Reviews

CrossTalk by Connie Willis

cmhamper's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

mushumom124's review

emotional

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

I thought the concept was good and was interested to see how it played out but I did not like the main character. She overreacted to everything and she and her family acted really entitled to others people private business. There were some obvious clues that were missed also.  I think the author was trying to be funny but it didn’t land for me. I almost didn’t finish. I think had the book been represented different I might have gone into it with different expectations which might have helped. 

bookph1le's review against another edition

4.0

I found this book thoroughly delightful. I mean, yeah, there is a lot of extraneous stuff that doesn't strictly need to be in it, but that's also part of the book's charm. It's SO chatty and irreverent and fun, and I never felt like it took itself too seriously. Plus, the romance is sweet and adorable, and I loved the rather madcap feel of the whole thing. I didn't want to put this down because it delighted me so much.

robinhood2000's review against another edition

3.0

I surprisingly kind of liked this one. The technology of the operation and the mind reading was scientifically based and nicely done. Of course the main thing was the romance between Briddey and C.B. Towards the end I thought it got weird with the cooperation with the baddies. Overall enjoyed it but these types of books which are mostly about a person's everyday life I usually don't. The characters just really made up for it.

jennrocca's review against another edition

4.0

Connie Willis is amazing. This book was different from the others I’ve read by her in that it’s set in the heat and now, and it’s a romantic comedy.

If Sophia Kinsella wrote a book that included telepathy, it would be a lot like this.

sparklepony503's review against another edition

4.0

Connie Willis blends the truth of the everyday life we're currently living in with the speculative nature of science fiction for Crosstalk, a book that is both enjoyable and at times eye-roll inducing. Overall I really liked the premise of the book. What if there was a way for technology to be more connected to our significant other? What kind of repercussions would there be if something went wrong in the process to become "more connected"?

I flew through this book pretty quickly and I found that it was not difficult to read, even given some of the more abstract concepts that are tackled in the book. It definitely felt more like a romantic comedy when it came to the writing and at times, I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed with the way that the main protagonist Briddey reacted to situations with her boyfriend or C.B. As far as female protagonist go, she wasn't the most empowered, often needing saving and getting herself into situations she could have easily prevented.

I think that this book is worth a read if you do enjoy both romance and science fiction as I do, as long as you're willing to overlook some of the foibles of Briddey.

dmpix's review

funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

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

3.25

norcaldawnrae's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

catbrigand's review against another edition

DNF at 20%. This book is so frenetic that it thoroughly stressed me out, and I don't like my fiction to do that. If the author's goal was to show how our communication-saturated world has its pitfalls, she succeeded, but I can't get anything else out of it.

sadiemay7's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

Not Connie Willis' best, and doesn't really hold up post-COVID with our current social media landscape.