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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
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
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
I really wanted to like this. The premise was promising - spouses/partners on opposite sides of political spectrum is very intriguing. And I'm sure it's becoming more and more prevalent. But one of the spouses running for office??? Yes, please!
It started great, the plot was contemporary and juicy, but at 40% I started to lose interest. It felt like the characters were revisiting the same thoughts and judgements over and over again. As the reader you kinda knew where you were headed, but the story was dragging itself to the finish line.
The characters felt like who they needed be to push the plot, as in the plot was the overall goal, and not the character development. Which is great for some books, but the whole point of this book is to challenge the reader to be thoughtful of their own principles and values, and how it impacts their relationships with others.
Ethan's character in particular was frustrating. We were to believe that he's been a conservative/centralist Democrat his whole life until recently started to embrace MAGA ideals. I understand this happens ('The Quiet Damage', by Jesselyn Cook), but the author doesn't provide any substantive backstory into how this swing happened. But his character needed to be this way to create the tension. Also the idea that skeletons in your closet may impact your political career is so silly!! That doesn't matter anymore!! In fact, it's preferred! All the better to keep towing the MAGA party line.
Anyway, I was underwhelmed. This book was fine. I can see it working in a bookclub setting as it does push the reader to consider controversial and challenging relationship dynamics. You can't help but wonder what you'd do in the same situation.
It started great, the plot was contemporary and juicy, but at 40% I started to lose interest. It felt like the characters were revisiting the same thoughts and judgements over and over again. As the reader you kinda knew where you were headed, but the story was dragging itself to the finish line.
The characters felt like who they needed be to push the plot, as in the plot was the overall goal, and not the character development. Which is great for some books, but the whole point of this book is to challenge the reader to be thoughtful of their own principles and values, and how it impacts their relationships with others.
Ethan's character in particular was frustrating. We were to believe that he's been a conservative/centralist Democrat his whole life until recently started to embrace MAGA ideals. I understand this happens ('The Quiet Damage', by Jesselyn Cook), but the author doesn't provide any substantive backstory into how this swing happened. But his character needed to be this way to create the tension. Also the idea that skeletons in your closet may impact your political career is so silly!! That doesn't matter anymore!! In fact, it's preferred! All the better to keep towing the MAGA party line.
Anyway, I was underwhelmed. This book was fine. I can see it working in a bookclub setting as it does push the reader to consider controversial and challenging relationship dynamics. You can't help but wonder what you'd do in the same situation.
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
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
I really wanted to like this book, and I did like elements of it, but I'm disappointed that it didn't really grapple with a gay Republican candidate running during a time when the greatest scapegoat of the party right now is transgender folks. There could have been some really rich discussion but it didn't even get a mention.
One of the blurbs says this book is laugh-out-loud funny, and while it is very entertaining, I found it to be more of an edge-of-your-seat, oh no oh no type. Despite this, it seems like ultimately the author found the best case scenario plot for when your conservative (gay) husband decides to run for office? A wild ride, and the choices about the characters left me with questions about the nature of the divide between personal behaviour and political beliefs.
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced