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chewitt75's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
snazzybooks's review
4.0
www.snazzybooks.com
Somewhere Only We Know by Erin Lawless is a sweet, touching tale of friendship, love and identity in the 21st century.
First and foremost a ‘Boy Meets Girl’ story, the story also addresses issues surrounding immigration and citizenship, but manages to do so in a thoughtful, non-preachy way that encourages the reader to consider what life must be like for those who live here and contribute wholly to British society, yet can’t live without fear of being deported. Don’t think this novel is too heavy or depressing though (not that depressing means no good, of course)- the author mainly uses a light-hearted, upbeat tone throughout and it was really enjoyable to read.
The narrative flicks between Nadia and Alex’s point of view, and this way the reader gets to see what both characters are thinking about the same events. It is a great way to get into the mind of the character more.
Nadia seems like a really likeable, good-humoured character and much more likeable than Alex’s housemate’s girlfriend (and love of his life), Lila. The author is obviously trying to reinforce the idea that Nadia is a better fit for Alex and the more we learn about Lila, the less we like about her, so we’ll be rooting for Nadia and Alex to get together and live happily ever after!
I also really enjoyed reading about London. I find the city fascinating and as someone who has only ever visited London, never lived there, I like reading books set in our capital. A lot of the language was also uniquely British, and you could tell just from the way it was written that this author was British, not American or Australian or from any other English speaking country!
I really enjoyed this novel and the dry humour that Erin Lawless used throughout. I haven’t read her first novel, The Best Thing I Never Had, but a lot of people have commented that this is a much softer story. I would still like to read her debut though, as I really enjoyed Lawless’ writing. The ending also surprised me, and wasn’t necessarily what I expected or wanted, but I think it worked really well.
** Many thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy of this novel in return for an honest review **
Somewhere Only We Know by Erin Lawless is a sweet, touching tale of friendship, love and identity in the 21st century.
First and foremost a ‘Boy Meets Girl’ story, the story also addresses issues surrounding immigration and citizenship, but manages to do so in a thoughtful, non-preachy way that encourages the reader to consider what life must be like for those who live here and contribute wholly to British society, yet can’t live without fear of being deported. Don’t think this novel is too heavy or depressing though (not that depressing means no good, of course)- the author mainly uses a light-hearted, upbeat tone throughout and it was really enjoyable to read.
The narrative flicks between Nadia and Alex’s point of view, and this way the reader gets to see what both characters are thinking about the same events. It is a great way to get into the mind of the character more.
Nadia seems like a really likeable, good-humoured character and much more likeable than Alex’s housemate’s girlfriend (and love of his life), Lila. The author is obviously trying to reinforce the idea that Nadia is a better fit for Alex and the more we learn about Lila, the less we like about her, so we’ll be rooting for Nadia and Alex to get together and live happily ever after!
I also really enjoyed reading about London. I find the city fascinating and as someone who has only ever visited London, never lived there, I like reading books set in our capital. A lot of the language was also uniquely British, and you could tell just from the way it was written that this author was British, not American or Australian or from any other English speaking country!
I really enjoyed this novel and the dry humour that Erin Lawless used throughout. I haven’t read her first novel, The Best Thing I Never Had, but a lot of people have commented that this is a much softer story. I would still like to read her debut though, as I really enjoyed Lawless’ writing. The ending also surprised me, and wasn’t necessarily what I expected or wanted, but I think it worked really well.
** Many thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy of this novel in return for an honest review **
paucev's review
3.0
Here you have your usual chicklit novel: boy meets girl, boy befriends girl, boy falls for girl. If that's what you're looking for, then search no more cause this is a great option for you. Lovable characters come together in unrealistic situations but you'll like it all the same because it has just the right amount of sweetness, with a little humor and a lot of good will.
snowflakessunshinebooks's review
5.0
This book made me smile, laugh and absolutely cry. Erin is a wonderful writer and I love all of her characters!
ljbentley27's review
5.0
First there was Bridget and Mark; then there was Em and Dex and now there is Nadia and Alex. Oh, my heart.
Somewhere Only We Know by Erin Lawless is a full on modern day romance centring on Home Office worker Alex – a man who is just being carried along by life rather than actually living it. His life consists of spending time with his flatmate Rory and Rory’s girlfriend Lila….who Alex is secretly in love with. When Nadia comes into his life everything is turned upon its head. She makes him start living rather than just existing. It seems that this project is her swan song as she is currently undergoing a trial that might extradite her from the country that she calls home.
Besides Somewhere Only We Know being a tradition love story between a boy and a girl it is actually a bit of a romance with the city of London. The London described is gorgeous; the best places – besides the obvious tourist spots – are shown perfectly. I wanted to go to those places; I wanted to spend time in the company of characters in those places too. It is this want to be in the story that I think makes Somewhere Only We Know a magical book.
