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landminecat's review
5.0
A relatable, emotional, funny, compassionate, and heart-breaking novel. I was utterly engrossed and emotionally hooked throughout.
Maybe I could say that once in a while the dialogue doesn't land perfectly or some elements get a little predictable, but I'd have to be really nitpicking. Overall I can't fault it. Excellent debut.
Maybe I could say that once in a while the dialogue doesn't land perfectly or some elements get a little predictable, but I'd have to be really nitpicking. Overall I can't fault it. Excellent debut.
beccalibrary's review
4.0
As soon as I saw this book pop up in my emails I had to sign up for the tour. I’ve worked in a call centre for the last couple of years so loved the idea of attempting to put different words into calls!
This was a hard book to put down, I just kept wanting to carry on. The story was wonderful with so many though provoking moments, I enjoyed the chemistry between everyone along with all of the character building.
The sarcasm and humour of the story was hilarious, I’ve not seen a book before that can be serious with some extremely heavy and important topics but also so funny!
I genuinely can’t recommend this book enough!
This was a hard book to put down, I just kept wanting to carry on. The story was wonderful with so many though provoking moments, I enjoyed the chemistry between everyone along with all of the character building.
The sarcasm and humour of the story was hilarious, I’ve not seen a book before that can be serious with some extremely heavy and important topics but also so funny!
I genuinely can’t recommend this book enough!
cathodg's review
3.0
I can’t lie this is a slightly odd book, a single narrative perspective, it is Wendy’s story. If you’ve read and enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine or The Rosie Project books then I think you’ll really enjoy this. Many chapters in the book didn’t happen and when you begin to understand the way Wendy’s mind work the story is insightful and you realise you’re being given a secret look at her inner most thoughts and feelings. A tale of friendship and always feeling like an outsider it is both funny and sad. An honest and gentle story.
ems_99's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Such a lovely, massively underrated read! I love the style, it is funny, sweet but also really sad and is such a playful yet real take on an unreliable narrator. Felt so magical and unique yet real and so charming!
caleykapowski's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
theoverbookedbibliophile's review
4.0
As the story begins we meet Wendy, who has just committed a felony, an “ art heist”, and is hiding out in the attic of the house she shares with her Gran who raised her. As the narrative progresses, Wendy, who loves writing poetry and learning new words, takes us through the sequence of events that has led to her present state. Unemployed after her love for using big words lands her in trouble in her call-center job, she finds herself alone and depressed, not quite motivated to search for a job. Her friendship with Catriona, “Cat”, proves to bring a breath of fresh air into her life. Socially uncomfortable, with only few friends and lonely, Wendy finds a fast friend in Cat, an aspiring artist and ex-colleague who is also struggling, with whom she has fun (and gets into trouble) and can share her fantasies, stories and poetry, her insecurities and her fears.
Wendy is quirky and endearing and her worldview is unique – partially influenced by her inability to socialize on a large scale and , partially because she traverses between reality and fantasy. However, her story is about much more than how two lost souls find comfort and friendship in one another and the author skillfully turns the discussion toward more sensitive topics, while keeping the tone compassionate but impactful. While friendship with Cat allows Wendy to evolve and find her own voice , it also encourages her to take stock of her own life and understand the motivations of those around her. The author does a wonderful job of depicting Wendy’s feelings of inadequacy and her struggles that she shares in her own words as she begins to comprehend that she is not alone and others, whose lives may seem more put together, might also be struggling . With humor and compassion, author Kenny Boyle touches upon themes of friendship, trust, bullying, mental health and how important kindness, communication, and conversation is for helping those who are struggling. Well-written and insightful, humorous and heartbreaking but hopeful, The Tick and the Tock of the Crocodile Clock by Kenny Boyle is a story that touches your heart.
Many thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All views expressed in this review are my own.
