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abbeyroad1410 's review for:
This Time Next Year
by Sophie Cousens
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, I have to start by saying that I loved "The Good Part" by Sophie Cousens so much that I believe my expectations were unrealistically high. That by no means means that this book was bad...I just expected something more.
To start, Minnie is unnecessairly whiny and very hung up on her name. To be fair, her name is Minnie Cooper which is unfortunate. It just feels like by age 30 she should have gotten over it by now or started going by something else. She also blames everything on being jinxed despite the fact that most of her problems are based in bad business decisions. Now, the point of this novel is to show Minnie and Quinn's growth throughout the year, but when Minnie starts off so unlikeable, it is a little hard to continue on.
Talking about the point of the book, I think Sophie Cousens does a good job of hitting her pain point that we are responsible for our own luck. Yes, bad things happen, but we should make the best of them or learn to re-frame them in a way that we can grow. Additionally, our social standing does not inherently make everything in our life better than or worse than others. Quinn and Minnie embody their appropriate roles, and the theme can be spotted from a mile away.
One thing I loved about the book is how it jumps through time. I like that two chapters set in the same year are not necessairly placed right by each other. Rather, they are placed in the way that best highlights the point of the chapter. It does not take a lot of effort to see how the chapters interconnect6 anyways. Now, one thing I do wish is that Minnie and Quinn realized how much their live interconnected throughout time. I think that connection really would have shown the draw between the two characters.
Overall, I think this is a solid read based around the holidays. Sophie Cousens does a good job playing with time in a way that keeps the book interesting and effective. However, the main character can be frustrating to read about.
To start, Minnie is unnecessairly whiny and very hung up on her name. To be fair, her name is Minnie Cooper which is unfortunate. It just feels like by age 30 she should have gotten over it by now or started going by something else. She also blames everything on being jinxed despite the fact that most of her problems are based in bad business decisions. Now, the point of this novel is to show Minnie and Quinn's growth throughout the year, but when Minnie starts off so unlikeable, it is a little hard to continue on.
Talking about the point of the book, I think Sophie Cousens does a good job of hitting her pain point that we are responsible for our own luck. Yes, bad things happen, but we should make the best of them or learn to re-frame them in a way that we can grow. Additionally, our social standing does not inherently make everything in our life better than or worse than others. Quinn and Minnie embody their appropriate roles, and the theme can be spotted from a mile away.
One thing I loved about the book is how it jumps through time. I like that two chapters set in the same year are not necessairly placed right by each other. Rather, they are placed in the way that best highlights the point of the chapter. It does not take a lot of effort to see how the chapters interconnect6 anyways. Now, one thing I do wish is that Minnie and Quinn realized how much their live interconnected throughout time. I think that connection really would have shown the draw between the two characters.
Overall, I think this is a solid read based around the holidays. Sophie Cousens does a good job playing with time in a way that keeps the book interesting and effective. However, the main character can be frustrating to read about.