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A review by sil_the_lobster
Hooked on You by Jenn Matthews
5.0
I really, really liked this book. It ticked all the right boxes: slow burn, women my age, crochet, shifting perspectives. There’s not very many books that feature women beyond their thirties who don’t feature as loving Mom (or even Grandma)—not that this role is bad per se, please don’t get me wrong, but a woman in her 50s in 2019 is not quite the same as a woman in her 50s in 1989.
Anyway, it was refreshing to read about these two women finding their way back into love after going through not-so-good phases. It gives hope to those readers who are of the same age and who – perhaps – have reached a similar point in life.
I also loved—LOVED!—that they met and bonded over crochet. I’m a knitter and can’t crochet to save my life but the love for soft yarns and wool and the joy of making things is what unites us, knitters and crocheters (is that a word?), and I totally get the joy of finding others who share this beautiful hobby.
At times, I found the book a bit lengthy and thought that cutting a paragraph here and there wouldn’t have hurt, but it didn’t hurt to read it all. Nothing’s bad, nothing made me cringe or roll my eyes. The characters are well developed and come across as real people, be it the teenage (about not to be teenagers for much longer) daughters, the overbearing ex-boyfriend (most of us are well familiar with that particular brand of men, yes?), the about to be lovers, the lovey doveys wearing matching hats…I personally liked Timothy best of all because he reminds me of a friend’s son who has autism, too, and has quite similar likes and dislikes. I’m not an expert on autism by far but I thought Timothy was especially well written!
I would take half a star away for the wordy passages but as that’s not possible, I’m giving 5 stars because I really, really enjoyed reading the book. And to think this is a debut novel…well done, very well done indeed!
Anyway, it was refreshing to read about these two women finding their way back into love after going through not-so-good phases. It gives hope to those readers who are of the same age and who – perhaps – have reached a similar point in life.
I also loved—LOVED!—that they met and bonded over crochet. I’m a knitter and can’t crochet to save my life but the love for soft yarns and wool and the joy of making things is what unites us, knitters and crocheters (is that a word?), and I totally get the joy of finding others who share this beautiful hobby.
At times, I found the book a bit lengthy and thought that cutting a paragraph here and there wouldn’t have hurt, but it didn’t hurt to read it all. Nothing’s bad, nothing made me cringe or roll my eyes. The characters are well developed and come across as real people, be it the teenage (about not to be teenagers for much longer) daughters, the overbearing ex-boyfriend (most of us are well familiar with that particular brand of men, yes?), the about to be lovers, the lovey doveys wearing matching hats…I personally liked Timothy best of all because he reminds me of a friend’s son who has autism, too, and has quite similar likes and dislikes. I’m not an expert on autism by far but I thought Timothy was especially well written!
I would take half a star away for the wordy passages but as that’s not possible, I’m giving 5 stars because I really, really enjoyed reading the book. And to think this is a debut novel…well done, very well done indeed!