Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting

Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting is a light-hearted read that seamlessly intertwines the lives of 6 commuters through alternating perspectives. I normally do not enjoy books that cycle through narrators (i.e. it can be hard to constantly shift between voices/perspectives as a reader), but the author does a good job of developing distinctive voices among the characters. The book covers a lot of relatable topics including ageism, sexism, toxic relationships, mental health, job loss, work stress, bullying, and illness, but still manages to maintain a hopeful tone.

One could also say the book borders on saccharine or after-school-special-y, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself the entire time and was invested in the characters' outcomes. Sometimes you just need a reminder that the people around us are wonderfully complex, life can turn out in surprising ways, and maybe optimism isn't a "nice to have" personality trait, but necessary for survival.

Lastly, Iona was a wonderfully eccentric main character to have the narrative develop from. I'd love to read a prequel about her and Bea's relationship.

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booksandbabble's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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daniellekat's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Cute but too long winded. This was great as an audiobook, the narrator did an excellent job with all the characters. I typically love books with the "a bunch of strangers realize they have more in common than meets the eye" plot line, but I found the writing here a bit heavy handed. I missed the nuance of the characters getting into each others stories and felt like the author sped through the first half, then dragged the rest of the book out unnecessarily.

Some might enjoy a good HEA, but I found that this lacked conflict and consequences. There were no moments where I felt anxious for any of the characters or their outcomes.

Overall, this was a solid feel good book but was too slow paced.

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abi2xoxo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.5

I loved this book. I rarely read books outside of romance. This book obviously had some romance in it but that wasn't the main focus like other books I read.
I enjoyed all of the characters and how they interacted. I cried at a lot of the parts! I would 100% recommend this book. I would love to read more of this author and I loved that she explained the inspiration for the book at the end and that allowed for great insight!

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