Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Talk Bookish to Me

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley

36 reviews

onceinabluemoon88's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

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syazahaniss's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Loved how fast-moving the story generally was, although I do admit it was a tad too fast at times that I couldn’t keep up with the more recent revelations. In that sense, I think it was a bit inconsistent when it comes to the pacing.

The plot was great at first glance but was actually kind of confusing and the subplots/conflicts were unnecessary when you really get into it. I personally didn’t understand the need to add Madison or Liam to the present day part of the story, or why Kara and Ryan kept harping on how they didn’t work out in the past (the feud with Kara’s dad also went completely over my head) and therefore couldn’t try again in the present. It made the story a bit draggy in that aspect and I felt like if the author had stuck to the original plot of Kara and Ryan seeing each other and slowly getting back together again after 10 years, I would have liked the overall story better. She could’ve made it go slower and explained the backstory/issues thoroughly throughout the story unlike how she explained it point-black as a conversation between Kara and Maggie one day.

That said, I do like the characters. Kara is 100% me (a booknerd) and Ryan is sweet and gives me the compulsory chest pains I like to feel when I read rom-coms. Their banter and sarcasm was also really appreciated. I thought the best friend would be only Cristina so Maggie’s character felt a bit random and out of convenience than anything, honestly speaking.

I see the potential in this book and I might still recommend it to friends but I would most likely not read it again.

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britgirlreading's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

3.0

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hannahkiwi's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.0

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teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

The title alone was all I needed to pick this one up. Unfortunately, it left me disappointed, but I still enjoyed it. To me, it is ultimately forgettable, but I enjoyed it read while I read it. It was quick, easy and mindless. Something I was in need of as I read it. I didn't feel super engaged with the characters and felt the story was very one-dimensional. The trope that occured around seventy percent was predictable. The ending was to quick and rushed and tied up too nicely. I know that book lovers are going to gravitate to this one, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

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ailemaa's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

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the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

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

0.25

There was no genuine relationship between the protagonists, and Ryan was one of the most toxic, red-flag ridden love interests I've come across in literature. Kara wasn't better, but I spent the entire book being increasingly alarmed by Ryan's behaviours and being confused about why everything was being passed off as romantic.

He has been completely obsessed with his ex FOR 10 YEARS. It's not flattering or cute - it's concerning. He named his dog after his ex, despite breaking up years before, and we're supposed to find that romantic and not deeply creepy? He gets engaged to the person who is implicated in his break up with the ex he's obsessed with, which I cannot understand under pretty much any circumstances unless they actually were together when he broke up with Kara for the first time. He decides to move to New York after reconnecting with his ex for less than a week. Then he cheats on his fiancee by getting back together with his ex, and the author tries to play this off as though it's romantic and not manipulative, toxic, messed up and obsessive on many levels. Nothing about this is okay or romantic or even pleasant in any way.

Kara is also deeply concerning. She is obsessed with her exes, including Mark and Ryan, and she clearly has trust and jealousy issues. At no point does she work on those issues at all or even take some space from the people who have led her to have those issues (AKA Ryan).

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stargirlmolly's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

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bookmarkplaces's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.0

Men who cheat <<<

This does not apply to Ryan, however.

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zabeishumanish's review

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emotional medium-paced

3.0

Same vibes as Emily Henry's Beach Reads, just less well developed.
This is a second chance romance and in most cases the second chance romance characters have seriously unresolved feelings. While that is true of both characters in this book a couple of elements of Kara’s character in this book we’re contradicting and threw me out of an otherwise cute story. Kara not only has unresolved feelings for Ryan, but major trauma surrounding the death of her father which occurred shortly after their break up. That trauma makes Kara consistently reject Ryan despite their feelings for each other. But Kara only rejects him at points in the story that are useful to build tension. Her hesitation magically disappears when it makes sense in the story for them to be close. That lack of consistency in her feelings is entirely out of character of Kara and made elements of the story feel incredibly forced.

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