Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Exciting Times

I enjoyed overall this but it has quite a slow start. I also didn't love all the characters e.g. Julian and the narrator. It is well written and I love Dolan's writing style.

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snowhitereads's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I’ve seen mixed reviews about this book and I can definitely see why.

A lot of people compared Naoise Dolan’s writing to that of Sally Rooney’s and maybe that’s why it was kind of a “meh” read for me. It’s not my favorite style of storytelling.

I found Exciting Times a little hard to get into. The pacing and overall feel of the story didn’t do much for me.

Ava, the main character remained a very unlikeable character throughout the book.Displaying extreme self-absorption and self-hatred, she never really really grew or evolved as a character.

However I did enjoy part II of the book where Ava met and developed a crush on Edith, with Ava overanalyzing all their interactions and Edith's Instagram presence

I really liked the commentary on Irish culture and the political scene, I just wish the author gave the same treatment when it came to Hong Kong. Given the fervent political and social atmosphere of the place where the story takes place, I found it disappointed and a disservice to the culture being portrayed in the book.

Overall, not a bad book, just not my personal taste.

If you like Sally Rooney, you might want to check this one out.

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heatherb's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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