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blairconrad's review against another edition
3.0
Cute and quirky, and I enjoyed being in Milo's head for some of the OCD stuff, but ultimately less fun than [b:Something Missing|6280473|Something Missing|Matthew Dicks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255837684s/6280473.jpg|6464070].
Ultimately, I think I can wrap my head around a "background thief" better than someone who consistently misrepresents who he is to his wife - that's just wrong.
Ultimately, I think I can wrap my head around a "background thief" better than someone who consistently misrepresents who he is to his wife - that's just wrong.
melledotca's review against another edition
5.0
Sweet, quirky, and a totally fun read. Highly recommended. (And, if I might sound a tad sexist, impressively insightful tidbits coming from a male author.) :)
jennutley's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this one up because "Daily Candy" told me it would make me "laugh out loud" and "never put it down." A pretty strong endorsement.
But I don't remember laughing out loud once and it took me more than a week to read which is never a good sign. That said, there were some really good things about this one. There are some interesting characters that do some not-so-ordinary things. One of my favorites is a main character who only appears on videotape as she confesses to all the terrible things she has done in her life--kind of reminded me of a darker version of Chunk's confessional from The Goonies. And who didn't, at some point, wish that the ending to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid turned out a bit differently?
My favorite thing about the book was that the author didn't take the cliched and easy way out to end the book. Instead, he gave it some real thought and had the book end the way it should with our hero in probably the very best place for him and his messed-up, little life.
So Unexpectedly, Milo has a mystery, a failed marriage, a road trip, a hero with OCD, and an interesting cast of characters with fun things to think about. Not long lasting but a solid three star diversion.
But I don't remember laughing out loud once and it took me more than a week to read which is never a good sign. That said, there were some really good things about this one. There are some interesting characters that do some not-so-ordinary things. One of my favorites is a main character who only appears on videotape as she confesses to all the terrible things she has done in her life--kind of reminded me of a darker version of Chunk's confessional from The Goonies. And who didn't, at some point, wish that the ending to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid turned out a bit differently?
My favorite thing about the book was that the author didn't take the cliched and easy way out to end the book. Instead, he gave it some real thought and had the book end the way it should with our hero in probably the very best place for him and his messed-up, little life.
So Unexpectedly, Milo has a mystery, a failed marriage, a road trip, a hero with OCD, and an interesting cast of characters with fun things to think about. Not long lasting but a solid three star diversion.
qkjgrubb's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up this book to add to my current reading theme of "Books About Mental Illness"
And I enjoyed it! I though that the convoluted plot & the myriad of characters were maybe a little much at times, but I have to applaud the authors attempt to weave every detail in and come to a satisfying conclusion. I did want to know more about Christine's problems and more about Milo's parents-- he didn't become the way he was in a vacuum -- and there were plenty of places the author did more telling than showing, but overall, I found this book fun and enlightening. The OCD issues were also handled in a unique way, I thought. Yes! A nice addition to my mental health collection!
And I enjoyed it! I though that the convoluted plot & the myriad of characters were maybe a little much at times, but I have to applaud the authors attempt to weave every detail in and come to a satisfying conclusion. I did want to know more about Christine's problems and more about Milo's parents-- he didn't become the way he was in a vacuum -- and there were plenty of places the author did more telling than showing, but overall, I found this book fun and enlightening. The OCD issues were also handled in a unique way, I thought. Yes! A nice addition to my mental health collection!
marie_gg's review against another edition
3.0
http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/2013/03/unexpectedly-milo.html
This was another "scan the library bookshelves" find, a quirky story about a thirtysomething man (Milo Slade) who has an unususal form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. It manifests itself in making strange demands on his brain and taking over his life until he satisfies them. For example, a word will pop into his head and his obsession will not go away until someone spontaneously says this word. Or he will suddenly have the need to pop the seals on grape jelly jars, bowl a strike, see a movie he's watched several times before, let all the air out of his tires, or sing a karaoke version of "99 Luftballons" in German (remember that song from the '80s?) in front of an audience. And he keeps all this a secret from everyone.
