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aksmith92's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The setup: Casey Peabody is struggling. It's 1997 - she's in debt from a prestigious school where she intended to play golf on a scholarship, but that fell through. She's now working as a waitress at a fancy restaurant where many Harvard folks go and eat and talk, which usually makes her life a bit challenging. She's also wholly unraveling from her mother's death and a rather love bomb—a fallout from someone whom she developed feelings for quite quickly and thought was reciprocated until it wasn't. On top of that, she's trying to be a writer and seems to be just scraping by.
Casey is battling with the idea that you can be a creative and live happily - she's watched many friends give up their goals and dreams to do something to earn money or continue a status quo. We watch as Casey goes through life navigating the grief of her mother's death, her very complicated relationship with a distant father, working at the restaurant to ensure she pays her bills, trying to write a novel where she seems to get stuck, and navigate dating and falling in love after a rocky relationship. We see Casey trying to get her life together, even as she begins dating two different men and begins to conclude a book. It's about Casey's fictional life; I ate this one up!
What I loved: Lilly King can write a book, that's for sure. I was engrossed in Casey's life, particularly her writing journey and the idea that even back in 1997, living creatively can be painful in America. King could intersect grief, love, family, and mental health very well while still making a realistic story. It was nice to have more of a literary and contemporary fiction novel end on a relatively good note. While this was not a happy story, this book made me feel good, and I appreciated all the nuances King gave Casey and her little bubble of a life.
Lastly, it was satisfying to read a book about a thirty-something who navigated her youth and continued working through some past traumas and journeys as someone more mature. As someone around her age, that felt relatable, and overall, it was done well.
What could've made it five stars: This novel was a trope in itself—a white, sad, broke girl who takes on the city and tries to make it. These types of stories are really hit or miss for me, and while this hit, I still kept thinking about this trope/subgenre. I can't articulate it well, but we've read this story before. However, I will say that just because it has been done before doesn't mean I hated this book by any means.
Additionally, there were times when the writing tried to be a bit too profound, and Casey would go on with metaphors, similes, and analogies. Sometimes it was just a lot.
Lastly, while there was a focus on Casey's mom and how her death impacted her and continued to impact her, I felt disconnected from that narrative a bit because we didn't get a ton of information about the memories with her mom other than a bit of abandonment. It's a minor qualm because overall, I felt that everything was done well, including Casey's grief, but at times, it felt like King put this subplot in there to make Casey even sadder. While acceptable for a novel like this, its execution didn't always feel right.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to seeing what King puts out in the future!
Casey is battling with the idea that you can be a creative and live happily - she's watched many friends give up their goals and dreams to do something to earn money or continue a status quo. We watch as Casey goes through life navigating the grief of her mother's death, her very complicated relationship with a distant father, working at the restaurant to ensure she pays her bills, trying to write a novel where she seems to get stuck, and navigate dating and falling in love after a rocky relationship. We see Casey trying to get her life together, even as she begins dating two different men and begins to conclude a book. It's about Casey's fictional life; I ate this one up!
What I loved: Lilly King can write a book, that's for sure. I was engrossed in Casey's life, particularly her writing journey and the idea that even back in 1997, living creatively can be painful in America. King could intersect grief, love, family, and mental health very well while still making a realistic story. It was nice to have more of a literary and contemporary fiction novel end on a relatively good note. While this was not a happy story, this book made me feel good, and I appreciated all the nuances King gave Casey and her little bubble of a life.
Lastly, it was satisfying to read a book about a thirty-something who navigated her youth and continued working through some past traumas and journeys as someone more mature. As someone around her age, that felt relatable, and overall, it was done well.
What could've made it five stars: This novel was a trope in itself—a white, sad, broke girl who takes on the city and tries to make it. These types of stories are really hit or miss for me, and while this hit, I still kept thinking about this trope/subgenre. I can't articulate it well, but we've read this story before. However, I will say that just because it has been done before doesn't mean I hated this book by any means.
Additionally, there were times when the writing tried to be a bit too profound, and Casey would go on with metaphors, similes, and analogies. Sometimes it was just a lot.
