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hmatt's review against another edition
challenging
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
It's lazy to compare this novel to Sally Rooney's writing, but the style felt similar to me (in a good way). The narration kind of rambles on, regardless of who is narrating, and that rings as genuine. I like that this story is exactly as short as it needed to be, and I liked that everyone is a little terrible.
Where this fell short in my estimate was really just its "oomph". Since everyone is terrible and no one seems to carewhere Luke went during the engagement party , nothing really actually matters. And maybe that's the point and others will find this a brilliant little snapshot of a toxic relationship! I found it entertaining, but not wow-ing.
Where this fell short in my estimate was really just its "oomph". Since everyone is terrible and no one seems to care
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
4.25
This book reads like several different thoughts and feelings until it doesn’t. Which is to say, at first I felt a little lost in the quick dialogue and characters whose relationships overlapped in too many ways—until, without knowing it, I fell into their world with no effort, surrounded by the complex nature of looking for love and wanting companionship, but never quite in the right way. “The Happy Couple” in question is never very happy, and their exes are never very happy, and the impending wedding seems less and less likely as the story goes on in starts and stops, present day and scenes of the past ten years.
Celine and Luke are relatable in the fact that sometimes they are not relatable at all and yet, you see them in pieces everywhere around you. Their relationship is made up of all of the other relationships they’ve been in and are in, not necessarily on just the two of them, and therein lies the dilemma. Luke and Celine aren’t really meant to be together with such an unsteady foundation, but neither of them wants to disturb the peace, which is really a lack thereof.
Perhaps I don’t really know what I’m talking about, but my main takeaway was that, although the timeline was a little murky at times, and there were probably too many characters that I mixed them up at times, I still felt a part of this story. Like maybe I was one of those other relationships that makes up the one. WHAT I’M SAYING IS… Naoise Dolan has a way of getting into your head. Her characters aren’t exactly lovable or particularly notable, but the ways they act and the things they do read just like everyday life. It’s personal in its ambiguity.
Some favorite quotes:
She said one thing and your job was to contradict. You don't care about me' meant Tell me you care', and 'I put all the work in' meant ‘Tell me you're still committed'.
Loneliness wasn’t having no one. Loneliness was the gap between what you hoped for and what you got.
Jane Austen was Jane Austen, and wrote novels that have elicited centuries of tears and laughter. She had an intellect so huge that millions still long to know it. Countless hours of human life have been spent gratefully enjoying the output of her consciousness. If you measure love by how much time another person can spend in your mind while considering the benefit all theirs, then Jane Austen is possibly the most adored woman of all time. And she still couldn't imagine a happier ending than a man becoming less mean.
Celine and Luke are relatable in the fact that sometimes they are not relatable at all and yet, you see them in pieces everywhere around you. Their relationship is made up of all of the other relationships they’ve been in and are in, not necessarily on just the two of them, and therein lies the dilemma. Luke and Celine aren’t really meant to be together with such an unsteady foundation, but neither of them wants to disturb the peace, which is really a lack thereof.
Perhaps I don’t really know what I’m talking about, but my main takeaway was that, although the timeline was a little murky at times, and there were probably too many characters that I mixed them up at times, I still felt a part of this story. Like maybe I was one of those other relationships that makes up the one. WHAT I’M SAYING IS… Naoise Dolan has a way of getting into your head. Her characters aren’t exactly lovable or particularly notable, but the ways they act and the things they do read just like everyday life. It’s personal in its ambiguity.
Some favorite quotes:
She said one thing and your job was to contradict. You don't care about me' meant Tell me you care', and 'I put all the work in' meant ‘Tell me you're still committed'.
Loneliness wasn’t having no one. Loneliness was the gap between what you hoped for and what you got.
Jane Austen was Jane Austen, and wrote novels that have elicited centuries of tears and laughter. She had an intellect so huge that millions still long to know it. Countless hours of human life have been spent gratefully enjoying the output of her consciousness. If you measure love by how much time another person can spend in your mind while considering the benefit all theirs, then Jane Austen is possibly the most adored woman of all time. And she still couldn't imagine a happier ending than a man becoming less mean.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Cursing, and Infidelity
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
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