“’Because not everyone who stands at the top of the mountain falls,’ Lily tells me softly, ‘but when people think they might, it’s important they get help. Don’t you agree?’ ”
( TW: Depression, bullying, suicide)
Wendy is quirky and endearing and her worldview is unique – partially influenced by her inability to socialize on a large scale and , partially because she traverses between reality and fantasy. However, her story is about much more than how two lost souls find comfort and friendship in one another and the author skillfully turns the discussion toward more sensitive topics, while keeping the tone compassionate but impactful. While friendship with Cat allows Wendy to evolve and find her own voice , it also encourages her to take stock of her own life and understand the motivations of those around her. The author does a wonderful job of depicting Wendy’s feelings of inadequacy and her struggles that she shares in her own words as she begins to comprehend that she is not alone and others, whose lives may seem more put together, might also be struggling . With humor and compassion, author Kenny Boyle touches upon themes of friendship, trust, bullying, mental health and how important kindness, communication, and conversation is for helping those who are struggling. Well-written and insightful, humorous and heartbreaking but hopeful, The Tick and the Tock of the Crocodile Clock by Kenny Boyle is a story that touches your heart.
Many thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All views expressed in this review are my own.
“’Because not everyone who stands at the top of the mountain falls,’ Lily tells me softly, ‘but when people think they might, it’s important they get help. Don’t you agree?’ ”
( TW: Depression, bullying, suicide)
toasted_owl's review
4.0
I think it was a fascinating choice to write the book from the perspective of Wendy, as she is so naive and struggling in the world. It was a great way to put yourself directly into her shoes, and you shared in her joy and sorrow by seeing things from her perspective. At the same time, it was challenging when she wouldn't see the bigger picture, particularly in how she was treated by others. However, you get to grow with her as she figures things out as well.
Structurally, the book goes back and forth in the timeline and narrative, and given Wendy's propensity to tell tall tales, it occasionally was challenging to determine whether something was actually happening or not. There is a particular fakeout near the end that was hard.
Overall, I thought this was a unique and charming story, with its own quirks - all of which could be used to describe Wendy and Cat. If you are someone that has struggled with anxiety or other mental health issues, or just struggled socially, I think this would be an interesting book.
It reminded me of Everyone In This Room Will Someday Die by Emily Austin, so if you liked that book, I'd recommend this (and vice versa).
Structurally, the book goes back and forth in the timeline and narrative, and given Wendy's propensity to tell tall tales, it occasionally was challenging to determine whether something was actually happening or not. There is a particular fakeout near the end that was hard.
Overall, I thought this was a unique and charming story, with its own quirks - all of which could be used to describe Wendy and Cat. If you are someone that has struggled with anxiety or other mental health issues, or just struggled socially, I think this would be an interesting book.
It reminded me of Everyone In This Room Will Someday Die by Emily Austin, so if you liked that book, I'd recommend this (and vice versa).
foreverawordaway's review
4.0
Wendy is an aspiring poet who is bored with her job at the call centre. With a love for words it is no wonder she decides to spice up her customer calls — which ultimately ends in disaster, and causes her to be fired. This is when she meets wild-child Cat who challenges Wendy to do things out of her comfort zone. Will this new found friendship be the making or breaking of Wendy?
This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions from the very first page — I honestly didn’t know if I should laugh or cry! I loved the connection that Wendy and Cat develop. The fact that this relationship stirred so much genuine emotion in me is proof of how well the characters are written. I loved every minute of this story — I just wish it had been longer as I thought there was so much that could have been expanded upon. It is a light, easy read and I loved the author’s writing style.
I would definitely read more of the by this author’s work and I have a few friends who I will be recommending this book to.
SPOILER
This book deals with some pretty heavy topics including depression and suicide. I thought the author approached these topics very well. I remember reading Looking For Alaska by John Green when I was younger, and it has stuck with me all these years later. I feel like this book gave me the same vibes and I think this will also stick with me for a very long time.
TW: Depression and suicide.
This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions from the very first page — I honestly didn’t know if I should laugh or cry! I loved the connection that Wendy and Cat develop. The fact that this relationship stirred so much genuine emotion in me is proof of how well the characters are written. I loved every minute of this story — I just wish it had been longer as I thought there was so much that could have been expanded upon. It is a light, easy read and I loved the author’s writing style.
I would definitely read more of the by this author’s work and I have a few friends who I will be recommending this book to.
