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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator really made it soo fantastic! I was really captivated by our main character, many emotions were felt and I couldn’t have enjoyed this book anymore if I tried!
Starting a review always feels a bit awkward, especially when you are really enthusiastic about a book. I feel that I would perhaps startle readers if I started out a review with “OH MY GOD THIS BOOK IS FANTASTIC YOU HAVE TO READ IT!!!” It’s a tad much isn’t it? And yet, that is exactly how I am tempted to start this review because oh my god, I loved this book.
I am slightly embarrassed to admit it, but only after reading it did I realise that the author is the Robert Webb. If you live in the UK then I’m sure you are familiar with him from Peep Show and the comedy double act Mitchell and Webb. I had no idea that he was an author as well, and now that I do know I am going to look out for his other works in the future because he is seriously talented. Funnily enough, I never expected that Robert Webb would write a book that would have me break down in tears multiple times. Tears of laughter yes, but not the uncontrollable tears that a beautiful but heartbreaking love story elicits.
What I Liked About Come Again:
I am slightly embarrassed to admit it, but only after reading it did I realise that the author is the Robert Webb. If you live in the UK then I’m sure you are familiar with him from Peep Show and the comedy double act Mitchell and Webb. I had no idea that he was an author as well, and now that I do know I am going to look out for his other works in the future because he is seriously talented. Funnily enough, I never expected that Robert Webb would write a book that would have me break down in tears multiple times. Tears of laughter yes, but not the uncontrollable tears that a beautiful but heartbreaking love story elicits.
What I Liked About Come Again:
With so much thanks to Netgalley for providing an audiobook of Come Again by Robert Webb. Yes Netgalley has audiobooks now! This is seriously game changing. With how life is currently audiobooks are the main way I’m reading right now. While the narrator wasn’t brilliant, they did grow on me and I was able to thoroughly enjoy the book.
The main character Kate is grieving the death of her husband Luke who was her partner for 28 years. In the last 9 months she has pushed away all her friends and family, has just been fired from her job and is preparing for her suicide as she feels that’s the only option left for her.
One morning she wakes up in 1992 on her first day of college, first day of meeting Luke etc. This gives Kate the chance to change the future and attempt to prevent Luke’s death. With a solid cast of characters and an enjoyable storyline I would definitely read a book by this author in the future.
A solid 4⭐️ read.
The main character Kate is grieving the death of her husband Luke who was her partner for 28 years. In the last 9 months she has pushed away all her friends and family, has just been fired from her job and is preparing for her suicide as she feels that’s the only option left for her.
One morning she wakes up in 1992 on her first day of college, first day of meeting Luke etc. This gives Kate the chance to change the future and attempt to prevent Luke’s death. With a solid cast of characters and an enjoyable storyline I would definitely read a book by this author in the future.
A solid 4⭐️ read.
If you're looking for a book where you will never-ever second guess what's going to happen next, then actor and comedian Robert Webb's debut novel, Come Again, is the one for you. I don't think I've read a book that takes me down so many genre paths in 300 pages!
And how to describe the genres? Well, we have a delicate and emotional story of a grieving, depressed widow that then takes a time-travelling twist, segues into an espionage thriller and has an ending that leaves you pondering.
When 45-year-old Kate Marsden looses her husband, Luke, her whole world crumbles. She is planning her suicide when she suddenly finds herself transported back in time to the exact moment she first met her husband. She is being given an opportunity to rewrite the course of her life - but will she? And that's only half the story...
Kate's intriguing job at an online reputation management company ('Her job was to rewrite history.') gives a great opportunity for Webb to make cutting references about today's digital fake culture and the rich, privileged people who think they can dictate their own narrative of events (loved the sly Prince Andrew reference too!). Kate's job also provides the high-octane second half to the narrative when she discovers some seriously shady happenings by her boss and has to do something about it.
Come Again is wonderfully written. It has some lovely turn of phrase, ('the twenty-eight-year conversation was a few hours old') which makes it a delight to read and clever repetition draws the story threads together, such as a version of the opening sentence that appears later: 'She woke with her mouth forming a single word. 'Shit.''
