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grakreads's review
3.0
Happy publishing day to this book!
I received a free audiobook copy from Netgalley and finished in the nick of time before publishing day.
This book was a lot of fun. As someone who thoroughly enjoys hearing about other people's dating lives, I enjoyed listening to this and often felt as though I was being confided in. I do have to dock some points from this due to the oddly anticlimactic ending in the last 5% of the book and the diary entries written to U2. Overall, I recommend this to folks like me who enjoy these kinds of stories.
Tw: abortion, sexism, & 2008 political discussion
I received a free audiobook copy from Netgalley and finished in the nick of time before publishing day.
This book was a lot of fun. As someone who thoroughly enjoys hearing about other people's dating lives, I enjoyed listening to this and often felt as though I was being confided in. I do have to dock some points from this due to the oddly anticlimactic ending in the last 5% of the book and the diary entries written to U2. Overall, I recommend this to folks like me who enjoy these kinds of stories.
Tw: abortion, sexism, & 2008 political discussion
whalrl's review
5.0
*** 4.5 ⭐️ ***
Any book that starts with “shit smithereens” has to be a good story, doesn’t it? Well, the first chapter dealt with some pretty heavy subject matter, but it turned out to have a key role within the journey of Zoe Greene. The breakup of any relationship (friends, partners, spouses) is hard to recover from, but Zoe persevered and found a group of ride-or-die friends/family, hobbies, and a demanding job. Zoe also held to the belief that she would find a significant other to complete her, and then quickly found out that dating (by way of online or in-person set-ups) is tough! This story is also punctuated by diary entries to the various members of the band U2, which lends an emotional insight into how she copes with these interactions. I could relate to her struggles and wins in life and was rooting for her the whole time.
This audio ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for am honest review.
Any book that starts with “shit smithereens” has to be a good story, doesn’t it? Well, the first chapter dealt with some pretty heavy subject matter, but it turned out to have a key role within the journey of Zoe Greene. The breakup of any relationship (friends, partners, spouses) is hard to recover from, but Zoe persevered and found a group of ride-or-die friends/family, hobbies, and a demanding job. Zoe also held to the belief that she would find a significant other to complete her, and then quickly found out that dating (by way of online or in-person set-ups) is tough! This story is also punctuated by diary entries to the various members of the band U2, which lends an emotional insight into how she copes with these interactions. I could relate to her struggles and wins in life and was rooting for her the whole time.
This audio ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for am honest review.
whatcourtneyreads's review
1.0
With her 30th birthday approaching, Zoe has graduated from Yale, practising law, and married to her high school sweetheart. When they decide to have a baby, Zoe feels like everything has gone according to plan. Instead, Zoe ends up having to start over with the help of her therapist, loved ones, and a string of shitty dating app matches.
You may have surmised from my 1 star rating that this book was not for me, to say the least.
The first couple of chapters seemed like they may have had potential, however I quickly lost interest. There was very little character development, storylines that didn’t seem to serve a purpose, and I didn’t understand the choice to present Zoe’s diary entries as letters to the band U2. It also read like a YA novel, which was really bizarre for a story about a 30 year old woman going through quite a major adult crisis.
Ultimately though, my biggest issue was the consistent anti-abortion rhetoric threaded throughout, which is probably partly on me for not stopping when it first appeared on page 7. This book treats a very important topic in a careless and insensitive way, such as the suggestion that abortion is “killing” babies, or that abortion is more / less acceptable if the fetus is unhealthy / healthy. It’s a no from me, thank you.
Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for a review.
You may have surmised from my 1 star rating that this book was not for me, to say the least.
The first couple of chapters seemed like they may have had potential, however I quickly lost interest. There was very little character development, storylines that didn’t seem to serve a purpose, and I didn’t understand the choice to present Zoe’s diary entries as letters to the band U2. It also read like a YA novel, which was really bizarre for a story about a 30 year old woman going through quite a major adult crisis.
Ultimately though, my biggest issue was the consistent anti-abortion rhetoric threaded throughout, which is probably partly on me for not stopping when it first appeared on page 7. This book treats a very important topic in a careless and insensitive way, such as the suggestion that abortion is “killing” babies, or that abortion is more / less acceptable if the fetus is unhealthy / healthy. It’s a no from me, thank you.
Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for a review.
gracevelynwho's review
3.0
Happy publishing day to this book!
I received a free audiobook copy from Netgalley and finished in the nick of time before publishing day.
This book was a lot of fun. As someone who thoroughly enjoys hearing about other people's dating lives, I enjoyed listening to this and often felt as though I was being confided in. I do have to dock some points from this due to the oddly anticlimactic ending in the last 5% of the book and the diary entries written to U2. Overall, I recommend this to folks like me who enjoy these kinds of stories.
Tw: abortion, sexism, & 2008 political discussion
I received a free audiobook copy from Netgalley and finished in the nick of time before publishing day.
This book was a lot of fun. As someone who thoroughly enjoys hearing about other people's dating lives, I enjoyed listening to this and often felt as though I was being confided in. I do have to dock some points from this due to the oddly anticlimactic ending in the last 5% of the book and the diary entries written to U2. Overall, I recommend this to folks like me who enjoy these kinds of stories.
Tw: abortion, sexism, & 2008 political discussion
murphykat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ezwolf's review
To start with, I will be completely honest and say I was drawn to this book simply because the author and I share a similar name and I am close to the age of the main character and also Jewish (and quite a few other things, but I'm not going to list them out), but I only got about 6% in before I decided this wasn't for me.
Zoe Greene is coming up on turning 30 and the perfect life she thought she had going for herself is suddenly turned upside down with an abortion, divorce, and various other life drama.
