Reviews with content warning for Rape - Exciting Times

I'm not sure how much I liked this book. I enjoyed it, I found it engaging, and I laughed out loud more than once. I also really liked some of the lines; I listened to the audiobook while driving so I sadly didn't save most of them, but there was one part that hit me so hard I paused the book and just sort of yelled for a minute. I just spent fifteen minutes tracking it down so I might as well share it here:

"The best wedges of words were the ones my eight-year-olds wrote: I like her face. With her I am happy. I wished I’d never learned more advanced grammar and could only make sentences like that. It would give me an excuse to say them aloud."

Anyway. This book didn't really go anywhere and I'm not sure the characters are very good in any real way, but I enjoyed the narration for sure. It's interesting and I'd recommend it to some people, but not everyone.

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hello_lovely13's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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sewn_up's review against another edition

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funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

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funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I see why this is often compared to Sally Rooney's writing, with its real, complex characters and matter of fact tone narrating the every day life of our main character it definitely shares similarities with Rooney.

That said, it is unique in its own way. One thing that stood out to me was the humour throughout, this book was funny, and I think its rare that I think that. I've also seen the writing being compared to Ottessa Moshfegh, which i also see where that comes from, but overall I think Dolan has her own unique voice and style that will definitely work really well for some people.

Did it work for me? I honestly don't know haha. I definitely found it very readable, I was intrigued and to some extent attached, but I think books like this will just click on that extra level with some people and not others, and I can't say it necessarily did for me.

That said, I still really did like this, I found reading from a female character who was just unapologeticly human, without trying to convince you shes a 'good' person very refreshing. I also wanted to note a few favourite quotes:

'You keep describing yourself as a uniquely damaged person, when a lot of it is completely normal. I think you want to feel special - which is fair, who doesn't - but you don't allow yourself to feel special in a good way, so you tell yourself you're especially bad'

'I enjoyed conversations where I wasn't trying to persuade anyone, where I just said precisely what I thought. I got tired of making myself acceptable'

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coreysbooks's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
⭐️⭐️/5 for me

Main character doesn’t get a lot of character development, a love triangle between our bisexual main character and her male roomie banker and a female lovely lawyer. Our main character is kind of cruel, she blatantly used both people, and then goes back to the banker in the end. She’s dishonest, and uses the people she “loves”. I think the only reason I finished is I loved the voice of the audiobook narrator.

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ienbdri's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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missdaisyanna's review against another edition

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reflective slow-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

4.0

I understand where the author was going with this book, the pull of the familiar and the devil you know, opting for something that wouldn't hurt you or make you too happy over something that might give you soaring highs and crushing lows. I, unfortunately, related to a lot of the feelings Ava had about Julian, wanting to be appreciated by someone who didn't appreciate anyone, and feeling special when they did. But the fatal flaw in this book was simple - I can't think of a single person who would actually like Julian. if he had been made just a bit more likeable, a little more of a mixed bag, even had just one or two redeeming qualities, then this would have worked. As it is, I just feel that Ava made the wrong choice, and nobody could argue otherwise.

I also feel like the mention of r*pe was unnecessary as it wasn't ever brought up again or developed on.

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oliviaclaire's review against another edition

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dark funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

I feel like the fact that I'm not a fan of Sally Rooney probably saved this book for me as trying to live up to that literary hype is a lot for any other story.

I think, and on reflection hope, that the title is ironic as not much happens outside the head of our protagonist, where too much happens all too often. In a way, this would fit with Ava's character and with the brand of humour a lot of the characters in this novel subscribe to. I would consider this a character driven novel, maybe even a character study, rather than a book with a particularly strong plot.

What I enjoyed most was the writing style. It's witty and charming and I flew through the story in two days. Perhaps if you are a slower reader this could drag due to the afformentioned lack of plot but for a quick read it's actually a unique and oddly entertaining insight into the mind of a young expat with some unresolved issues around identity, sexuality and self-appraisal.

Because of this my main gripe is the mildly disappointing ending, which I'm sure other people see as the only upside to the story. I feel like Ava deciding to make the right decision, be brave, get the girl, insert additional cliché, removed from the idea that we don't always make that last minute run through the airport, that perfectly articulated heartfelt declaration. Sometimes we chicken out or we don't have an introspective realisation and life takes us on a different path and I think that having that neat happy ending tagged on awkwardly at the end of the story makes the entirety of the preceding 250 pages seem wasted.

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