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joyce409's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
It’s a very cute story but not super engrossing.
tatterededges's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. It was easy to read, at times funny, at times serious but mostly lighthearted and entertaining.
The two way conversations that Eva has with herself are a bit bizarre. I know people do talk to themselves and think out loud but this was like two people having a complete conversation. It would have made more sense for her to actually have that conversation with another character rather than herself.
I was a bit bored throughout joe going to meet his father. I’m not really sure what relevance it had other than to serve as a reason for them to take the train to SA.
I was also disappointed that Greg never really got told off for being such a dick.
The two way conversations that Eva has with herself are a bit bizarre. I know people do talk to themselves and think out loud but this was like two people having a complete conversation. It would have made more sense for her to actually have that conversation with another character rather than herself.
I was a bit bored throughout joe going to meet his father. I’m not really sure what relevance it had other than to serve as a reason for them to take the train to SA.
I was also disappointed that Greg never really got told off for being such a dick.
kp68's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 Light and fluffy, predictable and somewhat repetitive yet I was interested enough to finish it.
marshmallowbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook of this, and I have to say the narrator did a fantastic job keeping track of all the necessary accents: Irish, English, and Australian. That alone made it worth listening to.
This is a comedy-of-errors, of sorts. If nothing else, it certainly reinforced to me the fact that you should never, ever, ever tell a lie, not even a little white lie, to people that you like and want to be able to contact someday after meeting them in person. It turns out that little white lies need to be maintained with moderate gray lies, and it all becomes one big messy black lie from which you just might not be able to free yourself. Thankfully, in this story, the lies are a little endearing, and not the kind of lies that endanger lives or facilitate political scandals or anything like that. But either way, keeping up with the lies that are told turns out to be quite the task for these characters.
The only reason this got a rating of 3 stars rather than 4 was because I felt like the lies eventually got to be a bit too much, even as I completely understood they were the main foundation of the plot. It just got to the point that I was saying to myself, "Really? You didn't think that was the perfect opportunity to clear the air? You really felt like you had to make up another lie, instead?" And then, it escalated to, "If this wasn't a library copy of the audiobook and I didn't like listening to the accents so much, I would be rather tempted to simply throw this cd out the window and watch it shatter on the edge of the highway because this has just become TOO MUCH! Enough of this - let's wrap it up and stop creating more lies and loose ends and random things that are getting in the way of truth being told, and just all be on our merry way!" I mean, honestly, I was halfway through the very last cd and there were still lies and obstacles piling up on everything. I had to check the back of the case to see if there was a sequel, or I was missing a cd or something.
But other than that, a pretty fun read.
This is a comedy-of-errors, of sorts. If nothing else, it certainly reinforced to me the fact that you should never, ever, ever tell a lie, not even a little white lie, to people that you like and want to be able to contact someday after meeting them in person. It turns out that little white lies need to be maintained with moderate gray lies, and it all becomes one big messy black lie from which you just might not be able to free yourself. Thankfully, in this story, the lies are a little endearing, and not the kind of lies that endanger lives or facilitate political scandals or anything like that. But either way, keeping up with the lies that are told turns out to be quite the task for these characters.
The only reason this got a rating of 3 stars rather than 4 was because I felt like the lies eventually got to be a bit too much, even as I completely understood they were the main foundation of the plot. It just got to the point that I was saying to myself, "Really? You didn't think that was the perfect opportunity to clear the air? You really felt like you had to make up another lie, instead?" And then, it escalated to, "If this wasn't a library copy of the audiobook and I didn't like listening to the accents so much, I would be rather tempted to simply throw this cd out the window and watch it shatter on the edge of the highway because this has just become TOO MUCH! Enough of this - let's wrap it up and stop creating more lies and loose ends and random things that are getting in the way of truth being told, and just all be on our merry way!" I mean, honestly, I was halfway through the very last cd and there were still lies and obstacles piling up on everything. I had to check the back of the case to see if there was a sequel, or I was missing a cd or something.
But other than that, a pretty fun read.
literarywallflower's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a gift and has been on my shelf since 2011 and I just got around to reading it. Although it definitely was not what I normally choose for myself, it was a quick, easy read. Upside Down Inside Out was a delightful little story about two people pretending to be someone they aren't and then fall in love… the rest is kind of easy to figure out. There were a few plot twists, but nothing that couldn't be easily predicted. The beginning was a little slow, getting into the story took awhile, but once I did I enjoyed it. It wasn't boring, by the middle I couldn't wait to figure out what happened between Eva and Joseph, and by the end, being a stickler for sappy, unrealistic love stories, was completely rooting for them!
The book took place in multiple different settings: Ireland, London, and Australia, so figuring out where they were when could be a bit confusing and being from America some of the slang that the author used was foreign to me, but nothing I couldn't figure out from context clues. At some points the characters think things over with themselves in their heads and normally I would find this to be annoying, but I thought the way she did it was a good addition to the voice of the novel. Overall I would say it was a cute little book that is a very light read. Definitely not a “keep you on the edge of your seat” or “captivating from page one”, but it was quirky and not a complete waste of the priceless minutes of my life.
The book took place in multiple different settings: Ireland, London, and Australia, so figuring out where they were when could be a bit confusing and being from America some of the slang that the author used was foreign to me, but nothing I couldn't figure out from context clues. At some points the characters think things over with themselves in their heads and normally I would find this to be annoying, but I thought the way she did it was a good addition to the voice of the novel. Overall I would say it was a cute little book that is a very light read. Definitely not a “keep you on the edge of your seat” or “captivating from page one”, but it was quirky and not a complete waste of the priceless minutes of my life.
meganjeg's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kellyjcm's review against another edition
2.0
Enjoyed the travelogue aspect of the book. A breezy read that entertained.
kle105's review against another edition
2.0
I was quite enjoying this book until all the stupid lies. While it was a joke at first it started to become ridiculous. By the end of the book I just wanted to toss it, and not finish. Eva seemed childish, the friend Lainey was a horrible friend. All the incidents were things were not said, messed up, interrupted was just too much. A comedy of errors that stopped being funny halfway through the book.