Reviews

A Troca by Beth O'Leary

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bhnmt61's review against another edition

4.0

A year and a half after her sister dies of cancer, Leena still hasn't processed her grief. After she has a panic attack in front of clients at an important meeting, her boss demands that she take two months off. She heads north to visit her grandmother Eileen and finds that Eileen is also ready for a change, so the two decide to swap places. You know from the start the general outline of how this will play out, but it is still a fun read.

The thing I think I appreciate most about O'Leary's writing is the way she skips over the parts you don't want to read. I braced myself for a chapter or two about all the (tedious) details of settling into their new places, but after the initial move, O'Leary skips ahead to a week later. It's really well done.

What I didn't enjoy so much is that the Leena side of the story is almost exactly a Lifetime/Hallmark Christmas movie (without Christmas). Overworked, overstressed career girl from the city moves to the country and discovers that small town life is the real thing and her city life has all been a big fake. It's so similar to the Christmas movie plotline that one of the characters even jokes about it. I really wish we could move away from this small town nirvana stereotype. I live in a small town, and just like cities, there are upsides and there are definite downsides. *end of rant*

But it's not enough to ruin the book. I enjoyed it--maybe not as much as The Flatshare, but it's still a heartwarming read. And she has another one coming out soon!

charliec87's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

bettielovesbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

What a lovely book this was, I really enjoyed it, it was more women’s fiction than romance, and that was ok because reading about Leena and Eileen was a pleasure, I really liked both characters, specially Eileen and how they learned from this experience, I love the sense of community, which always sounds like idyllic to me.
The side character were all very charming with the exception of the boyfriend, which it’s a little tiresome, just didn’t need him at all.
I loved the narration too, everyone had their distinctive voice than shone through.