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foxcrofty's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This is a fun story. It has the exact pacing and formula of a Nancy Drew book set against the backdrop of turn of the century London. I will say, I think the fact that I listened to the audio book rather than reading it directly probably saved this for me. I may have dnf'd it were it not for the charming performance of the narrator.
Certain parts of this I liked. The dynamic between Cleo and Mr. Armitage (Harry) is fun and flirty and the fact that it's probably going to slow burn through all four books will keep me listening. The mystery is pretty standard but I didn't figure it out too soon (this may be because I was doing other things while listening).
The parts of this that bugged me were the moments where the writing is just a bit vapid. Cleo's character kind of oscillates between being funny and clever to fixating on how everything looks constantly. And the way she describes herself in certain sections had my rolling my eyes a bit. She's got a bit of "not like other girls" syndrome but not enough to put me completely out.
All in all a fun little story and a good listen while trying to get stuff done.
Certain parts of this I liked. The dynamic between Cleo and Mr. Armitage (Harry) is fun and flirty and the fact that it's probably going to slow burn through all four books will keep me listening. The mystery is pretty standard but I didn't figure it out too soon (this may be because I was doing other things while listening).
The parts of this that bugged me were the moments where the writing is just a bit vapid. Cleo's character kind of oscillates between being funny and clever to fixating on how everything looks constantly. And the way she describes herself in certain sections had my rolling my eyes a bit. She's got a bit of "not like other girls" syndrome but not enough to put me completely out.
All in all a fun little story and a good listen while trying to get stuff done.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Classism, Grief, and Misogyny
Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, and Fatphobia
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