Lastly, while there was a focus on Casey's mom and how her death impacted her and continued to impact her, I felt disconnected from that narrative a bit because we didn't get a ton of information about the memories with her mom other than a bit of abandonment. It's a minor qualm because overall, I felt that everything was done well, including Casey's grief, but at times, it felt like King put this subplot in there to make Casey even sadder. While acceptable for a novel like this, its execution didn't always feel right.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to seeing what King puts out in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Abandonment, Cancer, Gaslighting, Cursing, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Infertility
coralcrab77's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer and Mental illness
Minor: Rape and Infertility
whitne_ey's review
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infertility, Cancer, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Abandonment
clare072's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Cancer, and Death of parent
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
atamano's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Abandonment, Infertility, and Homophobia
jamiejanae_6's review
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Misogyny, Death, Grief, Medical content, Death of parent, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity and Infertility
m_sotos's review
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book seemed very up my alley but I found it extremely melodramatic and trying very hard not to be. It felt like it was trying to do something original but just chocked the story full of loads of rom-com cliches. Like, everything was going badly for the narrator (too much and even though it would be reasonable to be self-pitying when all of this has happened to you, I found her self-pity oddly obnoxious) and then all of a sudden, everything was wonderful and it had all worked out perfectly. I kept waiting for something new and interesting to appear and it never really did. I had high expectations which were not met, so maybe I’m being too harsh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, and Abandonment
samarakroeger's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm conflicted because I really really did not like the first ~1/3 of the book, but then I found myself really liking the second half. kinda feels like two different people wrote the sections of this book -- the first half was pretentious, overwritten, and not very engaging. I was bored. I did not notice these issues in the latter half of the book.
I'm really glad I stuck with this book (ended up reading it in one day) despite the shaky start. I did find the storyline and Casey's ultimate path to be pretty predictable (to be fair, I would have been mad had she made different decisions). parts of it reminded me of Miss Iceland (restaurants, aspiring writers, mediocre men, mental illness), and parts of it reminded me of You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty (not a compliment).
I'd give the first third 2 stars but the rest of the book 4/5, so I'll settle with 3.5.
I'm really glad I stuck with this book (ended up reading it in one day) despite the shaky start. I did find the storyline and Casey's ultimate path to be pretty predictable (to be fair, I would have been mad had she made different decisions). parts of it reminded me of Miss Iceland (restaurants, aspiring writers, mediocre men, mental illness), and parts of it reminded me of You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty (not a compliment).
I'd give the first third 2 stars but the rest of the book 4/5, so I'll settle with 3.5.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Death of parent, Mental illness, Infertility, Grief, and Cancer
hkburke2's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Slow burn. The MC was aggravating for me, but in a way that means she felt real and like someone I should be able to reason with? Very immersive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Abandonment, and Infertility
lindseyhall44's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
Originally, when I picked up Writers and Lovers, I had assumed it would be a romance with a cast of artists. While romance is a subplot throughout the novel, the focus is more on grief, a creative calling, and the transition from one point of your life to another.
Writers and Lovers follows Casey, a thirty-one year old waitress who dreams of becoming a writer. After the death of her mother, her life is at the point of upheaval, becoming even more tumultuous when she becomes romantically involved with two men.
The idea of childhood or even young/new adult disillusionment, especially in regards to a creative life, is a key point, as most of her friends have given up this pursuit for stable and well paying jobs. The setting of a restaurant-both humorous and exhausting-highlights Casey’s ambitions extremely well. This paired with the narrative allows readers to really get into Casey’s head in an extremely relatable way.
Writers and Lovers is messy, hopeful, and in the end beautiful, and I would recommend checking it out (after searching trigger warnings as always).
Writers and Lovers follows Casey, a thirty-one year old waitress who dreams of becoming a writer. After the death of her mother, her life is at the point of upheaval, becoming even more tumultuous when she becomes romantically involved with two men.
The idea of childhood or even young/new adult disillusionment, especially in regards to a creative life, is a key point, as most of her friends have given up this pursuit for stable and well paying jobs. The setting of a restaurant-both humorous and exhausting-highlights Casey’s ambitions extremely well. This paired with the narrative allows readers to really get into Casey’s head in an extremely relatable way.
Writers and Lovers is messy, hopeful, and in the end beautiful, and I would recommend checking it out (after searching trigger warnings as always).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Cancer, and Infidelity
Moderate: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Infertility, Cursing, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment