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vacantbones 's review for:
The Very Nice Box
by Eve Gleichman, Laura Blackett
Even if she didn't work at STÄDA, Ava Simon would have furnished her apartment with STÄDA products. They were functional, well-designed household items, free of unnecessary decorations and features.
As I sit here trying to write a review for The Very Nice Box, my brain is beginning to ache. Not because I either loved or hated this book, but rather because I simply don't know how I feel about it. This satirical take on the modern workplace finds Ava Simon, numbed from years of isolation after an accident that stole her parents and fiancée, reluctantly falling for her new boss. Admittedly, this isn't necessarily the genre I go for but the promise of a shocking twist that pushes us into thriller territory tempted me. It just felt like I was oscillating between enjoying aspects of the book and disliking others.
On one hand, I liked the premise and felt super connected to scenes where Ava is contemplating her grief and loneliness. On the other, the barrage of quirky furniture titles with adjectives galore fell flat for me and, frankly, broke up the flow of the writing incessantly. *But* then we have a twist near the end that is creepy as hell and tickled my thriller bone...unfortunately, every aspect of this reveal is something that I'd sort of figured from the heavy foreshadowing. I felt like this for much of The Very Nice Box, unable to really pin down what I was feeling at a given moment.
The scenes between Jaime and Ava were, hands down, the highlight of the book. They felt entirely natural. It's a well-written, interesting concept for a book, but it's one that could've been at least fifty pages shorter. If you like workplace romances gone wrong, this may be better suited for you!