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irisilagan's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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
2.0
bargainsleuth's review against another edition
3.0
The Catch: A Novel is what some might call a new adult book, in that it’s definitely a step above young adult, but it’s about someone in their early 20’s trying to figure out how to navigate life. Ellie is working for an online magazine, has a ton of roommates, and is involved with a married man 15 years her senior. When her father suddenly dies, she’s left reeling at the loss. She was the oldest of her half-brother and sisters from three different wives, and feels her dad’s most precious belonging, his much-used baseball, should be given to her. It turns out her dad left the ball not to one of his children, but an unknown person. Ellie decides to track him or her down.
I thought a lot about my father’s sudden death when I was 14 and how I grappled with it. My dad had had a massive heart attack when I was 8 and was in the hospital from Labor Day until Thanksgiving. So growing up, I knew life was finite and the chances of my dad having another heart attack were pretty good since he wasn’t the best at changing his ways, yet it was still a shock when it happened, just as Ellie experienced. Both our fathers were young and it was unexpected.
Despite feeling some sort of connection to Ellie because of our shared experience, I really couldn’t figure her out. She makes some seriously questionable decisions that left me wondering if I was that stupid and outrageous at her age. But making stupid decisions is not new for Ellie: she’s been involved with a much older married man. I think that’s the major reason I couldn’t connect with her. And her married man isn’t all that special, anyway.
The answer to who gets the beloved baseball is underwhelming, and Ellie realizes her dad wasn’t quite the saint she thought he was. (Hello? He cheated on Ellie’s mom with his second wife, then wash, rinse, repeat with the third wife. I’m all for respecting your elders but brushing off this personality flaw because he’s your dad is a bit unbelievable when she claims to be a feminist.) And Ellie doesn’t seem to realize she’s repeating the exact same behaviors of her dad by carrying on with a married man. Luckily, at least the married man didn’t have kids.
Overall, while I had some connection to Ellie, but I didn’t think this book worked as well as it could have. If you’re younger like Ellie you might not find her actions and reactions that stupid, but as a middle-aged woman who has lived twice as long as Ellie, I was baffled and don’t remember making so many ludicrous decisions when I was in my early 20’s. It was a quick read and if you can overlook the problem of fooling around with a married man, you might find this more enjoyable than I did.
I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review.
I thought a lot about my father’s sudden death when I was 14 and how I grappled with it. My dad had had a massive heart attack when I was 8 and was in the hospital from Labor Day until Thanksgiving. So growing up, I knew life was finite and the chances of my dad having another heart attack were pretty good since he wasn’t the best at changing his ways, yet it was still a shock when it happened, just as Ellie experienced. Both our fathers were young and it was unexpected.
Despite feeling some sort of connection to Ellie because of our shared experience, I really couldn’t figure her out. She makes some seriously questionable decisions that left me wondering if I was that stupid and outrageous at her age. But making stupid decisions is not new for Ellie: she’s been involved with a much older married man. I think that’s the major reason I couldn’t connect with her. And her married man isn’t all that special, anyway.
The answer to who gets the beloved baseball is underwhelming, and Ellie realizes her dad wasn’t quite the saint she thought he was. (Hello? He cheated on Ellie’s mom with his second wife, then wash, rinse, repeat with the third wife. I’m all for respecting your elders but brushing off this personality flaw because he’s your dad is a bit unbelievable when she claims to be a feminist.) And Ellie doesn’t seem to realize she’s repeating the exact same behaviors of her dad by carrying on with a married man. Luckily, at least the married man didn’t have kids.
Overall, while I had some connection to Ellie, but I didn’t think this book worked as well as it could have. If you’re younger like Ellie you might not find her actions and reactions that stupid, but as a middle-aged woman who has lived twice as long as Ellie, I was baffled and don’t remember making so many ludicrous decisions when I was in my early 20’s. It was a quick read and if you can overlook the problem of fooling around with a married man, you might find this more enjoyable than I did.
I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review.
tusky's review
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kleonard's review
2.0
I think the moral of this story is that people are awful, and we should just all be cognizant of that. A young woman feels slighted by a bequest in her father's will, so she lies to a bunch of people and intrudes on their privacy and finally gets to the reasons her dad did what he did. Why did he do it? He was a terrible person. The poem that takes center stage in the book is good, and it's interesting to see how it gets analyzed by fictional characters, but the narcissism of so many of the characters is overwhelming, and it's ultimately a depressing read without much to recommend it.
sarahrose15's review
3.0
One of the most prominent things that I noticed about this book is how people talk about those who passed away. We are told that we must never say anything negative about someone who is no longer here. However, this book centers around a daughter uncovering mistakes that her father has made in the past. At the start of this story, James Adler, the father, is portrayed as a perfect man and father. As the story progresses, he develops more character despite having died within the first chapter. This was done by connecting with people from his past and learning about his past mistakes. He was no longer a perfect man, but someone that people could relate to in some ways and a man with depth. I think this was a powerful move for Fairbrother to make as this book delicately demonstrates that it is okay to look upon a person’s whole life, mistakes and all, after they passed. People are imperfect and that isn’t something to run away from.
Also, this would have been the perfect book to annotate. There are so many passages that discuss grief in a way that is impactful even for those who have not lost someone close to them.
smamato2's review
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC.
Ellie’s father passes away when she is 24 and is left a tie rack in his will. She begins a journey to find out why she wasn’t left a baseball she felt was hers. It is left to a mysterious person and she meets this person under a guise. In his passing Ellie learns about her fathers life. The story ended lovely and wrapped up questions Ellie and the reader were pondering and I found the ending heartwarming. I found the storyline with the older married love interest overly sexual and it took away from the family storyline between Ellie and her father.
Ellie’s father passes away when she is 24 and is left a tie rack in his will. She begins a journey to find out why she wasn’t left a baseball she felt was hers. It is left to a mysterious person and she meets this person under a guise. In his passing Ellie learns about her fathers life. The story ended lovely and wrapped up questions Ellie and the reader were pondering and I found the ending heartwarming. I found the storyline with the older married love interest overly sexual and it took away from the family storyline between Ellie and her father.
thatsssorachael's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Miscarriage
atwigg's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
in_and_out_of_the_stash's review
1.0
I am fed up with female writers having their female protagonists have affairs with married men - how about when they find out they are married they break up because it is wrong.
The protagonist is not a nice person, her father is an ****hole. The only good thing I can say about this book is that I can cross it off my TBR.
The protagonist is not a nice person, her father is an ****hole. The only good thing I can say about this book is that I can cross it off my TBR.