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reiley_61 's review for:

4.75
funny inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

I did not know anything about this book when I picked it up for a dollar at my favorite secondhand bookstore. I read a couple of reviews marketing it as “chick-lit,” but this was not that. It was way more than that. I’ve read my fair share of chick-lit, so I feel like I can say that this book had more depth to it than any of those other books. I picked up, wanting something light and easy after trying to recover from an extremely mentally taxing book and a relapse into past, harmful behavior, but what I found was so much better.

Is it weird to say that this is the book I never knew I needed?

It was a charming, witty, poignant, and contemporary collection of short stories following the same character (mostly), and I’d definitely place it in the genre of literary fiction, a genre I’ve just recently started to fall in love with. It bluntly addresses the basics of life through the eyes of a girl growing up and trying to find love, while also trying to figure out herself.

The book is also extremely funny, but not in a cheesy or cringy way, more of a dry, light-hearted way, which I adored, and it had me verbally laughing after many lines. In addition, the prose was beautiful. It was very “tell-it-as-it-is,” but with loads of metaphors and similes to enhance the readers’ understanding. I grew to really love Jane throughout the book, even by the middle of the first story.

Unfortunately, I still don’t feel completely competent in hunting or fishing, in both the way it’s used in the book, or in the literal sense of the word. But I guess that’s just something that everyone has to find out for themselves. And just a tip, you don’t need to listen to anything that Bonnie and Faith have to say. Just be yourself. That’s enough.