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emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I’ve had this on my shelf for a good few years and for some reason, I just haven’t picked it up. It’s been on my 25 in ’25 list to read and I’m now annoyed this was on my shelf for so long.
Nina is a cookbook writer who found good success with her first book, but not long after splits with her long-term boyfriend. We pick up the story a little while after this has happened, after plunging herself into her career - Nina is ready to dip her toe into online dating. At the same time she is juggling a complicated relationship with her Mum and her Dad’s declining health and memory.
I enjoyed this, it was a mixed story about family, friendships and the messiness of a life reset that happens when you are in your 30s after a relationship breakup.
I loved Nina and felt like she was an interesting character with depth, showing strength, loyalty, vulnerability and humour through all different areas of her life. Her friend Lola was also a star character in the the plot too.
Title is clever and applies to many of the relationships in Nina’s life currently - to her dating experiences ghosting, her Dad becoming a ‘ghost’ through dementia, one of her best friends Katherine she fears will become a ghost as she moves out of London to the suburbs, her Mum is insistent on changing her name and somewhat reinventing herself.
This book doesn’t have the most glowing reviews but I really enjoyed it - I wonder if people expect a romance read with this, which is only a small fraction of the book - but if you like books about being in your thirties I thought this was brilliant.
emotional
funny
reflective
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:
No
Modern dating at its worst thanks to dating apps and flighty people. *sigh*
I felt similarly to this book as I did with Good Material. It's beautifully written and kind of depressing but I had to see how it would end. The characters feel very real, which makes the story more heart-wrenching when things don't go their way. I enjoyed it but I had to be in an introspective mood to read it.
Why my favorite character was Angelo, the grumpy Italian neighbor beats me. The joke he played on Nina with the fake name of his hometown will replay in my mind forever and always make me laugh.
I felt similarly to this book as I did with Good Material. It's beautifully written and kind of depressing but I had to see how it would end. The characters feel very real, which makes the story more heart-wrenching when things don't go their way. I enjoyed it but I had to be in an introspective mood to read it.
Why my favorite character was Angelo, the grumpy Italian neighbor beats me. The joke he played on Nina with the fake name of his hometown will replay in my mind forever and always make me laugh.
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was really fantastic. A must read if you're a woman in her thirties
emotional
funny
hopeful
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