SPOILER
This book deals with some pretty heavy topics including depression and suicide. I thought the author approached these topics very well. I remember reading Looking For Alaska by John Green when I was younger, and it has stuck with me all these years later. I feel like this book gave me the same vibes and I think this will also stick with me for a very long time.
TW: Depression and suicide.
persephonexxvi's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This was an emotional rollercoaster.
First I was expecting a buddy-heist with a couple of daft lassies being pals around Glasgow. Certainly delivered on that part as I got a intense nostalgia hit toward the beginnings of one of my dearest friendships. Just the days and nights (not) wasted talking about anything and everything, worrying you sounded weird and then realising your friend didn't care because they're weird too. It felt like a very real portrayal of a budding and intense female friendship.
Then the book turns. I hadn't read any spoilers so didn't know that I was in for a steep drop into trying not to cry on my lunch break at work. I don't really want to spoil it for others so I shall say this: I thought the author handled this all quite delicately, but realistically (the anger especially), and it was obvious there was some personal experience in there with Wendy's realisation about her own health.
Overall, very funny, very tragic but also very real. The main character isn't exactly like me, but I related to her a lot, especially her flights of fancy imagining the things she WISHED she'd said to people, and it's just great to read something where someone is human, flaws and all, but you still like them anyway.
Just over four stars because of the part of me that desperately wanted more adventures with Cat first!
First I was expecting a buddy-heist with a couple of daft lassies being pals around Glasgow. Certainly delivered on that part as I got a intense nostalgia hit toward the beginnings of one of my dearest friendships. Just the days and nights (not) wasted talking about anything and everything, worrying you sounded weird and then realising your friend didn't care because they're weird too. It felt like a very real portrayal of a budding and intense female friendship.
Then the book turns. I hadn't read any spoilers so didn't know that I was in for a steep drop into trying not to cry on my lunch break at work. I don't really want to spoil it for others so I shall say this: I thought the author handled this all quite delicately, but realistically (the anger especially), and it was obvious there was some personal experience in there with Wendy's realisation about her own health.
Overall, very funny, very tragic but also very real. The main character isn't exactly like me, but I related to her a lot, especially her flights of fancy imagining the things she WISHED she'd said to people, and it's just great to read something where someone is human, flaws and all, but you still like them anyway.
Just over four stars because of the part of me that desperately wanted more adventures with Cat first!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Abandonment
the_abundant_word's review
5.0
I was gifted this book by Lovebookstours in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t read that many thrillers but something about this book really piqued my interest because it seemed so unique. I was NOT disappointed at all!! This stunning book was grim, clever, relatable, quirky, insightful, heartbreaking… I flew threw it in one sitting (which is rare for me).
I found the main character Wendy to be so authentic, showing how the high-functioning anxious mind works. Her experiences and the way she tells them made me want to hug her tight. She’s an over thinker, a pleaser and a creative… Her narration was so endearing. Her friendship with Cat was charming. I really loved them and their beautiful, witty exchanges. I also had a special place in my heart for Wendy’s Gran!
This story conveyed the multiple stressors and dilemmas people face in life, along with the difference between internal and external responses to them. The dark humour is maybe not characteristic of a conventional thriller, but there was oodles of tension and it really worked for me.
This captivating debut has left me certain that I will be auto-buying the author’s future work!
TW: Death, drugs
I don’t read that many thrillers but something about this book really piqued my interest because it seemed so unique. I was NOT disappointed at all!! This stunning book was grim, clever, relatable, quirky, insightful, heartbreaking… I flew threw it in one sitting (which is rare for me).
I found the main character Wendy to be so authentic, showing how the high-functioning anxious mind works. Her experiences and the way she tells them made me want to hug her tight. She’s an over thinker, a pleaser and a creative… Her narration was so endearing. Her friendship with Cat was charming. I really loved them and their beautiful, witty exchanges. I also had a special place in my heart for Wendy’s Gran!
This story conveyed the multiple stressors and dilemmas people face in life, along with the difference between internal and external responses to them. The dark humour is maybe not characteristic of a conventional thriller, but there was oodles of tension and it really worked for me.
This captivating debut has left me certain that I will be auto-buying the author’s future work!
TW: Death, drugs