Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Switch by Beth O'Leary

19 reviews

aseel_reads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

A very lovely read by this author, as always. Fleshed out dual perspective and I loved the family aspect for this one. 

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korpney's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-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

5.0

Such a beautiful, heartwarming book about family (both the people you’re born with and the people you’ve found), grief, and finding yourself again. So inspiring too! 

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ajclix's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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tillyjournals's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

romances kinda came from nowhere

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ajourneythroughpages's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I was quite disappointed by this book, as I loved The Flatshare. The whole premise was unbelievable from the go - two months paid leave for one panic attack? Unlikely. The story was too slow, no actual plot, a lot of significant things for the characters happened off page, there were no real stakes and every little thing got resolved far too easily. I didn't feel like I really knew or connected with the characters. That being said, it was an easy read for a few days, with some enjoyable story points. Overall I do feel that this was a bit of a hit-and-miss. 

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joppiereading's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A lovely, really well-paced romance that pulls off a convincing enemies to lovers trope without toxicity, includes love at all ages, and has a lovable and rich cast of characters.  It also depicts a broken family following tragedy, including how several family members struggle to heal from it. In the end, it’s a heartwarming read. 

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beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Full review to come.

I had decidedly mixed feelings about The Switch.

The first third of the book was great - it was well-written, the pace was good, and it was funny and heartwarming. It was pretty predictable and cliched, but at that point, I was enjoying it so much that I didn't really care. I thought that the exploration of grief as a theme was well done, especially in how it affects the family members of those who have died - it was very sensitively written. There were also brief references to domestic violence that were also handled well, I thought.

Unfortunately, all of the above was nearly ruined for me by the author using a trope that I really dislike:
the first boyfriend of one of the narrators (Leena) turning out to be a massive two-timing douchebag, so the new love interest can then conveniently swoop in and save the day
. Ugh.  And the fact that
the first boyfriend's redeeming qualities were basically swept aside
. I also disliked that
the new love interest was basically described as being built like a football/rugby/soccer player, and didn't seem to have much personality beyond that. I know that sounds mean, and I'm sorry - but that's how I felt
.

I also disliked how the author had the characters do things that I found ethically questionable, purely to advance the plot.

To sum up: The Switch is a novel that started off well but turned off this reader by using a nasty trope that authors should really stop using.

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jodierose14's review against another edition

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

4.0


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eugbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5


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gracegeeks's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i think i need to switch lives with my grandparents

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