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A review by robforteath
U Up? by Catie Disabato
3.0
The ways in which Eve is messed up, and the many intertwined friendships, romances, minor and major betrayals, all make for a very solid framework for a novel. The plot is managed nicely.
What missed for me was the writing along the way. It's a story of (mostly) ordinary, day-to-day experiences, conversations, drama, worries, told by a mostly ordinary person. This can still provide ample joy for a reader, as long as the writing on each page is lovely. There are some nice parts in this book, but too many dry descriptions of driving to yet another L.A. bar, ordering yet more painstakingly-described drinks, and looking at yet more pretty people who are oblivious to everything we are reading.
Eve's many phone texting threads did a very good job of keeping our focus on the main plotline, while also adding some much-needed continuity in her interactions with people. As for the ghosts, I thought they added colour, but not much else to the story.
What missed for me was the writing along the way. It's a story of (mostly) ordinary, day-to-day experiences, conversations, drama, worries, told by a mostly ordinary person. This can still provide ample joy for a reader, as long as the writing on each page is lovely. There are some nice parts in this book, but too many dry descriptions of driving to yet another L.A. bar, ordering yet more painstakingly-described drinks, and looking at yet more pretty people who are oblivious to everything we are reading.
Eve's many phone texting threads did a very good job of keeping our focus on the main plotline, while also adding some much-needed continuity in her interactions with people. As for the ghosts, I thought they added colour, but not much else to the story.