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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Tori Bailey is the bestselling author of a self-help memoir style book all about surviving your twenties. Now, at the age of 31 and in a six year relationship with Tom, she isn't that same person any more and is struggling to write her second book.
She is social media obsessed and craves validation from strangers, constantly analysing what she's posting and checking how many likes/comments she's got.
All of her friends are getting married and having babies. She tells herself that she doesn't need any of that, she's happy with her career, doing TED Talks but she is feeling differently to how she portrays herself online.
I struggled to like the character of Tori but I really do feel sorry for her because it's quite obvious that she is in love with Tom but he's a narcissist who is gaslighting her but she just can't see it.
An enjoyable book!
She is social media obsessed and craves validation from strangers, constantly analysing what she's posting and checking how many likes/comments she's got.
All of her friends are getting married and having babies. She tells herself that she doesn't need any of that, she's happy with her career, doing TED Talks but she is feeling differently to how she portrays herself online.
I struggled to like the character of Tori but I really do feel sorry for her because it's quite obvious that she is in love with Tom but he's a narcissist who is gaslighting her but she just can't see it.
An enjoyable book!
Finished in twenty-four hours. Perfect chick-lit page turner. Not going to change the world but is going to comfort someone and was a heartwarming read. Since finding out she writes YA it is very obvious as it’s very cause and effect, no sub-plot, linear, travels through one year, very predictable ending but still very enjoyable none the less considering not a lot happens. I think I’ve read more gritty YA 😂 a good message nonetheless of how we don’t have a clue what’s going on in anyone’s lives despite how it looks on social media. A very good in-between novel for someone moving from YA into adult which suits the theme of being in your young twenties I suppose 🤷🏻♀️
Look, this has to go on my Goodreads because I spent time of my life I will never get back on it and the least it can do for me is get me further in my reading goal, but I'm, like, not even gonna rate it.
EDIT: I thought I wasn't gonna say anything more about this but I lied, this fucking quote right here I'm just:
God, do you ever just listen to straight women talk and think what are you talking about?? What in the everloving holy hell are you TALKING about???
EDIT: I thought I wasn't gonna say anything more about this but I lied, this fucking quote right here I'm just:
"I tidy up my triangle of pubic hair. I have enough that I can still feel like I'm a feminist, but not so much that I'm one of those feminists."
God, do you ever just listen to straight women talk and think what are you talking about?? What in the everloving holy hell are you TALKING about???
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can see why it’s so popular.
Tori is a perfect depiction of a young woman of our times - convinced of her superiority and inferiority at the same time. Conflicted and torn between the things she knows she should believe and the things she actually feels. This makes her judge herself a lot, for wanting the things she publicly takes the piss out of. Tell me you haven’t been there.
This book talks about a huge issue of our time and I like the approach - first person narrative, compassionate and insightful, not didactic. I don’t think it’s groundbreaking, but it’s worth a read, especially if you use social media without giving it much thought.
There’s a couple of missed opportunities! The narrator would build up to something significant and we’d be left there, and it’d jump to the next month, making you all “OKAY BUT HOW DID THE THING GO”.
I like the month structure and the thought behind it. That kind of dark humor is what I like about this book, but dark as in just stating the brutal facts in a way that makes you chuckle bitterly, NOT the slightly try hard jokes that are unnecessarily vulgar at times.
What can I say about the storyline, obviously it’s heartbreaking and will resonate with anyone who has been in a relationship that didn’t work. Again - there’s a couple of missed opportunities to say more important things and also maybe let the guy speak. Another story kicking the concept of “The One” right in the balls. The observations on female friendship - true, not the kind you want to acknowledge or admit, but true.
Tori is a perfect depiction of a young woman of our times - convinced of her superiority and inferiority at the same time. Conflicted and torn between the things she knows she should believe and the things she actually feels. This makes her judge herself a lot, for wanting the things she publicly takes the piss out of. Tell me you haven’t been there.
This book talks about a huge issue of our time and I like the approach - first person narrative, compassionate and insightful, not didactic. I don’t think it’s groundbreaking, but it’s worth a read, especially if you use social media without giving it much thought.
There’s a couple of missed opportunities! The narrator would build up to something significant and we’d be left there, and it’d jump to the next month, making you all “OKAY BUT HOW DID THE THING GO”.
I like the month structure and the thought behind it. That kind of dark humor is what I like about this book, but dark as in just stating the brutal facts in a way that makes you chuckle bitterly, NOT the slightly try hard jokes that are unnecessarily vulgar at times.
