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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
ebook
i am not the audience for this book.
the protagonist is a whiny millennial. which is lovely if you are also a whiny millennial, but i am not.
however, i think hayes does an alright job mixing the grief of a dead mother and the grief of a breakup. having dealt with neither of these things, it failed to resonant with me.
so again, i don't think i am the audience for this book. but with the right audience, it could be alright.
i am not the audience for this book.
the protagonist is a whiny millennial. which is lovely if you are also a whiny millennial, but i am not.
however, i think hayes does an alright job mixing the grief of a dead mother and the grief of a breakup. having dealt with neither of these things, it failed to resonant with me.
so again, i don't think i am the audience for this book. but with the right audience, it could be alright.
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Terminal illness, Dementia, Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
A truly stunning piece of work. Read down to the last acknowledgment simply because I didn’t want it to end!
emotional
sad
slow-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
Kate and Finn have been in an on-again, off-again relationship that seems to have finally run its course. During their final breakup, they agree to alternate weeks living in their house until their lease is up. We follow Kate while she tries to heal during these 12 weeks, and she comes to terms with what's really bothering her under the surface.
This isn't a story about a relationship ending, it's a story about grief. Every character is dealing with some sort of loss. My heart broke while reading this, and it made me aware I may not have fully mourned my own losses. But at the same time, it's comforting to know you're not alone, and everyone else is dealing with their own versions of grief. In some ways, it makes coping easier.
[a:Hazel Hayes|18657219|Hazel Hayes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1709423037p2/18657219.jpg] has a knack for writing books that don't follow the typical structure. Her other novel, [b:Out of Love|50705433|Out of Love|Hazel Hayes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580230272l/50705433._SY75_.jpg|66818644], is a love story written in reverse. We join the characters at their break up, and the story ends when they meet. [b:Better by Far|195888784|Better by Far|Hazel Hayes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1694346065l/195888784._SY75_.jpg|197872954] is written as though it's a letter from Kate to Finn. I love how this lets the reader get into Kate's head, and understand her relationship with Finn by how she speaks to him. It also helps set up the twist at the end, which solidifies grief as the main driver of the story.
This isn't a story about a relationship ending, it's a story about grief. Every character is dealing with some sort of loss. My heart broke while reading this, and it made me aware I may not have fully mourned my own losses. But at the same time, it's comforting to know you're not alone, and everyone else is dealing with their own versions of grief. In some ways, it makes coping easier.
[a:Hazel Hayes|18657219|Hazel Hayes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1709423037p2/18657219.jpg] has a knack for writing books that don't follow the typical structure. Her other novel, [b:Out of Love|50705433|Out of Love|Hazel Hayes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580230272l/50705433._SY75_.jpg|66818644], is a love story written in reverse. We join the characters at their break up, and the story ends when they meet. [b:Better by Far|195888784|Better by Far|Hazel Hayes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1694346065l/195888784._SY75_.jpg|197872954] is written as though it's a letter from Kate to Finn. I love how this lets the reader get into Kate's head, and understand her relationship with Finn by how she speaks to him. It also helps set up the twist at the end, which solidifies grief as the main driver of the story.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book took a while for me to get through. Not because it was boring but because it was heavy. It made me think, made me second guess some ways I’ve looked and things and quite honestly is such a poignant way of talking about grief
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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:
Yes
I’ll admit that the first third of the book literally had me in a chokehold. I started off with the audio and absolutely needed to also own a physical copy. It mirrored so much of my own grief over my current break up and that’s exactly what I was looking for considering I chose this book based off an “Anti Valentine’s Day Book Recommendation” for “getting over your ex” but this was NOT that at all. Every “I miss Finn” turned into an “I miss my mom”. And then her sudden decision to be done with Finn/her relationship with him and her lame ass goodbye post-it to him. I was fucking mad. Like what was that? The last bits were just about her grief over her mom?
Idk. It really had so much potential. I felt like I was reading 2 different books at the same time and no real closure for the story I thought I was reading. Highly disappointed tbh.
Idk. It really had so much potential. I felt like I was reading 2 different books at the same time and no real closure for the story I thought I was reading. Highly disappointed tbh.