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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
This is not the kind of book I would ordinarily read, but after receiving it as part of a Books That Matter box I welcomed the opportunity to try something outside of my comfort zone.
I will admit I did have some issues with it, although they were mostly stylistic - I wasn't sure about some of the storytelling elements, such as the inclusion of pictures and posts from Tori's book and social media channels, which often felt artificial and stilted in addition to being jarring for me generally (also the photos are often weird stock photos - I'm not sure whether this is intended to feed into the 'social media vs real life' narrative, but it didn't work for me). Tori herself is at times difficult to relate to, beyond just being a flawed, human narrator, and some of the more colloquial writing isn't to my taste either.
All of that said, these are just things which weren't to my personal taste rather than objective flaws. It's a quick read which is by turns honest, touching and funny, and I am at the exact point in life where the subject matter hit home even if I didn't necessarily relate to all of it. It's a very timely and much needed exploration of how we present ourselves vs how we feel about our lives in private, the pressure to be perceived as having it all and doing things right particularly as we age, and the fear of being alone and starting again even when a relationship isn't worth it any more. I couldn't put it down and highly recommend it.
I will admit I did have some issues with it, although they were mostly stylistic - I wasn't sure about some of the storytelling elements, such as the inclusion of pictures and posts from Tori's book and social media channels, which often felt artificial and stilted in addition to being jarring for me generally (also the photos are often weird stock photos - I'm not sure whether this is intended to feed into the 'social media vs real life' narrative, but it didn't work for me). Tori herself is at times difficult to relate to, beyond just being a flawed, human narrator, and some of the more colloquial writing isn't to my taste either.
All of that said, these are just things which weren't to my personal taste rather than objective flaws. It's a quick read which is by turns honest, touching and funny, and I am at the exact point in life where the subject matter hit home even if I didn't necessarily relate to all of it. It's a very timely and much needed exploration of how we present ourselves vs how we feel about our lives in private, the pressure to be perceived as having it all and doing things right particularly as we age, and the fear of being alone and starting again even when a relationship isn't worth it any more. I couldn't put it down and highly recommend it.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
right so where do i even begin w this book ??????
i literally hated every single character to one degree or another but somehow it’s one of the best books i’ve read this year. tori and tom are quite obviously not meant to be together and tom is an emotional abuser and narcissist. he is cancelled. BUT my god tori is one of the most annoying main characters i’ve read this year. the way her insecurities latch on to the people in her life is very disturbing but highly relatable and i hated myself for being able to relate to so much of what she was saying vis a vis physical appearance and eating disorders. importantly, she is a victim of emotional abuse so that is definitely going to affect how she sees herself obviously and she developed so well towards the latter half of the book, and her growth was incredible. she made me want to scratch out my own eyes at some points BUT yet the complexity made it so good???????
so good tbh
i literally hated every single character to one degree or another but somehow it’s one of the best books i’ve read this year. tori and tom are quite obviously not meant to be together and tom is an emotional abuser and narcissist. he is cancelled. BUT my god tori is one of the most annoying main characters i’ve read this year. the way her insecurities latch on to the people in her life is very disturbing but highly relatable and i hated myself for being able to relate to so much of what she was saying vis a vis physical appearance and eating disorders. importantly, she is a victim of emotional abuse so that is definitely going to affect how she sees herself obviously and she developed so well towards the latter half of the book, and her growth was incredible. she made me want to scratch out my own eyes at some points BUT yet the complexity made it so good???????
so good tbh
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not an uninteresting story but could have been told so much better. Predictable, insufferable protagonist, boring.
Very realistic. Men should read and I would like to read one from mens perspective.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh, I love you Holly. Every time I pick up one of her books I read it in one sitting.
Hilarious, sweary and witty yet insightful at the same time, HDYLMN follows Tori, an author who’s last hit was a memoir of her 20’s, finding herself not following the typical husband, house, baby route that everyone else does as she edged closer to 30. In fact, she has no idea what the f*ck is going on.
Dealing with our reliance on social media for validation, toxic relationships, jealousy, and unobtainable standards women have imposed on them, Holly keeps a strong feminist dialogue with real female characters with genuine flaws and strengths all whilst creating a brilliantly entertaining story.
Also, nobody liked Tom anyway.
Hilarious, sweary and witty yet insightful at the same time, HDYLMN follows Tori, an author who’s last hit was a memoir of her 20’s, finding herself not following the typical husband, house, baby route that everyone else does as she edged closer to 30. In fact, she has no idea what the f*ck is going on.
Dealing with our reliance on social media for validation, toxic relationships, jealousy, and unobtainable standards women have imposed on them, Holly keeps a strong feminist dialogue with real female characters with genuine flaws and strengths all whilst creating a brilliantly entertaining story.
Also, nobody liked Tom anyway.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book! A great first adult novel from an author I love! This book totally came at the right point in my life too - i could relate to a lot of what the main character was expressing - particularly the 'wall' between mothers and non-mothers, the way that friendships change when babies are born and the judgements that are evident among women at that point in their lives... i could feel her frustrations. I admit I wasn't keen on the main character, but I think that made her more real, the more frustrating she was, being aware of her continual inner dialogue about whether or not she was behaving the way her partner expected to, and worrying what the rest of the world thought go her on social media... worries we all have or pressures we all feel in the 21st century. I would recommend it to all women in the late 20s/early 30s... lets you know you're not the only one!!