Scan barcode
candidceillie's review against another edition
1.0
Damn this character is useless. DNF'd at 40% because I didn't care at all.
ruthiella's review against another edition
3.0
As a fan of the Bookfight podcast I was pretty excited to purchase and read Tom McAllister’s debut novel The Young Widower’s Handbook. The story is about a young widower who embarks on an aimless road trip with his wife’s ashes as he tries to come to terms with this grief and a future without her.
This book was definitely quirky, sometimes sentimental and it had some really sharp cultural critiques which I appreciated. I enjoyed the writing overall, though it did occasionally veer into what I consider awkward, “He fits into his clothes like biscuit dough bursting from the tube”. But I never once believed I was reading about real people unfortunately.
This book was definitely quirky, sometimes sentimental and it had some really sharp cultural critiques which I appreciated. I enjoyed the writing overall, though it did occasionally veer into what I consider awkward, “He fits into his clothes like biscuit dough bursting from the tube”. But I never once believed I was reading about real people unfortunately.
alliepaige77's review against another edition
3.0
This book had some really good parts that were heartbreaking but it also had some very dragged out parts that made it hard to read.
elisability's review against another edition
2.0
The first few pages were the most adorable thing I have ever read, and the beginning gave me good hopes for the rest of the book. But the main character's negativity, passivity and pessimism quickly became wearing. I kept waiting for him to have a big eye-opening moment that would make everything worthwhile, but in vain. He just accepted everything that happened to him, and then inwardly complained about how pathetic he was, how sad his life was, how much better his wife was than him, how he didn't deserve her, how he never could do anything right...
If you're looking for an uplifting story, keep looking, because this is definitely not it.
If you're looking for an uplifting story, keep looking, because this is definitely not it.
bookishvanessa's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free copy of this book to review; thank you to the author and the publisher.
The Young Widower’s Handbook is a quirky little book that follows recently widowed 29-year-old Hunter Cady on a road trip across the U.S. following his wife, Kait’s, death. After his wife dies unexpectedly, Hunter shuts down and shuts everyone out, taking his wife’s ashes and jumping in the car. On his journey west across the country, he meets an interesting cast of characters.
What I Liked: Hunter and Kait’s relationship seemed so real and down-to-earth during all of the scenes when Hunter reminisced. I could really feel his love for her and his pain following her passing.
What I Didn’t Quite Like: The middle of the book dragged on and on a bit too much. I wasn’t interested in the characters Hunter met along his journey, and I kept wanting to shake him at some points because of his decisions, but I understand he was grieving.
Read If: Read if you enjoy contemporary literature and character-driven novels.
The Young Widower’s Handbook is a quirky little book that follows recently widowed 29-year-old Hunter Cady on a road trip across the U.S. following his wife, Kait’s, death. After his wife dies unexpectedly, Hunter shuts down and shuts everyone out, taking his wife’s ashes and jumping in the car. On his journey west across the country, he meets an interesting cast of characters.
What I Liked: Hunter and Kait’s relationship seemed so real and down-to-earth during all of the scenes when Hunter reminisced. I could really feel his love for her and his pain following her passing.
What I Didn’t Quite Like: The middle of the book dragged on and on a bit too much. I wasn’t interested in the characters Hunter met along his journey, and I kept wanting to shake him at some points because of his decisions, but I understand he was grieving.
Read If: Read if you enjoy contemporary literature and character-driven novels.
wordsofclover's review against another edition
2.0
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
For Hunter Cady, his wife Kait was always going to be the rest of his life. She was his everything. So when she dies suddenly, hunter is at a loss. In the midst of his grief, Hunter takes off for a road trip with Kait’s ashes, determined to have one last trip with her before he says goodbye forever.
I really wanted to like this book as it sounded like it was going to be a bittersweet, emotional read but unfortunately I just really didn’t. By the time I was 60% through I just wanted it to be over and read it really fast just so I could be finished with it. From the get go there was a styling of chapters I really didn’t like, every few chapters the narrative would change to second person and i really hated it. It completely drew me out of the story.
Unfortunately I also couldn’t stand the main character Hunter. I felt for him and for his grief - not to mention his completely awful in laws - but god he was so…pretentious and annoying. He was one of these guys who wanted to be an intellectual so badly, he sucked at all other kinds of jobs and could’t even hold one for an inordinate amount of time. He likes to say he was a writer even though he didn’t actually write anything. i don’t know how Kait could stand him to be honest.
I though Hunter’s journey was going to be one that showed his connection with Kait and his healing and learning how to live without her but the whole thing was more like a very prolonged mental breakdown and was very scattered. It actually made me feel uncomfortable at times because Hunter was so obviously not coping with his grief and seemed be started to suffer from mental illness. Yet no-one seemed to care that much about him. His wife was only dead a little less than eight weeks but his family treated him like crap, except his mom. His dad literally made it out like his road trip was a ‘whim’ rather than a sign of help.
“I have a job, Hunter. I can’t just disappear whenever life becomes inconvenient for me.”