I do think this has a really good (potential since I didn't get too far into it) commentary on divorce and the pressure that girls feel to get date and be married and have children right away. Also the way that Jewish girls are pressured into hiding Jewish features to look "prettier" (I also remember hating my extreme curls and frizz in high school, but have since grown to love my curls). The potential that is there is why I still gave the book two stars even though I didn't finish it.
Otherwise, my first moment of being put off was when Zoe made her first in book entry to Bono. I understand U2 is part of the draw of the novel, but that really threw me off. The next was when she says "YARSE!" when reminiscing as a high schooler. And the final straw was the Voldemort reference. I feel like we've reached a point in media and pop culture where we should be letting Harry Potter references die along with JK Rowling's overt TERFiness and so that was when I decided to stop reading.
I think this book has a lot of potential and it may be something enjoyable for other people, just not for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Zoe Greene is coming up on turning 30 and the perfect life she thought she had going for herself is suddenly turned upside down with an abortion, divorce, and various other life drama.
I do think this has a really good (potential since I didn't get too far into it) commentary on divorce and the pressure that girls feel to get date and be married and have children right away. Also the way that Jewish girls are pressured into hiding Jewish features to look "prettier" (I also remember hating my extreme curls and frizz in high school, but have since grown to love my curls). The potential that is there is why I still gave the book two stars even though I didn't finish it.
Otherwise, my first moment of being put off was when Zoe made her first in book entry to Bono. I understand U2 is part of the draw of the novel, but that really threw me off. The next was when she says "YARSE!" when reminiscing as a high schooler. And the final straw was the Voldemort reference. I feel like we've reached a point in media and pop culture where we should be letting Harry Potter references die along with JK Rowling's overt TERFiness and so that was when I decided to stop reading.
I think this book has a lot of potential and it may be something enjoyable for other people, just not for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Abortion
duckyreads's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My Thirty-First Year (And Other Calamities) is a debut novel by Emily Wolf that centers on Zoe Greene, a recently turned 30-year-old that is planning an abortion and filing for divorce from her high-school sweetheart. In a search to get her life together and trying to figure out where it went wrong, Zoe begins going to therapy, and leaning on her family, friends, and her collection of letters to her favorite rock band U2.
The opening and continual conversation around pregnancy, abortion, and the emotional fallout is very timely given our current political climate. I think it was handled with care and includes worthwhile discussions around a person's decision to choose and how they may feel pressure from people in their lives. I hated her ex-husband and his passiveness. He made me so frustrated, especially with his flip-flopping on major issues in their relationship and his refusal to take responsibility for his actions.
As a current fangirl, I related to Zoe's continuous letters to U2, just ranting and letting it all out. I really enjoyed Zoe's growth throughout the story and I just wanted her to be happy by the end. The audiobook narrator was nice and acted the different characters well. I also enjoyed the writing style and look forward to seeing Emily Wolf's future projects.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The opening and continual conversation around pregnancy, abortion, and the emotional fallout is very timely given our current political climate. I think it was handled with care and includes worthwhile discussions around a person's decision to choose and how they may feel pressure from people in their lives. I hated her ex-husband and his passiveness. He made me so frustrated, especially with his flip-flopping on major issues in their relationship and his refusal to take responsibility for his actions.
As a current fangirl, I related to Zoe's continuous letters to U2, just ranting and letting it all out. I really enjoyed Zoe's growth throughout the story and I just wanted her to be happy by the end. The audiobook narrator was nice and acted the different characters well. I also enjoyed the writing style and look forward to seeing Emily Wolf's future projects.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abortion
meganashlee27's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley, She Writes Press, and Emily Wolf for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Zoe Greene is turning 30 amidst an upheaval in her life, including a separation, an abortion, and uncertainty of how to move forward.
The topic of abortion, and the honesty with which the narrator shares her story, is very timely to the current political climate. I felt very empathetic toward Zoe in the situation she ended up in, and the emotions and feelings she had over the procedure felt real and raw. I applaud the author for attacking this subject matter, and showing an example of why a woman’s choice can mean so much. The political aspect or any questioning of the decision was never brought up, it was just what made sense for her to do.
There were a few parts of the writing that I didn’t really care for. I wish that she had talked about her love for U2 before we got the first journal entry. I also didn’t like the footnote-style writing. It felt like these notes could’ve easily been included in the body, OR there should’ve been more of them. The infrequency of use just felt strange and unnecessary.
Overall, I really liked the story, and I liked Zoe’s growth as the book went on, particularly in sessions with her therapist. I liked the writer’s style, and would be interested in checking out any future books she puts out, too!
Zoe Greene is turning 30 amidst an upheaval in her life, including a separation, an abortion, and uncertainty of how to move forward.
The topic of abortion, and the honesty with which the narrator shares her story, is very timely to the current political climate. I felt very empathetic toward Zoe in the situation she ended up in, and the emotions and feelings she had over the procedure felt real and raw. I applaud the author for attacking this subject matter, and showing an example of why a woman’s choice can mean so much. The political aspect or any questioning of the decision was never brought up, it was just what made sense for her to do.
There were a few parts of the writing that I didn’t really care for. I wish that she had talked about her love for U2 before we got the first journal entry. I also didn’t like the footnote-style writing. It felt like these notes could’ve easily been included in the body, OR there should’ve been more of them. The infrequency of use just felt strange and unnecessary.
Overall, I really liked the story, and I liked Zoe’s growth as the book went on, particularly in sessions with her therapist. I liked the writer’s style, and would be interested in checking out any future books she puts out, too!
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