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A review by peachachu
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
2.0
On my deathbed, my life's regret will be reading this book.
JK that's dramatic, but seriously, how is this book so highly rated? Once again, marketing has done me dirty, because this was nothing like "The Midnight Library" other than the central themes of death and regret. Where the "Midnight Library" is imaginative, poignant, and evocative, "The Collected Regrets of Clover" felt trite, boring, and just not executed that well.
Let's start with Clover—I get that she's supposed to read as an intelligent, friendless but kind-hearted loner who's dedicated to her job as a death doula. While this is partially true, she mostly came across to me as stuffy, judgmental, and generally kind of boorish and unlikeable. It's hard to empathize with her friendlessness because I wouldn't really want to be her friend, either. In fact, most of the characters felt like they were trying really hard to fill some archetypal role and just fell flat—Claudia as the spirited old woman ahead of her times (who is really just giving peak white feminism), or grandpa as the wise and stoic old man (who really just doesn't have much personality at all). Don't even get me started on Sebastian and how much of the book is dedicated to their cringey relationship.
Overall, the supposedly heartfelt messages in this book just came across as stale to me—the rough equivalent of a "Live, Laugh, Love" knick-knack. I'd skip this one unless you want to finish with mild regrets over wasted time. 2.5/5
JK that's dramatic, but seriously, how is this book so highly rated? Once again, marketing has done me dirty, because this was nothing like "The Midnight Library" other than the central themes of death and regret. Where the "Midnight Library" is imaginative, poignant, and evocative, "The Collected Regrets of Clover" felt trite, boring, and just not executed that well.
Let's start with Clover—I get that she's supposed to read as an intelligent, friendless but kind-hearted loner who's dedicated to her job as a death doula. While this is partially true, she mostly came across to me as stuffy, judgmental, and generally kind of boorish and unlikeable. It's hard to empathize with her friendlessness because I wouldn't really want to be her friend, either. In fact, most of the characters felt like they were trying really hard to fill some archetypal role and just fell flat—Claudia as the spirited old woman ahead of her times (who is really just giving peak white feminism), or grandpa as the wise and stoic old man (who really just doesn't have much personality at all). Don't even get me started on Sebastian and how much of the book is dedicated to their cringey relationship.
Overall, the supposedly heartfelt messages in this book just came across as stale to me—the rough equivalent of a "Live, Laugh, Love" knick-knack. I'd skip this one unless you want to finish with mild regrets over wasted time. 2.5/5