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geisttull's review against another edition
4.0
interesting characters and relationships. deals with lots of issues - not just romance.
bonniew's review against another edition
4.0
If you liked ghost by Dolly Alderton, you'll like this.
zeta's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
5.0
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
2.0
I could only get through half of this book. It was just so crude and vulgar that I didn't want to read any more.
eve_kaarina's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
emily_loves_2_read's review against another edition
4.0
Not Exactly What I Had In Mind
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 6/28/22
Author: Kate Brook
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 352
Goodreads Rating: 3.28
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dutton and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Hazel and Alfie have just moved in together as roommates and just slept together. Due to financial reasons, they need to find a way to keep living together. Then Hazel's sister, Emily, and her wife, Daria, come for a visit, and Hazel's and Alfie's feelings about each other are pushed to the side in the whirlwind of their arrival. As the lives of Hazel, Alfie, Emily, and Daria collide, a complicated chain of events begins to bind them all together, bringing joy and heartache, hope and anxiety, and reshaping their relationships in ways that no one quite predicted.
My Thoughts: This is my first book from this author and I would be interested into adding others to my TBR. The characters are developed well with layers of depth, emotional, have chemistry, and the relationships are built over the course of the story. The characters were relatable and likable. The author’s writing style reminds of Sally Rooney, it is complex, creative, and unique. This story tackles various issues such as mental health, gay/lesbian relationship, genealogy, environmental concerns, and how having kids in today’s environment will impact the world. The only con was the ending for me, it was not what I expected and/or wanted. However, overall, this was a good read and I enjoyed it. This book was released last month.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 6/28/22
Author: Kate Brook
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 352
Goodreads Rating: 3.28
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dutton and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Hazel and Alfie have just moved in together as roommates and just slept together. Due to financial reasons, they need to find a way to keep living together. Then Hazel's sister, Emily, and her wife, Daria, come for a visit, and Hazel's and Alfie's feelings about each other are pushed to the side in the whirlwind of their arrival. As the lives of Hazel, Alfie, Emily, and Daria collide, a complicated chain of events begins to bind them all together, bringing joy and heartache, hope and anxiety, and reshaping their relationships in ways that no one quite predicted.
My Thoughts: This is my first book from this author and I would be interested into adding others to my TBR. The characters are developed well with layers of depth, emotional, have chemistry, and the relationships are built over the course of the story. The characters were relatable and likable. The author’s writing style reminds of Sally Rooney, it is complex, creative, and unique. This story tackles various issues such as mental health, gay/lesbian relationship, genealogy, environmental concerns, and how having kids in today’s environment will impact the world. The only con was the ending for me, it was not what I expected and/or wanted. However, overall, this was a good read and I enjoyed it. This book was released last month.
biggiantloser's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
silky_klaarwater's review against another edition
4.0
Only downside is that Miles was still alive at the end of the book....
danidsfavereads's review against another edition
4.0
CW: revenge porn, miscarriage
This was different and unexpected. 3.5 ⭐️
This was different and unexpected. 3.5 ⭐️
paragraphsandpages's review against another edition
3.0
For most of this book, I didn't understand why it already had such a low rating on Goodreads already. The writing was funny, I generally liked most of the characters, and I found myself cheering along most of them on their various journeys. Sure, there's a lot of angst and pining from certain POVs, and a character I greatly disliked hung around a bit too long, but there was enough for me to enjoy that I didn't really find myself minding it too much.
But then I got to the epilogue.
I'm sorry, but what the fuck was that? I don't mind these little slice of life epilogues to see where the characters ended up, especially after an open ending, but this one was just frustrating beyond belief. I understand that I have lived through a pandemic and that it was traumatic in ways I may not have fully unpacked yet, but I do NOT want it in my fiction. I do not want to feel safely lulled into a fictional world only to be slapped in the face, constantly, with miscellaneous pandemic references. This entire epilogue reads as a 'what would your characters do if they were in the pandemic' AU fanfic, and I'm honestly still angry and reeling from it all if I think about it. It's not even a slight reference, but almost like a long list of how it uprooted everyone's plans suddenly and how characters lost people to it, how nothing is the same and how they're now 'cherishing their freedoms' after the ending of a third lockdown. I'm sorry, but no, you don't just suddenly add that in after the book's basically already finished. You can't just throw in character death right at the end for pity points, just for the heck of it, for absolutely no reason! I literally cannot think of a single good reason for the existence of this epilogue, and literally just writing about it in depth makes me want to take another star off just for it.
The rest of the book was also not perfect but it was at least enjoyable, for the most part. The book attempts to tackle a lot, and not all of it is as well done as it could've been, mainly because there's just not enough space for it all. This is especially true for everything at the end, where all the character's individual sudden tragedies almost seem to fight for attention, with a clear winner. And even that winning tragedy doesn't get near enough space to be fully tied up, in a sense. But still, none of this really bothered me all that much, because while this book never would've made a 5 star for me, it was still a strong contender for a 4 star read.
I generally enjoyed my time here, but as always, the endings/epilogues always play a larger role in the final reviews of readers, including myself, just because it's the last thing we read. And if all the joy the book brought is completely overshadowed by the mess of an ending or the frustration an epilogue brought, then that's what we readers will remember. We won't remember the cute moments, the way our hearts broke. And unfortunately that's exactly what happened here, as when I think of this book, my brain will undoubtedly always remember the epilogue. So if you do decide to pick up this book still, I'd recommend just skipping it, just so you're not stuck in the same boat I'm now in with this book.
But then I got to the epilogue.
I'm sorry, but what the fuck was that? I don't mind these little slice of life epilogues to see where the characters ended up, especially after an open ending, but this one was just frustrating beyond belief. I understand that I have lived through a pandemic and that it was traumatic in ways I may not have fully unpacked yet, but I do NOT want it in my fiction. I do not want to feel safely lulled into a fictional world only to be slapped in the face, constantly, with miscellaneous pandemic references. This entire epilogue reads as a 'what would your characters do if they were in the pandemic' AU fanfic, and I'm honestly still angry and reeling from it all if I think about it. It's not even a slight reference, but almost like a long list of how it uprooted everyone's plans suddenly and how characters lost people to it, how nothing is the same and how they're now 'cherishing their freedoms' after the ending of a third lockdown. I'm sorry, but no, you don't just suddenly add that in after the book's basically already finished. You can't just throw in character death right at the end for pity points, just for the heck of it, for absolutely no reason! I literally cannot think of a single good reason for the existence of this epilogue, and literally just writing about it in depth makes me want to take another star off just for it.
The rest of the book was also not perfect but it was at least enjoyable, for the most part. The book attempts to tackle a lot, and not all of it is as well done as it could've been, mainly because there's just not enough space for it all. This is especially true for everything at the end, where all the character's individual sudden tragedies almost seem to fight for attention, with a clear winner. And even that winning tragedy doesn't get near enough space to be fully tied up, in a sense. But still, none of this really bothered me all that much, because while this book never would've made a 5 star for me, it was still a strong contender for a 4 star read.
I generally enjoyed my time here, but as always, the endings/epilogues always play a larger role in the final reviews of readers, including myself, just because it's the last thing we read. And if all the joy the book brought is completely overshadowed by the mess of an ending or the frustration an epilogue brought, then that's what we readers will remember. We won't remember the cute moments, the way our hearts broke. And unfortunately that's exactly what happened here, as when I think of this book, my brain will undoubtedly always remember the epilogue. So if you do decide to pick up this book still, I'd recommend just skipping it, just so you're not stuck in the same boat I'm now in with this book.