As you can imagine, his marriage was not terribly successful. When the novel begins, he and his wife Christine have separated, although it seems that neither of them are convinced that's what they really want. Milo is a home health care nurse and seems to have a stronger relationship with his patients than he does with his wife (who of course knows nothing of his disorder but probably just thinks he's weird).
One day Milo finds a video camera with a bag of tapes under a park bench. He returns the next day to find them still there, so he takes them home and begins watching the videos. They're made by a grieving young woman he initially coins "Freckles," and she has a lot of secrets, too. Milo is determined to help this woman feel better by solving one of her problems. He takes off on a road trip to North Carolina to find a friend of hers, who had vanished 20+ years earlier.
This journey makes Milo realize that he's not the only one who is a bit odd and he's also not the only one hiding secrets. He begins to reveal more of himself and understand what he really wants and doesn't want out of his life.
After awhile, the demands did get a bit annoying to read about...I suppose Milo felt far worse. I wonder if this is a real type of OCD, or if it's something the author made up. I had a hard time understanding why Milo didn't want to get help for this problem of his--it would have driven me crazy! I didn't feel particularly sympathetic to Milo because of the way he detached himself from others through his secrets. My favorite part of the novel was when he met with one of his elderly clients, who were all far more honest and genuine than Milo himself.
This was another "scan the library bookshelves" find, a quirky story about a thirtysomething man (Milo Slade) who has an unususal form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. It manifests itself in making strange demands on his brain and taking over his life until he satisfies them. For example, a word will pop into his head and his obsession will not go away until someone spontaneously says this word. Or he will suddenly have the need to pop the seals on grape jelly jars, bowl a strike, see a movie he's watched several times before, let all the air out of his tires, or sing a karaoke version of "99 Luftballons" in German (remember that song from the '80s?) in front of an audience. And he keeps all this a secret from everyone.
As you can imagine, his marriage was not terribly successful. When the novel begins, he and his wife Christine have separated, although it seems that neither of them are convinced that's what they really want. Milo is a home health care nurse and seems to have a stronger relationship with his patients than he does with his wife (who of course knows nothing of his disorder but probably just thinks he's weird).
One day Milo finds a video camera with a bag of tapes under a park bench. He returns the next day to find them still there, so he takes them home and begins watching the videos. They're made by a grieving young woman he initially coins "Freckles," and she has a lot of secrets, too. Milo is determined to help this woman feel better by solving one of her problems. He takes off on a road trip to North Carolina to find a friend of hers, who had vanished 20+ years earlier.
This journey makes Milo realize that he's not the only one who is a bit odd and he's also not the only one hiding secrets. He begins to reveal more of himself and understand what he really wants and doesn't want out of his life.
After awhile, the demands did get a bit annoying to read about...I suppose Milo felt far worse. I wonder if this is a real type of OCD, or if it's something the author made up. I had a hard time understanding why Milo didn't want to get help for this problem of his--it would have driven me crazy! I didn't feel particularly sympathetic to Milo because of the way he detached himself from others through his secrets. My favorite part of the novel was when he met with one of his elderly clients, who were all far more honest and genuine than Milo himself.
hmonkeyreads's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really at 3.5 on this one. I enjoyed the plot and I found myself really feeling sympathy for Milo even though he's a pretty strange guy. All of the cultural references in the book seemed to be snatched out of my own childhood memories -- so that helped me to enjoy the book more too.
Still, I'm not sure that this story will work for everyone, hence the hedging between 3 and 4 stars.
This is my second Matthew Dicks book and while I enjoyed the plot of the first one (Something Missing) I never warmed up to the main character. In this one, it was easy to appreciate all Milo's good qualities and his struggle to appear normal. I think we all fight that fight to some extent within ourselves.
Very much looking forward to Matthew Dicks next book: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend.
Still, I'm not sure that this story will work for everyone, hence the hedging between 3 and 4 stars.
This is my second Matthew Dicks book and while I enjoyed the plot of the first one (Something Missing) I never warmed up to the main character. In this one, it was easy to appreciate all Milo's good qualities and his struggle to appear normal. I think we all fight that fight to some extent within ourselves.
Very much looking forward to Matthew Dicks next book: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend.
shio's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A decent book but it was painfully slow paced.
canadianbookworm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2023/05/unexpectedly-milo.html