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A review by thathappyreader
My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin
4.0
Isobel Rosen is a married woman with a daughter. The book is primarily set in her senior year of college in the late 1990s as Isobel reflects upon this point in her life.
Isobel recalls a situation that she encountered with a male friend who has an intimate experience with her. One minute the two were making out. The next moment he became more aggressive and physically violates her. She did not voice that she didn’t want to go this far and he didn’t ask her if it would be okay. She’s confused as to whether or not this would be considered rape. She informs her roommate who goes ballistic and marks this man as a rapist.
Jump ahead a month or so. Isobel is attracted to her married professor Connelly. The two carry on an affair and Isobel falls fast for this man. Later, she finds out a little more about this man which changes her perspective. Without giving too much away, this affair continues to haunt Isobel to this day.
The story is character-driven and was a little slow at times for me. I don’t know how I feel about Isobel. On the one hand, I could not help but feel concerned for her regarding her experience with her friend. On the other hand, I have no tolerance for adultery, particularly going into a relationship knowing that the other is married. Having said that, the prose in this book is beautiful which helped to keep my interest.
There are multiple trigger warnings for this book including consensual sex versus lack of consent/rape, mental health struggles, infidelity/cheating, and suicide. This book will not be for everyone.
I listened to the audiobook version of My Last Innocent Year which was narrated by Sarah Bierstock. I thoroughly enjoyed her performance which was expressive, articulate and a pleasure to listen to. I’d recommend the audiobook version of this book to those that enjoy this format.
I received an ARC of this audiobook from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
Isobel recalls a situation that she encountered with a male friend who has an intimate experience with her. One minute the two were making out. The next moment he became more aggressive and physically violates her. She did not voice that she didn’t want to go this far and he didn’t ask her if it would be okay. She’s confused as to whether or not this would be considered rape. She informs her roommate who goes ballistic and marks this man as a rapist.
Jump ahead a month or so. Isobel is attracted to her married professor Connelly. The two carry on an affair and Isobel falls fast for this man. Later, she finds out a little more about this man which changes her perspective. Without giving too much away, this affair continues to haunt Isobel to this day.
The story is character-driven and was a little slow at times for me. I don’t know how I feel about Isobel. On the one hand, I could not help but feel concerned for her regarding her experience with her friend. On the other hand, I have no tolerance for adultery, particularly going into a relationship knowing that the other is married. Having said that, the prose in this book is beautiful which helped to keep my interest.
There are multiple trigger warnings for this book including consensual sex versus lack of consent/rape, mental health struggles, infidelity/cheating, and suicide. This book will not be for everyone.
I listened to the audiobook version of My Last Innocent Year which was narrated by Sarah Bierstock. I thoroughly enjoyed her performance which was expressive, articulate and a pleasure to listen to. I’d recommend the audiobook version of this book to those that enjoy this format.
I received an ARC of this audiobook from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.