Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a mostly smart, funny, well written debut novel about an introvert design engineer (Ava) who is the storage box expert for an IKEA-like company in Red Hook and is wooed into a relationship with a charming but kind of jerky, extrovert marketing type (Mat) who becomes her boss. At the same time, Ava is struggling with grief in the aftermath of a tragedy that killed her girlfriend. Fascinating characters like Jaime, Ava's engineer co-worker; the dogs Emily and Brutus; The Vandals, an activist group protesting the erection of the company's new tower; and Judith, the buttoned up Chief People Officer make this an entertaining and quick read. Blackett also explores sexual identity and mens' and women's roles in the workplace effectively and with humor.
The book was great until about the last 3 chapters when a contrived ending totally inconsistent with the rest of the book, and particularly with Ava's character, disappointed me. I think the author needed to start integrating the transition to the ending much earlier than she did. But given all the the positives here I think Blackett will only get better.
The book was great until about the last 3 chapters when a contrived ending totally inconsistent with the rest of the book, and particularly with Ava's character, disappointed me. I think the author needed to start integrating the transition to the ending much earlier than she did. But given all the the positives here I think Blackett will only get better.
“We can 1000% market this as the box for minimalists… because minimalists make up such a big portion of our clientele… and so the very nice box is like a cool minimalist solution for minimalists who fell off the wagon and starting buying more stuff even though they tried not to!”
“She once accepted that all pain was relative, now, she wasn’t so sure.”
“She once accepted that all pain was relative, now, she wasn’t so sure.”
this was SO much fun! i thought the twist was predictable but i just loved that ending
This was a clever book with a twist that caught me by surprise. There were a few key details that felt a little flat, but overall I really enjoyed this story and got totally swept up in the outcome.
this book was fun! funny, tender, weird corporate vibes, surprisingly thrilling at times
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Okay WHOAAAAA. It took me a million years to finish this because I thought it was just your run-of-the-mill romance & I got bored halfway through … BUT THE PLOT TWIST. Maybe I’m just not observant but I literally did not expect that like at all. Of course some of the characters annoyed me, but I’m willing to look past it because of the ending :D
A great satire on the corporate/marketing world and a delicious dig at my beloved IKEA. And for good measure, let's toss in a crazy boyfriend, a life-altering tragedy and an awesome twist. This is a highly entertaining book.
