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niamh15's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
whatkatisreading's review
challenging
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’ by Naomi Wood is a sharp and timely collection of short stories about women subverting norms. Each tale is darkly funny, relatable and brave and together they paint a shrewd picture of the modern world.
Personal highlights for me were ‘Wedding Day’ which was vivid, biting and funny and ‘Dino Mums’ which was unusual and intriguing. I was also hooked by the corporate portrait and themes of failed sisterhood and competitive parenting in the opening story ‘Lesley, In Therapy’.
This gets 3.5 stars from me. While some of collection spoke to me, other short stories didn’t so it was a somewhat mixed experience. I’d recommend this and I think I’d have enjoyed more if I dipped in and out rather than reading each consecutively… so buy the captivatingly covered hardback and keep it to read in between other books!
I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Orion via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Personal highlights for me were ‘Wedding Day’ which was vivid, biting and funny and ‘Dino Mums’ which was unusual and intriguing. I was also hooked by the corporate portrait and themes of failed sisterhood and competitive parenting in the opening story ‘Lesley, In Therapy’.
This gets 3.5 stars from me. While some of collection spoke to me, other short stories didn’t so it was a somewhat mixed experience. I’d recommend this and I think I’d have enjoyed more if I dipped in and out rather than reading each consecutively… so buy the captivatingly covered hardback and keep it to read in between other books!
I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Orion via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
sandytfrench's review
3.0
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things by Naomi Wood
Publication date: 4 April 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars
Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A debut short story collection from award-winning novelist Naomi Wood, exploring the dark side of family and femininity.
I really enjoyed Wood's writing but ultimately none of the stories really grabbed me - until the last story, Dino Moms, which came completely out of left field and was by far my favourite.
I appreciated the exploration into pregnancy and motherhood throughout the stories, of the difficult and often conflicting feelings they can illicit and I really enjoyed how Wood kept her characters raw and often unlikeable but, ultimately, very human and flawed.
Now, if Wood wanted to write a full length Dino Moms novel, I'd read that in a heartbeat. What a weird and wonderful little story that was!
Publication date: 4 April 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars
Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A debut short story collection from award-winning novelist Naomi Wood, exploring the dark side of family and femininity.
I really enjoyed Wood's writing but ultimately none of the stories really grabbed me - until the last story, Dino Moms, which came completely out of left field and was by far my favourite.
I appreciated the exploration into pregnancy and motherhood throughout the stories, of the difficult and often conflicting feelings they can illicit and I really enjoyed how Wood kept her characters raw and often unlikeable but, ultimately, very human and flawed.
Now, if Wood wanted to write a full length Dino Moms novel, I'd read that in a heartbeat. What a weird and wonderful little story that was!
sarajoe80's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
First of all, thank you to the author and Net Galley for allowing me a digital copy as ARC.
This book was a peculiar short story collection with the shared topic of pregnancy, motherhood and its related struggles. While some stories were interesting, I found a couple of them to be confusing (especially Dino Moms) and bland. Overall it was a nice read into the slice of life of motherhood, where mothers are not portrayed as perfect people, but rather complex and faulty.
Read if: you are interested in short stories around motherhood
Don't read if: you do not like stories that are not linear or do not have a conclusion; those stories are rather a slice of life and do not have conclusions
This book was a peculiar short story collection with the shared topic of pregnancy, motherhood and its related struggles. While some stories were interesting, I found a couple of them to be confusing (especially Dino Moms) and bland. Overall it was a nice read into the slice of life of motherhood, where mothers are not portrayed as perfect people, but rather complex and faulty.
Read if: you are interested in short stories around motherhood
Don't read if: you do not like stories that are not linear or do not have a conclusion; those stories are rather a slice of life and do not have conclusions
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