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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
At the beginning of this, I wanted to DNF it. I wasn't entirely hooked, and there was not a lot for me to relate to as an unmarried, childless, 22 year old. However, I am glad I gave this book a chance.
Merit is an extremely well-developed character. She wants to go and do things for herself, and achieves her goals. Personally, I find that inspiring, as some of these traits I see in my own mother. Cory fell a bit flat for me, but as I read through the book I feel like this could have been intentional because this is Merit's story. Jane is electric from the first moment she appears.
Merit and Jane have chemistry in all sense of the word. They are dynamic, and have a solid pairing in the story. While their relationship was great, I did feel like the towards the beginning and end of the book things felt a bit rushed.
Overall, this is a quick read and good if you want something on the shorter side. I think a woman who is contemplating her current place in life and the world after having children will take a lot more out of this than someone like me.
CW: death of a parent, miscarriage, death of a child, infidelity, cancer, body shaming
At the beginning of this, I wanted to DNF it. I wasn't entirely hooked, and there was not a lot for me to relate to as an unmarried, childless, 22 year old. However, I am glad I gave this book a chance.
Merit is an extremely well-developed character. She wants to go and do things for herself, and achieves her goals. Personally, I find that inspiring, as some of these traits I see in my own mother. Cory fell a bit flat for me, but as I read through the book I feel like this could have been intentional because this is Merit's story. Jane is electric from the first moment she appears.
Merit and Jane have chemistry in all sense of the word. They are dynamic, and have a solid pairing in the story. While their relationship was great, I did feel like the towards the beginning and end of the book things felt a bit rushed.
Overall, this is a quick read and good if you want something on the shorter side. I think a woman who is contemplating her current place in life and the world after having children will take a lot more out of this than someone like me.
CW: death of a parent, miscarriage, death of a child, infidelity, cancer, body shaming
tense
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:
No
I have to be honest, that I wanted to DNF this book initially. I was not a fan of the characters in a way that interfered with me enjoying the book. That said, things changed about halfway through when the characters seemed to mellow out a bit and became slightly more likable. I enjoyed demisexual representation in the book although it was never explicitly labeled. Overall, it was an okay read.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like, first, I should say that I am a 28-year-old, unmarried, childless woman, so there isn’t (yet?) a ton here in this book I really relate to. And that might have hampered my enjoyment of this book some, because I couldn’t really understand some of the difficulties our main character, Merit, is facing in her marriage and with her children. But I still enjoyed this book, mostly because I found myself enthralled with Lauren McBrayer’s writing.
When this book focuses on Merit and Jane, her boss/friend/love interest, it sings. The two are electric together, and their chemistry is fascinating to experience as their relationship develops. I loved the scenes with the two of them and would have been happy to read a book that just focused on them and the way they interact. But this book is, first and foremost, Merit’s, which means we go deep into Merit’s life — and that wasn’t my favorite place to be. Merit frustrated me in all sorts of ways with her lack of communication and wishy-washy-ness. She frequently talks about her fantasies of leaving her kids while they’re napping and never returning, and her high point of her day with them is coming back just to give them a kiss goodnight before they drift off to sleep. Again, I don’t have kids and can imagine these thoughts may be common, but you never really get the sense that Merit enjoys being a mother. Her husband is another frustrating character, and their relationship is a drain. When Jane isn’t around to add oomph to the book, Merit doesn’t really stand on her own as an interesting person. All she talks about wanting to do is look like she has it all together — and stare at Jane.
I think McBrayer wanted to delve into the interesting idea of rediscovering your identity after marriage and kids, but I’m not sure she really ever succeeds. Merit goes back to work and finds success as an architect, but it never really feels like she enjoys this new life. I’m not sure Merit ever figures out who she wants to be other than: attached to Jane. Merit’s thought are frequently “what would Jane think of this,” and I never felt like Merit developed and explored her new persona on her own. She trades one identity (wife and mom) in for another (architect and in-love-with-Jane), and loses herself in both; I never got a sense of who Merit truly was or what she wanted to get out of life. I suppose I wanted more depth out of the character.
I say all that and still think this is a good book. McBrayer’s writing is funny and quirky and engaging, and I found myself sailing through reading this one. Merit and Jane’s relationship and their growth together is well written, and it’s an interesting premise handled with a deft hand. Maybe I’ll reread this book if I ever get married and have kids to see if I can relate to these characters and their happenings more.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Lauren McBrayer for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
There is something missing in Merit’s life. After 12 years of marriage, and two sons she decides to return back to work.
.
In work she finds a missing piece of herself but she also finds so much more. She finds Jane. Jane is everything she never knew she wanted and she questions every decision she’s ever made. This is a story of finding oneself and making difficult decisions to find one’s truth.
.
Thank you @gpputnamandsons and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
This novel was written so beautifully, so honestly and true-to-life—the pacing was perfect, making the story absolutely believable, and Merit's inner thoughts were presented perfectly, from her developing feelings for Jane to the conflicting feelings she felt at every turn. Incredibly visceral and full of depth, this book is a stunning character study.