What can I say about the storyline, obviously it’s heartbreaking and will resonate with anyone who has been in a relationship that didn’t work. Again - there’s a couple of missed opportunities to say more important things and also maybe let the guy speak. Another story kicking the concept of “The One” right in the balls. The observations on female friendship - true, not the kind you want to acknowledge or admit, but true.
So Holly Bourne is always a surprise for me. Some books were really good and some of them I really hated and some of them were okay. That's why I wanted to read her first adult book.
This book was supposed to have a particular message, but if this hadn't been said in the acknowledgements, I would have never guessed that this was the main point of the story! No spoilers here, but I think that it did not succeed at all at giving this message.
The protagonist was terrible. Like, unlikeable, whiny, always complaining and downright mean. Basically, she is annoyed that all her friends are getting married and having kids and she isn't. She's sad that her life isn't like in her 20ies anymore because she wants to drink and party and have fun sex and whatnot and then she's torn because she wants to be a wife and mom too or at least a little bit. That's understandable so far, but she was behaving so inappropriate! Getting drunk and embarassing her friends and boyfriend and then she complains about him not loving her enough when he's annoyed because of her behavior. She also curses a lot on her social media and throughout the book. I felt like there was at least one f-word on every page.
There's also a sex scene that turns non-consensual at the beginning.
I guess if you like whiny, complaining characters that snark on all their friends or at least can laugh about them, you might like this book or if you're into a depressing version of Bridget Jones, you could give this a go, but I don't recommend it.
If the author wanted to write a book about problematic boyfriends, she should not have made the main character such a bitch because except for that non-con thing (which is never okay!), I could understand him so much more than her and that's really sad.
This book was supposed to have a particular message, but if this hadn't been said in the acknowledgements, I would have never guessed that this was the main point of the story! No spoilers here, but I think that it did not succeed at all at giving this message.
The protagonist was terrible. Like, unlikeable, whiny, always complaining and downright mean. Basically, she is annoyed that all her friends are getting married and having kids and she isn't. She's sad that her life isn't like in her 20ies anymore because she wants to drink and party and have fun sex and whatnot and then she's torn because she wants to be a wife and mom too or at least a little bit. That's understandable so far, but she was behaving so inappropriate! Getting drunk and embarassing her friends and boyfriend and then she complains about him not loving her enough when he's annoyed because of her behavior. She also curses a lot on her social media and throughout the book. I felt like there was at least one f-word on every page.
There's also a sex scene that turns non-consensual at the beginning.
I guess if you like whiny, complaining characters that snark on all their friends or at least can laugh about them, you might like this book or if you're into a depressing version of Bridget Jones, you could give this a go, but I don't recommend it.
If the author wanted to write a book about problematic boyfriends, she should not have made the main character such a bitch because except for that non-con thing (which is never okay!), I could understand him so much more than her and that's really sad.
This book. It's given me so many feelings I don't even know where to start.
Tori is 31, a self-help author who's written a very successful book about overcoming a mid-20s life crisis which has resonated with thousands of young women. But now she's 31 and she's starting to feel like maybe she doesn't have her life together after all. Her public persona is so carefully crafted, though, that it's difficult for her to admit she's actually unhappy.
I'm twice the age of Holly Bourne's usual target market, but I absolutely love her young adult books: they are unapologetically feminist and celebrate female friendships and overcoming adversity as a teenager. This, her first foray into adult fiction, is everything I wanted and more. It retains her spiky writing style and very honestly flawed protagonists (the admissions of insecurity and secretly bitching about acquaintances and always wanting to look the best in group selfies) and is so relevant to the early-30s life experience in the digital age that it was almost painful at times. A resounding YES from me, and one I will be recommending to all my other just-turned-30 friends.
There were a few formatting issues with some double text in my ARC but I assume these will be straightened out by publication.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review)
Tori is 31, a self-help author who's written a very successful book about overcoming a mid-20s life crisis which has resonated with thousands of young women. But now she's 31 and she's starting to feel like maybe she doesn't have her life together after all. Her public persona is so carefully crafted, though, that it's difficult for her to admit she's actually unhappy.
I'm twice the age of Holly Bourne's usual target market, but I absolutely love her young adult books: they are unapologetically feminist and celebrate female friendships and overcoming adversity as a teenager. This, her first foray into adult fiction, is everything I wanted and more. It retains her spiky writing style and very honestly flawed protagonists (the admissions of insecurity and secretly bitching about acquaintances and always wanting to look the best in group selfies) and is so relevant to the early-30s life experience in the digital age that it was almost painful at times. A resounding YES from me, and one I will be recommending to all my other just-turned-30 friends.
There were a few formatting issues with some double text in my ARC but I assume these will be straightened out by publication.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review)
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
