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Reviews tagging 'Death'
Who's That Girl?: A Laugh-out-Loud Sparky Romcom! by Mhairi McFarlane
5 reviews
beate251's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.25
Wow, there's a lot going on here. First, copywriter Edie is caught being kissed by her friend and colleague Jack on his wedding day, and because life is unfair and it's always the women getting blamed, she gets bullied and is very happy when she can escape London to her hometown of Nottingham to ghostwrite a book about hot new actor Elliot Owen, also a Nottingham native. She stays with her Dad and sister Meg which causes endless conflicts. Meg is one of those joyless vegans who is incredibly rude to her older sister for no apparent reason bar jealousy. We learn that their mother committed suicide when Edie was 9 and Megan 5, and there is still a lot of unresolved grief. Meanwhile, Edie grows closer to Elliot and tries to both come to terms with unwanted press attention and the fact she is still vilified for her transgression with Jack.
As much as Edie is an intelligent 35 year old, she is also often frustratingly dense, and doesn't think much of herself. Elliot has a hard time telling her that he likes her. She has a small but great group of friends that stick with her, and their cantankerous and colourful elderly neighbour Margot is a fabulous addition to the (literally) supporting characters.
This is extremely well-written, but at least 100 pages too long. To be fair, I say that for just about every book that hovers around the 500 pages mark, although I forgive it here because I loved the characters (except Jack, Charlotte, Lucie and Louis, the utter cockwombles). It's also nice to see a fair, supportive boss now and then.
That cliffhanger ending would have me throw crockery right now if I didn't know that after more than eight long years, a sequel called "You Belong With Me" is coming out on 20 June 24 (it's the reason I re-read this), and, what's more, I hold in my sweaty hands an ARC courtesy of NetGalley, which I will read and review imminently! I can't wait because I'm extremely invested in those characters now, so stick around!
"I notice when you're not around."
As much as Edie is an intelligent 35 year old, she is also often frustratingly dense, and doesn't think much of herself. Elliot has a hard time telling her that he likes her. She has a small but great group of friends that stick with her, and their cantankerous and colourful elderly neighbour Margot is a fabulous addition to the (literally) supporting characters.
This is extremely well-written, but at least 100 pages too long. To be fair, I say that for just about every book that hovers around the 500 pages mark, although I forgive it here because I loved the characters (except Jack, Charlotte, Lucie and Louis, the utter cockwombles). It's also nice to see a fair, supportive boss now and then.
That cliffhanger ending would have me throw crockery right now if I didn't know that after more than eight long years, a sequel called "You Belong With Me" is coming out on 20 June 24 (it's the reason I re-read this), and, what's more, I hold in my sweaty hands an ARC courtesy of NetGalley, which I will read and review imminently! I can't wait because I'm extremely invested in those characters now, so stick around!
"I notice when you're not around."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, Suicide, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Bullying, Death, and Infidelity
mininea's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Mhairi McFarlane is stacking up to becoming one of my favourite authors.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
srah's review against another edition
3.75
One of the things likeabout MM’s books is that the women always have a lot going on in their lives and the romance is not the only thing. In this one, though, I felt like it could have used more romance to balance out a heavy plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Suicide
Moderate: Infidelity and Gaslighting
theunfinishedbookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, Death, Mental illness, and Bullying
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Car accident
greys527's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Suicide, Grief, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, and Death
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