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coffeeneur's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
What a sweet and often funny book, a growing-up story told through intertwined vignettes. First half stronger than the second. I also found the segment where the writer switches to "you" as narrator q bit jarring, not sure why she chose to structure it that way except maybe she needed distance to tell that part of the story. Wish I had read this when it first came out tho glad I read it now.
mxllie_rxth's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
suzzeb22's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book for it's humour and it's portrayal of the boyfriend Archie. The female protagonist is very well written; she seemed very real. I would recommend this; it's sort of slow to start but definitely picks up after the first few chapters.
moco71's review against another edition
2.0
Entertaining, but nothing amazing. I expected a little more...
happylilkt's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I went in blind and was surprised that this wasn't a comedic guide to dating or similar fare. It most definitely is a novel and I get why there aren't stellar reviews for it, but I liked it. I don't recommend it per se, but I think it's excellent writing and as someone who couldn't really fathom the whole dating process (still don't really know how I got married), I found the main character relatable. If you have snarky friends, you might like this book. Consider it a coming of age story for the modern 30-something, rather than the typical 13-17 year old.
jwilding's review against another edition
5.0
"I knew how I felt at parties. The worst thing was to get caught standing alone; it seemed to prove that you weren't worth talking to."
"When he hugged me goodnight, it was just arms and squeezing, but now the familiar lack of comfort comforted me. I'd once told him that his hugging reminded me of the surrogate wire mothers in the rhesus-monkey experiment; it was more like the idea of the hug than the real thing."
"I once read that no matter how long an alcoholic was sober, as soon as he went back to drinking he would be exactly where he was when he'd left off. That's how it was with Archie and me."
"Henry sat next to me at the table. He nodded at the bowl of mussels and said in a low voice, "Vaginas of the sea." I looked at them and saw what he meant."
"You can feel how much he loves you. For a second, you think maybe if he can just hold on to you like this, he'll keep you from falling off the earth, out of this life."
"You don't see him again. Sometimes you worry that he loved you better than any man ever has or will—even if it had nothing to do with you. Even now, he is every blue blazer getting into a cab, every runner along the river, every motorcycle coming and going."
"But advertising made my IQ go down; every night I had to work just to get it back up to regular."
"To the tune of "Why Can't A Woman Be More Like a Man", I whisper, "Why can't a man be more like a poodle?""
"When he hugged me goodnight, it was just arms and squeezing, but now the familiar lack of comfort comforted me. I'd once told him that his hugging reminded me of the surrogate wire mothers in the rhesus-monkey experiment; it was more like the idea of the hug than the real thing."
"I once read that no matter how long an alcoholic was sober, as soon as he went back to drinking he would be exactly where he was when he'd left off. That's how it was with Archie and me."
"Henry sat next to me at the table. He nodded at the bowl of mussels and said in a low voice, "Vaginas of the sea." I looked at them and saw what he meant."
"You can feel how much he loves you. For a second, you think maybe if he can just hold on to you like this, he'll keep you from falling off the earth, out of this life."
"You don't see him again. Sometimes you worry that he loved you better than any man ever has or will—even if it had nothing to do with you. Even now, he is every blue blazer getting into a cab, every runner along the river, every motorcycle coming and going."
"But advertising made my IQ go down; every night I had to work just to get it back up to regular."
"To the tune of "Why Can't A Woman Be More Like a Man", I whisper, "Why can't a man be more like a poodle?""
leeshdog's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
3.0
mitch718's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25