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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
vanesst's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Sexual violence and Pedophilia
Minor: Abandonment, Infidelity, Cancer, and Medical content
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
laurenlee2158's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, and Abandonment
stevienielson's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content
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
areadingstan's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
‘There’s a particular feeling in your body when something goes right after a long time of things going wrong. It feels warm and sweet and loose.’
I found in this book what I didn’t know I was seeking - a deep and realistic depiction of grief and its non-linear nature. A main character - a writer - whose experiences and struggles are all too relatable, but whose successes are worth waiting for.
The captivating story of Casey as she goes through a challenging part of life, grieving the loss of her mother, but also grieving the she things she has longed for; to write and to love.
We are with her as she goes to shift after shift at Iris, the restaurant she waitresses at, as she tries to feel at home in the small rented room she can just about afford, as she tries to finish the novel she has been writing for a long, long time.
She meets two men who are very different, and begins to date, unhealed from her previous experiences. Slowly through the drudgery of everyday life, though the trials she continues to face, we get to witness Casey work through her pain, let herself feel what she has refused to for so long, and we have the joy of seeing her through to the other side of this, to success.
But this book doesn’t feel like an inspirational story. It is simply the everyday, the struggle, the one foot in front of the other until the clouds start to clear.
For anyone who writes, this is a book for you. But even if you don’t, if you’re looking for someone to fight for and follow through a difficult path, someone to be proud of - read this book. The language is rich and compelling, I felt entirely captivated and will definitely be turning to this again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Abandonment