Robert Webb's memoir, How Not to be a Boy, is one of my favourite celeb bios, his unique tone of voice comes across loud and clear throughout and I could hear that same voice in Come Again's story. This immediately endeared me to the book. From his political views to his thoughts on gender identity (that he explored in his memoir) it felt like there were a lot of autobiographical points in Come Again, which made it even more enjoyable for me.
Exciting, clever, funny and with a lot of insightful observations, Come Again is not the book I thought it was going to be. But I mean that in the best way possible. Kate is a great character, we go through so much with her and she feels so real. I'd happily read the next instalment of Kate's life. And while, yes, the narrative does mean you have to suspend your disbelief at points, just go with the flow; let yourself get swept up in the story and you'll finish feeling both heart-warmed and exhilarated.
And how to describe the genres? Well, we have a delicate and emotional story of a grieving, depressed widow that then takes a time-travelling twist, segues into an espionage thriller and has an ending that leaves you pondering.
When 45-year-old Kate Marsden looses her husband, Luke, her whole world crumbles. She is planning her suicide when she suddenly finds herself transported back in time to the exact moment she first met her husband. She is being given an opportunity to rewrite the course of her life - but will she? And that's only half the story...
Kate's intriguing job at an online reputation management company ('Her job was to rewrite history.') gives a great opportunity for Webb to make cutting references about today's digital fake culture and the rich, privileged people who think they can dictate their own narrative of events (loved the sly Prince Andrew reference too!). Kate's job also provides the high-octane second half to the narrative when she discovers some seriously shady happenings by her boss and has to do something about it.
Come Again is wonderfully written. It has some lovely turn of phrase, ('the twenty-eight-year conversation was a few hours old') which makes it a delight to read and clever repetition draws the story threads together, such as a version of the opening sentence that appears later: 'She woke with her mouth forming a single word. 'Shit.''
Robert Webb's memoir, How Not to be a Boy, is one of my favourite celeb bios, his unique tone of voice comes across loud and clear throughout and I could hear that same voice in Come Again's story. This immediately endeared me to the book. From his political views to his thoughts on gender identity (that he explored in his memoir) it felt like there were a lot of autobiographical points in Come Again, which made it even more enjoyable for me.
Exciting, clever, funny and with a lot of insightful observations, Come Again is not the book I thought it was going to be. But I mean that in the best way possible. Kate is a great character, we go through so much with her and she feels so real. I'd happily read the next instalment of Kate's life. And while, yes, the narrative does mean you have to suspend your disbelief at points, just go with the flow; let yourself get swept up in the story and you'll finish feeling both heart-warmed and exhilarated.
I read and really enjoyed Robert Webb's memoir How Not To Be A Boy. It was a funny, emotional and insightful book about his life. It dealt with big issues surrounding gender and wasn't afraid to get personal. He had a way of writing that just drew you into his world. His use of words made even the more complex or emotional aspects of his life easier to digest. I couldn't wait to see what his first attempt at fiction would be like. I was expecting it to be funny, original and charming. I have to admit that it sounded a little too much like a twee romantic comedy for my liking but I was willing to give it a chance. I never really believed that one half of Mitchell and Webb would ever go down the cliched route.
Going by the synopsis alone, you'd think that Come Again was a fairly simple time travel narrative. It's been about a year since Kate's husband, Luke, died. It turned out that in the 10,000 days that they knew each other, Luke had a tumour slowly growing in his head. Nobody knew it was there until it was to late. Without her love, Kate's not doing a great job of keeping it together and is ready to give up on life altogether. Until she wakes up in her 18-year-old body on the morning that she first met Luke. With the chance to relive those moments, Kate sees her chance to save the man she loves. But a lot has changed in the previous decades. Kate is a different person and so was Luke. How will she cope when she comes face-to-face with the teenager he used to be? Though her body is that of an student, her mind belongs to a woman in her 40s. A woman who can see through all of Luke's flirtations and pretentions. When she has the chance to experience her relationship again, will she even want to?
You can see why I maybe had my reservations about this book. It sounded like something in the tradition of The Time Traveller's Wife. There's nothing wrong with that, per se, but it's not my thing. So, I was happy to discover that there was a bit more to the book than the main romantic plot. My happiness ended up being short-lived when it became apparent that there was maybe a bit too much more to the book. There are a lot of plot threads going on here and it all becomes a bit chaotic. There is a bit of an issue with the pacing and the tone as Webb tries to tie everything together. There's a lot of good stuff here but it doesn't necessarily gel successfully. Rather than being a romantic-comedy, Come Again mixes the romance with action, spy thrillers, and an exploration of mental health issues. It's all a bit much.
