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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
medium-paced
Although I feel increasingly too old for stories about uni students in share-houses, I just find Reid’s writing brilliant. Her dialogue is authentic and everything else is just the right amount of poetic to be captivating.
I loved the style of her first book Love & Virtue, despite similarly not really caring for the premise. Both books actually carry a lot of formulaic similarities. The “twists” or “reveals” are just predictable enough that they make sense and don’t feel forced, and the “moral of the story” ends up being about something much deeper. Satisfying ending without tying everything up neatly with a bow.
- juicy, messy, satisfying
I loved the style of her first book Love & Virtue, despite similarly not really caring for the premise. Both books actually carry a lot of formulaic similarities. The “twists” or “reveals” are just predictable enough that they make sense and don’t feel forced, and the “moral of the story” ends up being about something much deeper. Satisfying ending without tying everything up neatly with a bow.
- juicy, messy, satisfying
I thought this was going to be self-important tosh, and it was, but I also loved it. It showed the extremely messy parts of relationships, especially sibling dynamics and friendship dynamics. I felt the queerness of the relationships a bit surface level, and it really felt like Charlie and Eleanor were much more developed than Helen, who was put on the pedestal of desire without much depth. I found Charlie deeply annoying, and I loved Eleanor, who was the most self-important of them all.
Some of the commentary in the book was a bit moralistic and felt out of place, need to find examples.
I feel like Diana Reid can really harness what it feels like to deeply hurt someone you love, knowing that you’re selfish and also indulgent for feeling selfish/not actually growing/changing. Some of the lines I actually laughed out loud, she’s obviously an amazing writer. I can’t wait to read her more popular book Love and Virtue!
Some of the commentary in the book was a bit moralistic and felt out of place, need to find examples.
I feel like Diana Reid can really harness what it feels like to deeply hurt someone you love, knowing that you’re selfish and also indulgent for feeling selfish/not actually growing/changing. Some of the lines I actually laughed out loud, she’s obviously an amazing writer. I can’t wait to read her more popular book Love and Virtue!
“The sun was setting and the two sisters formed a single silhouette. The curves of their backs tapered to a pale point with Charlie’s bleached-blonde head. From a distance, they might have been another gravestone.”
Diana Reid you’ve done it again
Diana Reid you’ve done it again
emotional
medium-paced
super readable! I love Reid’s writing, and how effortlessly she moves from character to character. She nails those complexities. Didn’t love the ending, but also didn’t hate it.
First book of 2024 completed and it was a lonely one! Set in Sydney which I loved - the share house is in Enmore which is where I lived, so it was v fun to hear names of places I recognised and actually be able to picture it. It’s set in the summer after lockdown and follows the lives of two sisters, one recently out of a breakup and one in a vague situationship. It’s basically a nice read about romantic and platonic relationships, at times quite funny and at times sad (but not too heavy). Didn’t rock my world but I enjoyed and would recommend.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Slow start off the block with this one, but the Australian summer vibes really settled me in and enjoyed the last half very much especially. Literally perfect read for the summer days we’re having and highly recommend if you like a fictional but true to life exploration of sisterhood also.
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes