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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
3.5 Stars
Adulting is hard and no one knows this more than Laura. Newly installed into an illegal boarding house, she unexpectedly gets the support she needs. With new friendships, everything might turn out okay after all.
The dialogue is fantastic. I adored the interactions and cheeky conversations between the characters, particularly in group settings. The narrative could bog down and feel dry at times. I don't remember thinking that while reading The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, which was my first (and continues to be my favorite) by Abbi.
While I wish this had featured multiple narrators, Emily Rankin is fantastic. I have enjoyed her performances several times in the past.
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy and PRH audio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Adulting is hard and no one knows this more than Laura. Newly installed into an illegal boarding house, she unexpectedly gets the support she needs. With new friendships, everything might turn out okay after all.
The dialogue is fantastic. I adored the interactions and cheeky conversations between the characters, particularly in group settings. The narrative could bog down and feel dry at times. I don't remember thinking that while reading The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, which was my first (and continues to be my favorite) by Abbi.
While I wish this had featured multiple narrators, Emily Rankin is fantastic. I have enjoyed her performances several times in the past.
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy and PRH audio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.
I loved The Bookish Life of Nina Hill so much but this book did not hold my attention. I started skimming and gave up towards the end.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
DNF—maybe it’s because I didn’t read the first book? But I got 200 pages into this one and nothing had happened. The characters are all a bit ‘tumblr quirky’ which gets old really quickly. The meandering conversations that go nowhere mixed with the odd pacing left me more bored reading this book than just looking at the wall.
And the changing perspectives! I absolutely loathe that in a book. I want to stick with one or two perspectives, and I sure as hell don’t want to be changing who’s head I’m in mid-paragraph. It seems disorganized and almost lazy to me.
Not the worst book I’ve ever read, but definitely not for me.
And the changing perspectives! I absolutely loathe that in a book. I want to stick with one or two perspectives, and I sure as hell don’t want to be changing who’s head I’m in mid-paragraph. It seems disorganized and almost lazy to me.
Not the worst book I’ve ever read, but definitely not for me.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book, but wasn't completely in love with it. The plot fell a bit flat for me and at times I found myself speeding through some monotonously descriptive scenes that did very little for advancing the story development. The characters were a bit underdeveloped (Polly would have made more sense as a main character - so much rich backstory potential with her quirky personality and recent sobriety), and some of them were downright unbelievable and unlikeable (ahem, Nick).
OR maybe my expectations were a bit high after reading (and loving) The Bookish Life of Nina Hill!? I loved that Nina made frequent appearances in this book, but her charm wasn't quite as... charming... as I remember from BLNH :)
I did enjoy pieces of it and was obviously entertained enough to finish reading. I was just hoping for a bit more oomph or heart, especially since there were so many potential relationship dynamics to explore.
OR maybe my expectations were a bit high after reading (and loving) The Bookish Life of Nina Hill!? I loved that Nina made frequent appearances in this book, but her charm wasn't quite as... charming... as I remember from BLNH :)
I did enjoy pieces of it and was obviously entertained enough to finish reading. I was just hoping for a bit more oomph or heart, especially since there were so many potential relationship dynamics to explore.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved the characters and they all kept me coming back to the book. I thought the ending was a bit weak and it left me wanting more