Reviews

The Wakes by Dianne Yarwood

Only show reviews with written explanations

llessthanthree's review

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emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

sarindara's review

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challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I'm not sure how to feel about this one, I loved Clara as a character and Louisa is a hoot, couldn't have been a more iconic duo.

I kinda felt like something was missing, David's closure too far too long in my opinion.

Paul and Chris's weird friendship, and Sarah's issues....

It reminds you that yes people do give up on long term seemingly happy and comfortable relationships for mere reasons unknown.

When I finished the book, it kinda left me confused, it wasn't a cliffhanger by any means, but I feel like something was missing in this story.

Hence why I rated 3.5, for that weird monotonous droning, and oddly specific details that weren't really needed.

But if there was a book 2, I'd still read it just for closure.

melpoda's review

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funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

rocketdragon's review

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

bournea's review

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funny lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

indoorg1rl's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Lemon tart perfection!

Ohh this book was wonderful! I had initially read this with a group of friends a few months ago but I was distracted and had to put it on hold. This second time, however, I flew through it and read this in two days.

This was a story about Clare, Louisa and Chris. It was about what to do when your husband told you that he didn’t love you anymore. And what to do when your wife left you after too many rounds of IVF. It was about helping your new friend with her funeral catering business, and discovering that, sometimes, the most unlikely of pairings are the very, very best.

Masquerading as a ‘standard’ contemporary story about failing marriages and growing up/old, this turned out to be so much more. I’d really recommend diving into the book blind. I couldn’t believe this was a debut as the plot was really planned well and the execution was spot on.

It was funny, reflective, and bittersweet in places. Elle and Louisa’s unexpected friendship really warmed my heart - we need more stories about finding real friendships in our adult lives!

I thought the funeral home backdrop setting was clever. It really set the tone for the entire story. It gave the ‘right’ amount of morbidity while still allowing things to be light.

Last but not least, I thought the opening quote from Virginia Woolf aptly summed up the story really well: “I meant to write about death, only life came breaking in as usual.”

I’m craving 🍋 lemon tarts now.

(Thanks to Hachette Australia for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review)