You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
3.5 stars.
I can see why this book is recommended to Sally Rooney fans. Our main character Ava is an Irish 23 year old woman who moves to Hong Kong to teach English after college without putting much thought into it other than distancing herself from her family and other known people in Ireland. In HK Ava meets (in unknown circumstances) her first friend Julian, a slightly older successful British banker with whom she's got great banter but rarely do the two honestly and openly talk to each other. Soon the relationship evolves into something more and Ava moves into Julian's luxurious apartment, although still no labels are attached and Ava frequently oscillates from "do I love him/does he love me" to "I don't actually like him that much/he obviously doesn't like me much". Despite the things left unsaid, this arrangement works for the two until Julian returns to England for a few months for work and Ava meets Edith. Edith is a young lawyer from HK and she's all that Julian is not: supportive, caring, loving. The two have a great time together but Julian's return is impending in Ava's mind and she knows she should approach the subject with Edith.
This novel is filled with sarcastic humour and negative self-talk, along with that insecurity that characterises a person's early twenties. Naoise Dolan is a really good writer, however I wish this plot was more than a choice between two relationships and I kept wishing for Ava to make better choices with her welfare in mind. Some decisions felt contradicting and I felt confused by Ava's identity. Still, a great debut and lots of witty lines that I've underlined.
I can see why this book is recommended to Sally Rooney fans. Our main character Ava is an Irish 23 year old woman who moves to Hong Kong to teach English after college without putting much thought into it other than distancing herself from her family and other known people in Ireland. In HK Ava meets (in unknown circumstances) her first friend Julian, a slightly older successful British banker with whom she's got great banter but rarely do the two honestly and openly talk to each other. Soon the relationship evolves into something more and Ava moves into Julian's luxurious apartment, although still no labels are attached and Ava frequently oscillates from "do I love him/does he love me" to "I don't actually like him that much/he obviously doesn't like me much". Despite the things left unsaid, this arrangement works for the two until Julian returns to England for a few months for work and Ava meets Edith. Edith is a young lawyer from HK and she's all that Julian is not: supportive, caring, loving. The two have a great time together but Julian's return is impending in Ava's mind and she knows she should approach the subject with Edith.
This novel is filled with sarcastic humour and negative self-talk, along with that insecurity that characterises a person's early twenties. Naoise Dolan is a really good writer, however I wish this plot was more than a choice between two relationships and I kept wishing for Ava to make better choices with her welfare in mind. Some decisions felt contradicting and I felt confused by Ava's identity. Still, a great debut and lots of witty lines that I've underlined.
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i absolutely loved this, my boyfriend kept asking me what was so funny because i kept laughing while reading.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was clearly heavily inspired by Sally Rooney, and I appreciated a lot of those parts of it. However, it definitely felt like a fanfiction rather than a fully fleshed-out original story. The characters were pretty unlikable (and racist, when it comes to the main character), but were still somewhat interesting to read about. I liked the book enough, but it wasn't one I fell in love with.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF - was bored and also annoyed at main character. Found myself avoiding reading because I just couldn’t bring myself to care about anything happening.