Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Exciting Times

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

48 reviews

lil_owl_reads's review

dark funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is a fascinating look into self-hatred, co-dependency, desire, sexuality, and culture. The depiction of bisexuality was interesting, and the descriptions of why the two main relationships were each desirable to Ava at different times were convincing. I will say that the book is fairly slow, as Ava tends to ramble and discuss uninteresting topics at points. However, if you let her observations become part of her character, they actually add to the story as oppose to detract. You probably won't root for any of the characters (especially Ava herself... sometimes she's just frustrating), but it's nonetheless worth the read.

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onthesamepage's review against another edition

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reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Probably 2 stars for the book, and 1 extra star for the narrator.

I honestly don't have much of an opinion about this story. I think if I had read it physically, it would've frustrated me. Instead, I got to zone out to the truly fantastic narration, and skipped the irritation these characters no doubt would have inspired in me. This isn't my type of book, and I didn't enjoy it enough to read more by the author.

There really is no plot here, and if there's anything deeper to this story than following a main character and her indecisiveness about the relationships in her life, I definitely missed it. I do recommend looking up reviews from Hongkongers for discussions about the representation.

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camillatd's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was pretty slow-paced and almost entirely character-driven, which I really enjoy, but it's definitely not for everyone. There are clear parallels to be drawn with Sally Rooney's Conversations with Friends, another novel I adore, but I think Dolan's work stands on its own. She deftly explores queerness, cultural friction, the nuances of intimacy, and vulnerability with witty prose, drily amusing cultural observations, and sharp moments of personal reflection. I found Ava frustrating at times, but I think that's kind of the point. In some of her behaviors and instincts, I saw reflections of myself, and this awareness of flaws made me uncomfortable. Naoise Dolan has been vocal about her positionality as a queer, neurodivergent, Irish writer, and I think understanding this voice is crucial to appreciating her work.

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