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thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
emotional
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Infidelity
Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Minor: Rape, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Self harm, and Transphobia
lurker_stalker's review against another edition
4.0
I'm still processing my thoughts on this one and will write a much more complete review on my site but I think I'd give it 3.5 stars. I'm rounding up because there was a lot I liked about this book. It's not a standard romance novel and it deals with some moral issues that will likely turn some folks off before they get more than halfway through. I didn't have a problem with most of what happened in the story line and think this is probably a lot more realistic than most romance novels - which I really like. The other thing that pleased me was that the two main characters are women of color and an important secondary character is a trans man. There are some serious issues discussed and portrayed and I appreciate an author who not only addresses them but does it well.
I don't want to give any spoilers away so one of the only not-so-positive things I can go into is that I felt like the resolution happened too quickly and too easily. Even with that, I think it's a solid story and the author's voice and style appeal to me. I loved her first book, liked this one quite a bit, and I'll definitely read her next, no matter what it's about.
I don't want to give any spoilers away so one of the only not-so-positive things I can go into is that I felt like the resolution happened too quickly and too easily. Even with that, I think it's a solid story and the author's voice and style appeal to me. I loved her first book, liked this one quite a bit, and I'll definitely read her next, no matter what it's about.
mischievous_monkey's review against another edition
4.0
Kudos to G. Benson for taking on such an unpalatable but all too common situation.
While the topic is a tough one I think G. Benson handles it well. We get a good sense of why each character allows themselves to engage in behavior they find reprehensible and what the consequences of that behavior are for themselves and those around them.
I enjoyed the gradual character growth that happened in fits and starts and how sometimes the characters lost some ground that they had gained.
The book is peopled with a good set of secondary characters who help illustrate the pressures the main characters face as well as offer some support. I appreciated the diversity in race and sexual identity of the different characters as well.
This might be a once and done book for me but I wouldn't be surprised if life points me in its direction again. I am glad I read it.
While the topic is a tough one I think G. Benson handles it well. We get a good sense of why each character allows themselves to engage in behavior they find reprehensible and what the consequences of that behavior are for themselves and those around them.
I enjoyed the gradual character growth that happened in fits and starts and how sometimes the characters lost some ground that they had gained.
The book is peopled with a good set of secondary characters who help illustrate the pressures the main characters face as well as offer some support. I appreciated the diversity in race and sexual identity of the different characters as well.
This might be a once and done book for me but I wouldn't be surprised if life points me in its direction again. I am glad I read it.
rikerandom's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, theoretisch sind keine der beiden Protagonistinnen Ärztinnen, die Geschichte spielt in einem Krankenhaussetting, Frazer ist Hebamme und Cora Sozialarbeiterin, beide Leiterinnen ihrer jeweiligen Abteilungen im Krankenhaus und beide eigentlich keine großes Fans von einander, doch dann kommen sie sich im Rahmen eines Projektes, das Frazer sehr am Herzen liegt, schnell näher - doof nur, dass Cora mit Frazers Boss verheiratet ist.
Okay, es ist eine Arztromanze, oder zumindest sehr nah dran... Die sind bekanntermaßen nicht unbedingt die innovativsten Geschichten und auch "Flinging It" ist da keine große Ausnahme. Aber das muss ja nicht heißen, dass die Geschichte schlecht ist, das ist sie nämlich nicht. G Benson erzählt zwar nicht gerade die unvorhersehbarste Geschichte, dafür erzählt sie sie aber sehr gut, die Charaktere sind sympathisch und die Handlung weicht auf angenehme Art und Weise vom Standard ab - mich hat der Roman jedenfalls gut unterhalten.
