felt a bit exploitative when the author expected you to care about them and feel awful in the context of these issues. Instead of compassion it brewed frustration from the reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this was exactly what I needed in this moment of my life
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Ok, I have put off writing this review because I don’t know where to start so I’m just going to type away.
I see the reviews are mixed but somehow this book really scratched an itch for me.
It helped that I went in knowing the topic was mostly motherhood and friendships in light of that, so I knew what I was in for. And the main character and her reasonings just resonated a lot with me.
As a person who was on the fence about having kids for a long time, finally became a mom, loves being a mom, I can still fully identify with Olive and not wanting kids either. Even though I am a mother, her thoughts and feelings all made me feel more seen and heard…
It's weird how I identify with her so much more than with her friends.
I disliked her mom friends, even though their actions seem very realistic from what I see around me.
It really shows how society expects things of women and moms specifically, how becoming a mom or your friends becoming parents just changes a ton of things and it's not often for the better.
I found the writing good enough and the only thing I would like to add is that somehow it didn’t really read as a novel to me? More like an engrossing, real slice-of-life recording of what life and friendships can look like in this period of a woman’s life. I mean, there is plot, but I don’t think that’s what I’ll recall in a while. I might actually reread this one so this is more of a personal 5 stars for me than an actual perfect book.
PS: I could have done without Olive wearing the 'baby on board' badge all the time, that's just shitty and unnecessary.
I see the reviews are mixed but somehow this book really scratched an itch for me.
It helped that I went in knowing the topic was mostly motherhood and friendships in light of that, so I knew what I was in for. And the main character and her reasonings just resonated a lot with me.
As a person who was on the fence about having kids for a long time, finally became a mom, loves being a mom, I can still fully identify with Olive and not wanting kids either. Even though I am a mother, her thoughts and feelings all made me feel more seen and heard…
It's weird how I identify with her so much more than with her friends.
I disliked her mom friends, even though their actions seem very realistic from what I see around me.
It really shows how society expects things of women and moms specifically, how becoming a mom or your friends becoming parents just changes a ton of things and it's not often for the better.
I found the writing good enough and the only thing I would like to add is that somehow it didn’t really read as a novel to me? More like an engrossing, real slice-of-life recording of what life and friendships can look like in this period of a woman’s life. I mean, there is plot, but I don’t think that’s what I’ll recall in a while. I might actually reread this one so this is more of a personal 5 stars for me than an actual perfect book.
PS: I could have done without Olive wearing the 'baby on board' badge all the time, that's just shitty and unnecessary.