You can’t help but fall in love with Alex and Nadia; you can’t help but yell at the book because you want them to realise that they love each other; you cannot help but swoon. This is the kind of book that makes you fall in love.
Somewhere Only We Know is the book I have wanted to read for a very long time; longer than it has been in existence. How is that possible you may be asking yourself? Well, let me tell you. It is a rare thing to be able to make the love between two fictional characters become so real that you actually champion their love from your very roots but this is exactly what I did for Nads and Alex. And I know you will too.
Somewhere Only We Know by Erin Lawless is available from June 11th 2015.
Follow Erin Lawless (@rinylou) on Twitter.
Somewhere Only We Know by Erin Lawless is a full on modern day romance centring on Home Office worker Alex – a man who is just being carried along by life rather than actually living it. His life consists of spending time with his flatmate Rory and Rory’s girlfriend Lila….who Alex is secretly in love with. When Nadia comes into his life everything is turned upon its head. She makes him start living rather than just existing. It seems that this project is her swan song as she is currently undergoing a trial that might extradite her from the country that she calls home.
Besides Somewhere Only We Know being a tradition love story between a boy and a girl it is actually a bit of a romance with the city of London. The London described is gorgeous; the best places – besides the obvious tourist spots – are shown perfectly. I wanted to go to those places; I wanted to spend time in the company of characters in those places too. It is this want to be in the story that I think makes Somewhere Only We Know a magical book.
You can’t help but fall in love with Alex and Nadia; you can’t help but yell at the book because you want them to realise that they love each other; you cannot help but swoon. This is the kind of book that makes you fall in love.
Somewhere Only We Know is the book I have wanted to read for a very long time; longer than it has been in existence. How is that possible you may be asking yourself? Well, let me tell you. It is a rare thing to be able to make the love between two fictional characters become so real that you actually champion their love from your very roots but this is exactly what I did for Nads and Alex. And I know you will too.
Somewhere Only We Know by Erin Lawless is available from June 11th 2015.
Follow Erin Lawless (@rinylou) on Twitter.
wordsofclover's review
5.0
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Alex works a pretty boring desk job in the immigration office, pretty much going through the same motions every day until he comes across a visa application for a Russian girl called Nadia. Something about Nadia and her friend's character references sticks out and Alex remembers her. Like a twist of fate, Alex bumps into Nadia a week later and the two become unlikely friends - taking trips around London to brighten up Alex's life while also making sure Nadia sees everything she needs to see before her inevitable deportation.
I really loved this book. From the get go it was super cute and all the characters were very relatable and likeable. Alex had a cute shyness that reminded me of Lincoln from Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, as well as the slight likeness in getting to know Nadia through correspondence read in work. Nadia was very bubbly and hard not to like. She was kind and hard-working and didn't mope about feeling sorry for herself. I don't know much about immigration rules and about the visa process but I thought the novel was good in showing how frustrating it was to be waiting around for something that could change the rest of your life. The journey to her appeal was a pretty bleak one and Nadia had a wonderful support system - friends that were more or less her family. It's hard to imagine what something like that must be like for someone going it alone.
While this book was definitely full of the not-so-surprising twists and turns you'd expect in a rom-com book, it was just such a pleasure to read. I completely fell in love with all the characters, and the friend group had such a lovely dynamic that even included Alex and Rory (thankfully not Lili). I definitely recommend anyone to pick this up for a light-hearted yet touching read, plus it really gives you those London feels and made me want to back to the beautiful city straight away!
Alex works a pretty boring desk job in the immigration office, pretty much going through the same motions every day until he comes across a visa application for a Russian girl called Nadia. Something about Nadia and her friend's character references sticks out and Alex remembers her. Like a twist of fate, Alex bumps into Nadia a week later and the two become unlikely friends - taking trips around London to brighten up Alex's life while also making sure Nadia sees everything she needs to see before her inevitable deportation.
I really loved this book. From the get go it was super cute and all the characters were very relatable and likeable. Alex had a cute shyness that reminded me of Lincoln from Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, as well as the slight likeness in getting to know Nadia through correspondence read in work. Nadia was very bubbly and hard not to like. She was kind and hard-working and didn't mope about feeling sorry for herself. I don't know much about immigration rules and about the visa process but I thought the novel was good in showing how frustrating it was to be waiting around for something that could change the rest of your life. The journey to her appeal was a pretty bleak one and Nadia had a wonderful support system - friends that were more or less her family. It's hard to imagine what something like that must be like for someone going it alone.
While this book was definitely full of the not-so-surprising twists and turns you'd expect in a rom-com book, it was just such a pleasure to read. I completely fell in love with all the characters, and the friend group had such a lovely dynamic that even included Alex and Rory (thankfully not Lili). I definitely recommend anyone to pick this up for a light-hearted yet touching read, plus it really gives you those London feels and made me want to back to the beautiful city straight away!
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