Reviews with content warning for Stalking - Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting

I bought this book in Heathrow coming home, and after floundering about on public transport it seemed very apt to pick this up. Mostly I quite enjoyed it! Some writing I didn't love, as well as needless body shaming but it's very palatable, optimistic, and predictable, in a nice way. You have to go in with a suspension of disbelief about how entrenched in each other lives these people get, in the end it's a little silly but very sweet. Pooley obviously believes that literally everyone you see has a rich inner life and sees the beauty in the mundane. and I LOVE books written in multiple point of views. I liked that Iona was kind of a mess !! I would love to have a cup of train tea with her.

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shutupiamreading's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

I think I liked the concept of this book more than I liked the actual book... This has such a promising premise, but I think the execution lacked a bit. It dragged a lot in the middle and I can't help but wonder if the plot would've been better if one of the characters was left out - especially since there was 1 in particular who barely got any attention and seemed more like a vehicle to progress the plot.

There were a lot of good themes here - mental health in health professionals, ageing, re-inventing yourself during middle age, controlling relationships - but overall I feel like the exploration of these themes lacked depth. Leaving out at least 1-2 of the characters and making it 50 pages shorter would've focused the plot more.

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dogsyarnandbooks's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

I loved this book! Such a fun, quirky cast of diverse characters, all brought together by unlikely circumstances. However, a lot of the reviews are calling this a “lighthearted read,” and while it’s certainly heartwarming and joyful most if the time, I think calling it “lighthearted” is misleading. It deals with some very heavy topics that could be off putting to someone who picks it up expecting all warm fuzzies. If you’re a sensitive reader, you may find it difficult in some parts, but it’s truly a wonderful book.

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imstephtacular's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

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