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redheadstorm's review against another edition
4.0
Brook Ogden is my favorite kind of a chick lit heroine - the perfectly imperfect kind. After weathering a heartbreak she refuses to talk about, Brook seems to have gotten her life in order - she is running a successful practice as a mental health counselor, has a boyfriend who treats her well and is always there to lend a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on to her best friend Sasha. The dynamic between the two friends seems to have been established long time ago - Sasha goes out and has her heart broken over and over again; Brook is always there with the right advice to help her heal it. Then all of a sudden Brook's little safe cocoon stars becoming less safe and predictable - no longer having an office, Brook finds herself having to adjust to the new situation...and in the process ends up doing what she does best - writing a column about relationships and breakups and giving breakup advice to clients (professionally), in turn becoming the "Breakup Doctor".
And just as the saying goes "doctors make the worst patients", once her own relationship starts unraveling, Brook finds herself unable to practice what she preaches. Now, though most of us would be reluctant to admit it, I don't know a single person that hasn't at some point done at least one thing they are not so proud of - all in the throes of heartache. Emotional roller-coasters often bring out the side of a person that even they themselves didn't know existed. And let me tell you - mental health specialists are no exception. Back in the day when I was choosing the path of psychology/psychotherapy as career, I often wondered how is that more often than not kids of two psychologists (or psychiatrists) end up being royally screwed up.
Once you accept the fact that even most put together people do not have it all figure out, it will be easy to sympathize with all the ridiculous(ly funny) situations Brook gets herself into.
If you have a girlfriend having a rough time with a breakup, make sure to get her this book - at the very least it will get a laugh (or five) out of her. Regardless of your love situation, I am positive that this book will be a super entertaining and laugh out loud journey for all of you chick lit lovers out there. And I am thrilled that this is actually going to be a book series - cannot wait to get my hands on the next Breakup doctor book. (let me tell you all this laughing is doing wonders for my abs)
And just as the saying goes "doctors make the worst patients", once her own relationship starts unraveling, Brook finds herself unable to practice what she preaches. Now, though most of us would be reluctant to admit it, I don't know a single person that hasn't at some point done at least one thing they are not so proud of - all in the throes of heartache. Emotional roller-coasters often bring out the side of a person that even they themselves didn't know existed. And let me tell you - mental health specialists are no exception. Back in the day when I was choosing the path of psychology/psychotherapy as career, I often wondered how is that more often than not kids of two psychologists (or psychiatrists) end up being royally screwed up.
Once you accept the fact that even most put together people do not have it all figure out, it will be easy to sympathize with all the ridiculous(ly funny) situations Brook gets herself into.
If you have a girlfriend having a rough time with a breakup, make sure to get her this book - at the very least it will get a laugh (or five) out of her. Regardless of your love situation, I am positive that this book will be a super entertaining and laugh out loud journey for all of you chick lit lovers out there. And I am thrilled that this is actually going to be a book series - cannot wait to get my hands on the next Breakup doctor book. (let me tell you all this laughing is doing wonders for my abs)
laurapatriciarose's review against another edition
3.0
Originally posted on:> http://lauraslittlebookblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/the-breakup-doctor-by-phoebe-fox.html
The Breakup Doctor follows the story of Brook Ogden who has just lost her practice. At a loss as to what to do, her friend Sasha steps in and helps her land a weekly column in a newspaper and gives herself the name: The Breakup doctor. She even gets her consulting services off the ground, giving advice to people going through breakups and how to deal with them. Brook is the epitome of all breakup doctors. She knows exactly what advice to give her clients and steers them in the right direction. However things take a big turn for Brook when her own relationship crumbles and she finds herself doing the things that she has been advising her clients against!
This was a nice story to read and I found that it was quite enlightening in places. Despite Brooks own mistakes she does give good advice on how to handle break ups.
Although Brook is a nice character I just couldn't really warm to her throughout the story. She is judgmental of others without realising it and seems to look down on others like her friend Sasha who goes through lots of breakups and handles them in her own, if a little crazy way.
I did get that the story focused on Brook realising that there is not always a best way to handle a breakup and she does go off the rails, but even as she was making this discovery, I still just couldn't sympathise with her.
This was a nice story that is easy to get into, but for me it was one that I could just easily pick up and put down again.
The Breakup Doctor follows the story of Brook Ogden who has just lost her practice. At a loss as to what to do, her friend Sasha steps in and helps her land a weekly column in a newspaper and gives herself the name: The Breakup doctor. She even gets her consulting services off the ground, giving advice to people going through breakups and how to deal with them. Brook is the epitome of all breakup doctors. She knows exactly what advice to give her clients and steers them in the right direction. However things take a big turn for Brook when her own relationship crumbles and she finds herself doing the things that she has been advising her clients against!
This was a nice story to read and I found that it was quite enlightening in places. Despite Brooks own mistakes she does give good advice on how to handle break ups.
Although Brook is a nice character I just couldn't really warm to her throughout the story. She is judgmental of others without realising it and seems to look down on others like her friend Sasha who goes through lots of breakups and handles them in her own, if a little crazy way.
I did get that the story focused on Brook realising that there is not always a best way to handle a breakup and she does go off the rails, but even as she was making this discovery, I still just couldn't sympathise with her.
This was a nice story that is easy to get into, but for me it was one that I could just easily pick up and put down again.
jayvall's review
THE BREAKUP DOCTOR tells the story of Brook Ogden, licensed mental health
counselor, who slowly starts to lose it as she first loses her job and then
her boyfriend. As she finds a new gig writing a newspaper column for the
unlucky-in-love set, her own love life begins to unravel until she finds
herself breaking into her boyfriend's apartment to try and figure out why
he's no longer interested in being with her.
THE BREAKUP DOCTOR was an interesting book because I think it's supposed to
be funny to see the dichotomy of Brook's success as a relationship expert
for the newspaper while her personal life is falling apart, but it struck me
as sad more than funny. She has issues that she hadn't dealt with before
getting into the relationship that ultimately went south, and we get to see
her work through them and realize that pushing down her feelings is not the
same as dealing with them. My only complaint is that the book felt sort of
one-note to me. There was a subplot about Brook's mom leaving to be in a
play, but it was really very secondary to the main plot, which meant that by
the end of the book I was tired of being in Brook's head with her problems.
In general THE BREAKUP DOCTOR was well-written and kept me engaged. I would
like to see what Phoebe Fox's next book will be about.
counselor, who slowly starts to lose it as she first loses her job and then
her boyfriend. As she finds a new gig writing a newspaper column for the
unlucky-in-love set, her own love life begins to unravel until she finds
herself breaking into her boyfriend's apartment to try and figure out why
he's no longer interested in being with her.
THE BREAKUP DOCTOR was an interesting book because I think it's supposed to
be funny to see the dichotomy of Brook's success as a relationship expert
for the newspaper while her personal life is falling apart, but it struck me
as sad more than funny. She has issues that she hadn't dealt with before
getting into the relationship that ultimately went south, and we get to see
her work through them and realize that pushing down her feelings is not the
same as dealing with them. My only complaint is that the book felt sort of
one-note to me. There was a subplot about Brook's mom leaving to be in a
play, but it was really very secondary to the main plot, which meant that by
the end of the book I was tired of being in Brook's head with her problems.
In general THE BREAKUP DOCTOR was well-written and kept me engaged. I would
like to see what Phoebe Fox's next book will be about.
leahmichelle_13's review
3.0
When Phoebe Fox emailed me asking me to review her novel The Breakup Doctor, I told her I would be delighted to – I had spotted the novel on Netgalley previously but because I was trying to be good and only request novels I really, really, really wanted to read (in a bid to make sure I could review every book I’m requesting) I had let it go, but Phoebe’s email convinced me, and I happily requested myself a copy and couldn’t wait to get stuck in as it had such an interesting premise.
I knew from the opening pages of The Breakup Doctor that it was a novel I was going to enjoy. And it was. I did have a few issues as the novel wore on, but overall it was a wonderful read and I very much liked the idea of such a thing as a breakup doctor – after all, breakups can be tough, and some may need a little help to get over a relationship, and who better to advise the lonely and miserable people of Florida than Brook Ogden, who’s day job is being a therapist and who knows what it’s like to be dumped out of the blue! The execution of the novel was great – I loved the interactions between Brook and her clients and Brook and her best friend Sasha, Sasha is like the greatest friend ever, just saying. I also loved reading Brook’s articles that she wrote for the newspaper where Sasha worked.
It was with a fair amount of irony that the breakup doctor ends up dumped once again – and I did rather feel it was out of character for Brook to act like she did – we’re told early on that Brook is level headed, cool as ice, doesn’t let anything get to her but after her breakup with Kendall she goes off the rails. It’s fun – especially the tattoo scene, but it seemed unusual for Brook although she has the self awareness to realise that perhaps her cool persona up until her breakup with Kendall may have been her undoing when he left. So I suppose it did make sense!
The only thing I wished we had had a bit more of was the delectable Ben. We meet him in the ER and I just wish he’d been utilised more, because he interested me immediately, right from the word go. I don’t know if this is the first book of a series, but I would definitely be interested in a sequel – Brook is so good at her job, the breakup doctor is such a clever idea, and I would love to be back with the gang again – I would probably even give Sasha her own book as she was awesome. The Breakup Doctor was a good, solid read with some wonderful characters and one or two laugh out loud scenes, and a wonderful narrative.
I knew from the opening pages of The Breakup Doctor that it was a novel I was going to enjoy. And it was. I did have a few issues as the novel wore on, but overall it was a wonderful read and I very much liked the idea of such a thing as a breakup doctor – after all, breakups can be tough, and some may need a little help to get over a relationship, and who better to advise the lonely and miserable people of Florida than Brook Ogden, who’s day job is being a therapist and who knows what it’s like to be dumped out of the blue! The execution of the novel was great – I loved the interactions between Brook and her clients and Brook and her best friend Sasha, Sasha is like the greatest friend ever, just saying. I also loved reading Brook’s articles that she wrote for the newspaper where Sasha worked.
It was with a fair amount of irony that the breakup doctor ends up dumped once again – and I did rather feel it was out of character for Brook to act like she did – we’re told early on that Brook is level headed, cool as ice, doesn’t let anything get to her but after her breakup with Kendall she goes off the rails. It’s fun – especially the tattoo scene, but it seemed unusual for Brook although she has the self awareness to realise that perhaps her cool persona up until her breakup with Kendall may have been her undoing when he left. So I suppose it did make sense!
The only thing I wished we had had a bit more of was the delectable Ben. We meet him in the ER and I just wish he’d been utilised more, because he interested me immediately, right from the word go. I don’t know if this is the first book of a series, but I would definitely be interested in a sequel – Brook is so good at her job, the breakup doctor is such a clever idea, and I would love to be back with the gang again – I would probably even give Sasha her own book as she was awesome. The Breakup Doctor was a good, solid read with some wonderful characters and one or two laugh out loud scenes, and a wonderful narrative.
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