chantelleatkinswriter 's review for:

Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

4.0

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I don't generally read the romance genre but when someone lent me this book I thought the blurb had similar vibes to Normal People by Sally Rooney so decided to give it a go. It is similar in lots of ways. Rosie and Will don't mix at school. She has a beloved twin, Josh, and is deemed a good, sensible girl by all her know her. She tries hard to do the right thing and please her impossible mother. Will, however, has suffered an unsettled childhood and due to an incident at school, has the reputation of being a bad boy. When he starts coaching Josh in maths, Rosie and Will start talking for the first time and a connection is ignited between them that lasts decades. I loved both of these characters so much. This book often made me well up and I didn't want it to end. It spans the decades as Will and Rosie connect and disconnect, follow different paths, experience loss and tragedy and mental health issues, but somehow they always pull back together. Will they ever end up together? I desperately wanted to, but no spoilers here!