Okay, es ist eine Arztromanze, oder zumindest sehr nah dran... Die sind bekanntermaßen nicht unbedingt die innovativsten Geschichten und auch "Flinging It" ist da keine große Ausnahme. Aber das muss ja nicht heißen, dass die Geschichte schlecht ist, das ist sie nämlich nicht. G Benson erzählt zwar nicht gerade die unvorhersehbarste Geschichte, dafür erzählt sie sie aber sehr gut, die Charaktere sind sympathisch und die Handlung weicht auf angenehme Art und Weise vom Standard ab - mich hat der Roman jedenfalls gut unterhalten.
bridance's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
sil_the_lobster's review against another edition
4.0
Trust G Benson to tackle topics outside one’s comfort zone. In “All the little moments” she wrote about grief, how to pull through, how to start again. Here, she writes about cheating. Well, before you let this one word put you off – she doesn’t glorify cheating. Neither Frazer nor Cora are notorious cheaters who step outside their steady relationships on a regular basis. Frazer’s been single for a while and Cora’s marriage has reached the make-or-break point and it doesn’t look good despite marriage counselling. And unless you are a holier-than-thou person who will not accept human weakness, you will understand that sometimes something just happens, despite one’s best intentions.
And so it happens, and Frazer and Cora are having themselves an affair, a fling. Or so they think. And Benson drags us through their shared, stolen moments of joy and bliss, and she drags us through their doubts and knowing-it’s-not-really-right. She makes them come alive and turns them into living, breathing beings who so desperately want to be happy, preferably together, but they know this can’t go on and they both try so hard to be responsible adults and not hurt those outside their little fling bubble.
And yet, I couldn’t warm to either of them. I don’t dislike them either. But I somehow didn’t care all that much about them. Why is that? It’s not Benson’s writing, that’s for sure. I guess it’s because she’s written such strong, colourful (no pun intended) side characters. I ended up caring much more about Jack, for instance. Here, she’s truly excelled and outdone herself. There’s no trans teens in my personal surroundings and to read about Jack’s struggles was fascinating, painful, heartbreaking all at once. He’s such a mess when he makes his first appearance but he’s such a strong and amazing person towards the end of the book, I found myself cheering him on and wanting to hug him all the time. Now that is truly brilliant, Ms Benson! Thank you for introducing me to Jack!!! (And for making me aware just how hellish life can be for trans people. I honestly had no idea and I’ve done a lot of research in the meantime. So THANK YOU!!!)
Also, there’s Jemma, Frazer’s hilarious baby sister. She was such fun to read about and I’d love to hear more from her.
G Benson’s a very good storyteller and I look forward to reading much more from her. It’s not her fault that I couldn’t warm up to her two main characters – can’t love them all – but I so loved Jack and Jemma.
So, four out of five stars and a clear reading recommendation.
And so it happens, and Frazer and Cora are having themselves an affair, a fling. Or so they think. And Benson drags us through their shared, stolen moments of joy and bliss, and she drags us through their doubts and knowing-it’s-not-really-right. She makes them come alive and turns them into living, breathing beings who so desperately want to be happy, preferably together, but they know this can’t go on and they both try so hard to be responsible adults and not hurt those outside their little fling bubble.
And yet, I couldn’t warm to either of them. I don’t dislike them either. But I somehow didn’t care all that much about them. Why is that? It’s not Benson’s writing, that’s for sure. I guess it’s because she’s written such strong, colourful (no pun intended) side characters. I ended up caring much more about Jack, for instance. Here, she’s truly excelled and outdone herself. There’s no trans teens in my personal surroundings and to read about Jack’s struggles was fascinating, painful, heartbreaking all at once. He’s such a mess when he makes his first appearance but he’s such a strong and amazing person towards the end of the book, I found myself cheering him on and wanting to hug him all the time. Now that is truly brilliant, Ms Benson! Thank you for introducing me to Jack!!! (And for making me aware just how hellish life can be for trans people. I honestly had no idea and I’ve done a lot of research in the meantime. So THANK YOU!!!)
Also, there’s Jemma, Frazer’s hilarious baby sister. She was such fun to read about and I’d love to hear more from her.
G Benson’s a very good storyteller and I look forward to reading much more from her. It’s not her fault that I couldn’t warm up to her two main characters – can’t love them all – but I so loved Jack and Jemma.
So, four out of five stars and a clear reading recommendation.
sarahduensing's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
4.0
bcat0124's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
misha_ali's review against another edition
4.0
I can see why the infidelity part of the storyline would put people off, but honestly it has everything else I need so I quite enjoyed this. As always with G Benson, good characterization, lots of emotions and feels and coming to terms with uncomfortable truths as well as a sadly realistic emotional abuser character.
laconni4's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5