Yes, a father actually said this to his grieving son. WTF? i don’t think him helping with the house near the end absolved him of being an awful dad either.
I just didn’t connect with this book and didn’t like the main character. I don’t think he’s someone i could deal with in real life, so could not deal with him in the pages either. There were some nice things in this book such as the real descriptions of Kait. I liked how Hunter acknowledged her anxiety and her bouts of depression, and didn’t hide them away but let them add to the ways he thought she was perfect. I also like how some of the things he missed about her were some realistic things, not just ‘the way the sun made her eyes glow’ or something poetic like that but the way she always missed a spot when she was shaving, or always saved him a bit of food left in any package she was eating. I liked that.
While this book did’t connect with me, I’m pretty sure others will get on with it better.
For Hunter Cady, his wife Kait was always going to be the rest of his life. She was his everything. So when she dies suddenly, hunter is at a loss. In the midst of his grief, Hunter takes off for a road trip with Kait’s ashes, determined to have one last trip with her before he says goodbye forever.
I really wanted to like this book as it sounded like it was going to be a bittersweet, emotional read but unfortunately I just really didn’t. By the time I was 60% through I just wanted it to be over and read it really fast just so I could be finished with it. From the get go there was a styling of chapters I really didn’t like, every few chapters the narrative would change to second person and i really hated it. It completely drew me out of the story.
Unfortunately I also couldn’t stand the main character Hunter. I felt for him and for his grief - not to mention his completely awful in laws - but god he was so…pretentious and annoying. He was one of these guys who wanted to be an intellectual so badly, he sucked at all other kinds of jobs and could’t even hold one for an inordinate amount of time. He likes to say he was a writer even though he didn’t actually write anything. i don’t know how Kait could stand him to be honest.
I though Hunter’s journey was going to be one that showed his connection with Kait and his healing and learning how to live without her but the whole thing was more like a very prolonged mental breakdown and was very scattered. It actually made me feel uncomfortable at times because Hunter was so obviously not coping with his grief and seemed be started to suffer from mental illness. Yet no-one seemed to care that much about him. His wife was only dead a little less than eight weeks but his family treated him like crap, except his mom. His dad literally made it out like his road trip was a ‘whim’ rather than a sign of help.
“I have a job, Hunter. I can’t just disappear whenever life becomes inconvenient for me.”
Yes, a father actually said this to his grieving son. WTF? i don’t think him helping with the house near the end absolved him of being an awful dad either.
I just didn’t connect with this book and didn’t like the main character. I don’t think he’s someone i could deal with in real life, so could not deal with him in the pages either. There were some nice things in this book such as the real descriptions of Kait. I liked how Hunter acknowledged her anxiety and her bouts of depression, and didn’t hide them away but let them add to the ways he thought she was perfect. I also like how some of the things he missed about her were some realistic things, not just ‘the way the sun made her eyes glow’ or something poetic like that but the way she always missed a spot when she was shaving, or always saved him a bit of food left in any package she was eating. I liked that.
While this book did’t connect with me, I’m pretty sure others will get on with it better.
worldswirl's review
4.0
*received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I really liked this book! I would agree that it's a romantic comedy because I found myself laughing out loud at times..which is strange when you think that the topic is a man grieving over his wife dying young. Anyway, it was a nice distraction from real life.
I really liked this book! I would agree that it's a romantic comedy because I found myself laughing out loud at times..which is strange when you think that the topic is a man grieving over his wife dying young. Anyway, it was a nice distraction from real life.
jeffchon's review
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
alylentz's review
5.0
I heard the first chapter of this book read before it was released, and it was the kind of thing that can make you believe in love. It gave me really high expectations for this book because it was romantic and sweet without being unbearable, still down to earth and funny even as it deals with love and loss, always staying unique and original. As I waited for the book to come out and read the summary, I was worried it was going to get into John Green territory--simplifying the themes, MPDGing the love interest, etc. But thankfully, the rest of the book is just as lovely and fresh as the first chapter I heard. It becomes wonderfully weird, a manic road trip novel which forces Hunter to reconcile himself with his very imperfect relationship, and slowly learn to face the future in the face of loss. The second-person chapters are also startlingly honest and intimate. In all, this book did not disappoint my very high expectations, and Tom McAllister shows off not just his sense of humor, but also his heart.
kellyhager's review
5.0
Hunter and Kait were only married a few years when she died. He feels incredibly guilty (she died because of an ectopic pregnancy, so he feels responsible) and so he takes her ashes on a road trip. (They'd always planned to travel when they had more money.)
This is such a funny and fantastic story, but it also pretty accurately portrays the grief (especially the weird nature of time when you're grieving). I laughed out loud plenty of times but I also started to really love Hunter (and Kait who, though absent, is all over this book).
Highly recommended.
This is such a funny and fantastic story, but it also pretty accurately portrays the grief (especially the weird nature of time when you're grieving). I laughed out loud plenty of times but I also started to really love Hunter (and Kait who, though absent, is all over this book).
Highly recommended.
More...