Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

17 reviews

acethirtynine's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This charming rom-com set in Manchester, England was funny and engaging while also sometimes tackling darker and more difficult topics. Both main characters have experienced trauma that informs their current lives and that plays out throughout the novel. At first I did find some of the UK slang a little challenging to stay focused on but once I got into the real meat of the story - just a couple chapters in, it didn't bother me anymore. I felt so much righteous indignation on behalf of Laurie in so many instances during this story, and did absolutely end up rooting for Jamie. 

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streetmuseums's review

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.0

this was a solid 3* read until like the last 40 fucking pages it was so fucking dumb i resent having paid £3 for this fucking book 

also begging mcfarlane to stop doing weird abuse plot twists

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schmoopyplanz's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I love Laurie's development. She matures in a fantastic way, as does Jamie.
I wouldn't call it a romance as much as just general fiction.
The author writes *very* triggering material. A good writer, but trauma is never forewarned and always hits hard.
This is the most light hearted one, and my favourite despite that.

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Title: If I Never Met You
Author: Mhairi McFarlane
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 2.50
Pub Date: March 5, 2020

T H R E E • W O R D S

Slow • Predictable • Forgettable

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Together for the past 18 years, Laurie feels she and her partner Dan are ready to start trying for a baby. When one evening, she broaches the topic, Dan quickly realizes he doesn't want children and ends things. Heartbroken, Laurie's once perfect life is in shambles and the thought of dating again horrifies her. Several months down the road, Dan announces that his new girlfriend is pregnant, Laurie feels humiliated.

That is until a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy who doesn't believe in love presents a new possibility. Jamie is looking to impress the bosses, and she wants nothing more than to make Dan jealous, so they agree to enter into a fake relationship with strategically staged photographs and a specific end date in mind...

💭 T H O U G H T S

I picked Mhairi McFarlane as one of my twelve authors for my 'Author Taste Test' challenge for 2023. Since I owned If I Never Met You I decided that would be the book I'd go with, unfortunately it was just one of those books that didn't work for me.

Firstly, the whole book was way longer than it needed to be. It just took too long for get to the new relationship. The whole breakup felt way more developed than it needed to be. I know an in depth exploration of the breakup was warranted, but this went too far. Heck, Jamie (the love interest) didn't appear consistently throughout the first half of the book!

Additionally, the chemistry between Laurie and Jamie was lackluster (maybe that's to be expected when two people are pretending?). The dialogue felt forced and a lot of the humour fell flat. I felt zero connection to the characters. The author tried to add depth, which I appreciate, yet it just felt like she tried to put in too much with some scenes seeming highly unrealistic and implausible.

Fake dating is one of those tropes that is very hit or miss for me. This was certainly a miss, as I don't feel it was utilized to its potential. The revenge pretenses of Laurie embarking with such an arrangement also came across as very juvenile.

Lastly, the whole scene with Laurie's father's friend felt like it came out of nowhere. And because it occurred so close to the end of the book it wasn't fully addressed and resolved. I think it was an important plotline, but why the author chose to wait so late to drop it into the story puzzles me.

When I first read the synopsis for this book, I thought I'd enjoyed, unfortunately that was not the case. I definitely don't think it was the right book to start with from this author. If I Never Met You was highly forgettable, but I'll definitely give her another try with a different book, as I really think it was the plot and not the writing that I didn't jive with.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fake dating fans

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Those who said family mattered above all else were wrong. People you love, who love you back, matter above all. Crap people you happen to be related to: you need to stop thinking you owe them limitless number of chances to hurt you." 

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pinkfloydian's review

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hopeful reflective sad slow-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

3.75


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bookmarkedbyjosephine's review against another edition

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

4.0


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azkabanslibrary's review

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challenging emotional hopeful sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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saeruh's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

   I really loved the slow burn romance in this novel! It maybe should not have that high of a score but I continually kept swooning and giggling and kicking my feet whenever Jamie something romantic so I had a lot of fun reading this. 
    However, I felt like the first 100ish pages should have been edited down a bit because the plot kinda dragged there and didn’t really fully begin until like past page 120. I just didn’t need that much focus on Dan when the story was supposed to be about Laurie and Jamie falling in love. It made the first quarter of the book feel like a contemporary on divorce and marriage instead of love and romance. Also, I’m not a huge fan of the way that McFarlane used SO much British slang and also text speech out loud when characters were talking, like the “lol” that they would constantly somehow say irl. Maybe this style would have worked better for an audiobook but I felt it did not translate well to written prose.

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roget's review

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I’m convinced this novel started out as a Dramione fic with a thoroughly fanon Draco (secretly supportive and kind; not canon Draco) but that is neither here nor there.

The first 25% of this book is a brutal, ripping betrayal. The piling on of a thousand, horribly unexpected and yet completely believable developments in the end of an 18 year relationship. She’s completely thrown and the absolute breakdown of her trust is gutting to witness and experience.

(I had to process through a long, emotional talk with my partner—that’s how impactful this girl’s breakup is.)

But then, slowly, you start to see the cracks in the former relationship as she does. A breakup that seemed to come from nowhere shifts into seeming something inevitable, given the quality of the relationship, which eventually turns into relief that she got out of it. 

You grow to accept and hope better things for her as she does. I cried and laughed multiple times, and the dialogue is often excellent. Superb voice, and a generally incredible read that does not shy from angst in an often-fluffy genre. Hurt-comfort is top notch. Not lighthearted, but a satisfying close. 

So poignant, you’d think it was really fantastic fanfiction. 

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franthebooknerd's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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