A review by andintothetrees
Expectation by Anna Hope

5.0

I'm not even sure where to start with this one except to say I think it may be my favourite book of the year! Not because it's necessarily The Best Book Ever Which Everyone Will Love but because it connected with me personally. It's about a trio of friends, Cate, Lissa (Melissa) and Hannah (good name choice there ;)) who are 35 (my age, you see where this is going) for most of the novel though there are flashbacks to their teens/20s and one flash forward to their 40s. All are facing different challenges in life be it in their careers and/or personal lives, and it's interesting to see how they are all guilty of believing "the grass is greener" and not noticing which ways they themselves have been lucky/successful. They all betray others and are betrayed, the relationships between them (and the side characters) are realistic and well-developed. I love character-driven novels and this is one of the best I've read for a while, just don't expect thriller-levels of twists and turns with the plot. I left the novel feeling a little sad/wistful, as the overall theme seems to be that of, well, the expectations we have in our youth, and how that intersects with the reality of adulthood.