The book is split into 3 sections. The first introduces us to Kate and her life. We explore her grief and become associated with her problems at work. She is the IT Manager at a pretty dodgy company. Dealing with Online Reputational Management, Kate's employers are paid to make bad press disappear. They are paid by wealthy men to cover up their dodgy dealings and silence their victims. Kate has gone along with it for years but, since losing Luke, she has had enough. After finding out something that she just can't ignore, Kate decides something must be done. Unfortunately, that's when she wakes up back in the 90s. The second section follows Kate as she tries to relive her past and save her husband's life. There are some lovely moments here and the story didn't go the way I thought it would. It ended up being rather more refreshing than I'd expected.
Then there's the final section. This is where all the major stuff comes down and all of the plot threads have to be tied together. It is the least successful section and I got the impression that Webb was maybe just trying too hard. It just goes wild and the plot jumps into high gear. After the slower pace of the previous section, this feels like it's been pasted in from a different novel. There was just far too much action and, if I'm honest, it didn't work on the page. The descriptions didn't have the desired effect and I really think it would be better suited for a visual medium. There's a lot of convenient stuff here too. It's a bit too convoluted and unbelievable. And, yes, I am saying that about a novel that sees the main character travel through time. Although, I will say that I liked the ending. I think it deserved a bit more attention but it was a great way to end the book.
Overall, I think I was disappointed by Webb's first novel. He still showed that he's a great writer and I would definitely read more of his books. I just think he went a bit overboard. It tries to achieve so much but there it lacks the control to keep it going. Rather than one novel split into 3 parts, this felt like parts of 3 different novels stuck together. It was maybe a bit of a bodge job but there was still plenty to enjoy. There are definitely worse ways to spend your time and there is enough charm here to keep you happy. When Come Again works, it really works. The only problem is that the less successful parts stick out more.
Going by the synopsis alone, you'd think that Come Again was a fairly simple time travel narrative. It's been about a year since Kate's husband, Luke, died. It turned out that in the 10,000 days that they knew each other, Luke had a tumour slowly growing in his head. Nobody knew it was there until it was to late. Without her love, Kate's not doing a great job of keeping it together and is ready to give up on life altogether. Until she wakes up in her 18-year-old body on the morning that she first met Luke. With the chance to relive those moments, Kate sees her chance to save the man she loves. But a lot has changed in the previous decades. Kate is a different person and so was Luke. How will she cope when she comes face-to-face with the teenager he used to be? Though her body is that of an student, her mind belongs to a woman in her 40s. A woman who can see through all of Luke's flirtations and pretentions. When she has the chance to experience her relationship again, will she even want to?
You can see why I maybe had my reservations about this book. It sounded like something in the tradition of The Time Traveller's Wife. There's nothing wrong with that, per se, but it's not my thing. So, I was happy to discover that there was a bit more to the book than the main romantic plot. My happiness ended up being short-lived when it became apparent that there was maybe a bit too much more to the book. There are a lot of plot threads going on here and it all becomes a bit chaotic. There is a bit of an issue with the pacing and the tone as Webb tries to tie everything together. There's a lot of good stuff here but it doesn't necessarily gel successfully. Rather than being a romantic-comedy, Come Again mixes the romance with action, spy thrillers, and an exploration of mental health issues. It's all a bit much.
The book is split into 3 sections. The first introduces us to Kate and her life. We explore her grief and become associated with her problems at work. She is the IT Manager at a pretty dodgy company. Dealing with Online Reputational Management, Kate's employers are paid to make bad press disappear. They are paid by wealthy men to cover up their dodgy dealings and silence their victims. Kate has gone along with it for years but, since losing Luke, she has had enough. After finding out something that she just can't ignore, Kate decides something must be done. Unfortunately, that's when she wakes up back in the 90s. The second section follows Kate as she tries to relive her past and save her husband's life. There are some lovely moments here and the story didn't go the way I thought it would. It ended up being rather more refreshing than I'd expected.
