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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I absolutely loved this book. While the main character,Nina, is not as quirky as Eleanor Oliphant, she definitely has her oddities, which makes her that much more endearing.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book! I thought it was a super cute read that really explained anxiety in a way that related to me. I loved all of the book references and identified as Nina many times when she talked about her love of books. And how the romance played out? Cheesy at the end but man did I love it. GOALs.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
funny
lighthearted
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
I found the protagonist relatable, funny, and engaging including her flaws. Loved the supporting cast including the love interest. Good character development and all around humor.
I wanted to like this - I'm a book-loving introvert with anxiety, who enjoys reading romance, so this should be right up my alley. I couldn't even get close to the romance, because the accents and weirdness about a gay character got in the way.
The audiobook has terrible accents/voices (an Australian accent that sounds more like a poorly done English accent, and a gay man's voice that sounds more like a Golden Girl), and the writing is really weird about a main character who is a gay man. The main character is very "omg I'm so glad I have a gay relative, I've always loved gay men", and her friend even says she "borrowed a neighbour's gay cousin to go shopping". I get that some people still talk that way about gay men, but I find it hard to believe someone in their 20s/30s in LA would reduce a gay man to an accessory like that, and I certainly don't want to read it. I couldn't get past the audiobook voices and the tokenism of a gay bff, so won't be finishing it.
The audiobook has terrible accents/voices (an Australian accent that sounds more like a poorly done English accent, and a gay man's voice that sounds more like a Golden Girl), and the writing is really weird about a main character who is a gay man. The main character is very "omg I'm so glad I have a gay relative, I've always loved gay men", and her friend even says she "borrowed a neighbour's gay cousin to go shopping". I get that some people still talk that way about gay men, but I find it hard to believe someone in their 20s/30s in LA would reduce a gay man to an accessory like that, and I certainly don't want to read it. I couldn't get past the audiobook voices and the tokenism of a gay bff, so won't be finishing it.
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I went from a five star review to three stars to four stars over the course of reading this novel. Waxman details the ins and outs of life in a particular corner of LA in a way that reminds me of Jane Austen — affectionate toward her characters and still sharply observant. The development of one plot strand, Nina’s relationship with her newly discovered family, is on the whole well done, though I would have liked her to spend more time on it. The romance, however, is where this book loses a star. It seems superfluous and it’s really not clear what brings these two together besides lust and a common interest in trivia. Throw in an incident that is presented as a turning point in their nascent relationship where Nina publicly apologizes even though Tom is also in the wrong (and where it’s not clear Nina actually carries any blame), and the happily ever after seems, to say the least, unearned. Waxman’s writing is strong enough for me to read more of her work, though I’ll be keeping an eye on the romantic plot lines.