Then there's the final section. This is where all the major stuff comes down and all of the plot threads have to be tied together. It is the least successful section and I got the impression that Webb was maybe just trying too hard. It just goes wild and the plot jumps into high gear. After the slower pace of the previous section, this feels like it's been pasted in from a different novel. There was just far too much action and, if I'm honest, it didn't work on the page. The descriptions didn't have the desired effect and I really think it would be better suited for a visual medium. There's a lot of convenient stuff here too. It's a bit too convoluted and unbelievable. And, yes, I am saying that about a novel that sees the main character travel through time. Although, I will say that I liked the ending. I think it deserved a bit more attention but it was a great way to end the book.
Overall, I think I was disappointed by Webb's first novel. He still showed that he's a great writer and I would definitely read more of his books. I just think he went a bit overboard. It tries to achieve so much but there it lacks the control to keep it going. Rather than one novel split into 3 parts, this felt like parts of 3 different novels stuck together. It was maybe a bit of a bodge job but there was still plenty to enjoy. There are definitely worse ways to spend your time and there is enough charm here to keep you happy. When Come Again works, it really works. The only problem is that the less successful parts stick out more.
Warm, funny and more than a little whimsical. Just right for a winter read. Brilliant narration of the audiobook by Olivia Coleman.
Kate loses her beloved husband Luke thanks to a sudden death and spends the next nine months in a depression, she wants one more dream with him but when she wakes up it's in her 18 year old body... with her 45 year old mind.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read. I loved the first two parts, where we saw Kate in the present and then Kate in the past - I was heartbroken for her over Luke and then I was laughing at her interactions with her friends. I just found the last section had a certain disconnect from the first two - like it could have been written at a different time or possible by a different person all together! It's still good to read, it's just so different that it doesn't fit.
The ending is also rather confusing!
I'd definitely recommend this to others.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read. I loved the first two parts, where we saw Kate in the present and then Kate in the past - I was heartbroken for her over Luke and then I was laughing at her interactions with her friends. I just found the last section had a certain disconnect from the first two - like it could have been written at a different time or possible by a different person all together! It's still good to read, it's just so different that it doesn't fit.
The ending is also rather confusing!
I'd definitely recommend this to others.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review
I wanted to like this so much more than I did sadly.
For the first two thirds I was loving it; there was a cast of interesting characters and a good concept. However, the main draw was that Olivia Coleman is a complete boss at narrating this! I could listen to her all day.
What let me down about the novel was the random inclusion of a spy, a USB stick with sensitive data that could topple Western society (paraphrased from the book) and car chases. It was all a little bizarre and felt like it belonged in a different novel.
As for the main plot of Kate, the bereaved widow, travelling back to in time to her 18 year old self when she meets her deceased husband, Luke, again, it was interesting. It was broadly well executed, with passages where she adjusts to having a youthful body again and meeting an immature Luke coming across as very amusing and 'accurate' for how it would feel to be in the situation she was in.
However, I really hated the ending and was left thinking 'eh?!'. The ending made me wonder what the point in the book had been as I didn't feel like I came away with any deeper thinking or understanding of the characters or their experiences..
Thanks to Hachette audio and Netgalley for access to this audiobook.
For the first two thirds I was loving it; there was a cast of interesting characters and a good concept. However, the main draw was that Olivia Coleman is a complete boss at narrating this! I could listen to her all day.
What let me down about the novel was the random inclusion of a spy, a USB stick with sensitive data that could topple Western society (paraphrased from the book) and car chases. It was all a little bizarre and felt like it belonged in a different novel.
As for the main plot of Kate, the bereaved widow, travelling back to in time to her 18 year old self when she meets her deceased husband, Luke, again, it was interesting. It was broadly well executed, with passages where she adjusts to having a youthful body again and meeting an immature Luke coming across as very amusing and 'accurate' for how it would feel to be in the situation she was in.
However, I really hated the ending and was left thinking 'eh?!'. The ending made me wonder what the point in the book had been as I didn't feel like I came away with any deeper thinking or understanding of the characters or their experiences..
Thanks to Hachette audio and Netgalley for access to this audiobook.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 rounded down.
The ending of this book was just so much and I can’t get over how dumb it was.
The ending of this book was just so much and I can’t get over how dumb it was.