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laurenl5876 's review for:
One Small Thing
by Erin Watt
3.5 Stars
This book confuses me. I'm not talking bad writing, characterization, anything like that. I'm talking, " how the heck did Erin Watt come up with a story like this?" The reason I ask that question is because this is a really messed up story.
Essentially we follow a girl who falls in love with her sister's killer. It wasn't homicide, but it was involuntary manslaughter. I know that's not as bad, but it's still a weird idea for a story. I enjoyed the creativity, but I don't know if I would say it's super healthy. It's one of those relationships that makes me think, " Is this okay?"
This story is not like Erin's other stories. It's a lot darker, a lot more complex, and a lot less fun. If you are used to Erin's other books, and are expecting a light contemporary, this isn't the one to pick up. If you want something a little darker, something to make you think, then I'd recommend this one.
The main thing I enjoyed was the concept. I really enjoyed the idea of how falling in love with Chase would affect Beth's family. It brought out deep wounds, and it really hurt her family. There was so much anger, and drama, and while I thought it did get too dramatic, I also realize grief affects people in different ways. Some react more mild, and others are more likely to blow up. As someone who has experienced both of those feelings, I thought that portrayal of grief was done nicely. That was probably the best part of this book.
One of the main downfalls though were the characters. Beth was well developed, but I found Chase to be lackluster. We never got enough information about him to see why Beth would fall for him. I mean, apparently he's sexy, but that's lust, so I wouldn't say that quantifies as any legitimate character development. He's guilty about what he did. (Rightly so) He seems kind enough, but we still never learn much about him. I couldn't connect to him, and I don't think he had much chemistry with Beth either.
The romance also seemed to happen very quickly. In retrospect, the characters really didn't know each other that well before they started falling in love. It seemed to happen out of nowhere, and I just don't understand how they connected In such a short amount of time. There needed to be time for dates, or more meetings, something to where we could see their relationship blossom. It wasn't there.
Now one main critique about this book I disagree with is the slut-shaming part of it. Yes, there is slut shaming, but it is challenged. If anything, this book should be praised for tackling sexism, rather than tearing it down for the slut shaming. It is in the book on purpose to shed light on that issue. I could understand labeling this book "problematic" (although I hate that word) if it was never challenged or dealt with, but it was. I guess people see things differently.
In conclusion, I found this book addictive, but it wasn't the most well written. There were multiple obvious plot holes and development issues that couldn't be ignored. With that, I can only give this book 3.5 stars. It wasn't fantastic, but it was a book I'd recommend if you want a quick read that's on the deeper side.
This book confuses me. I'm not talking bad writing, characterization, anything like that. I'm talking, " how the heck did Erin Watt come up with a story like this?" The reason I ask that question is because this is a really messed up story.
Essentially we follow a girl who falls in love with her sister's killer. It wasn't homicide, but it was involuntary manslaughter. I know that's not as bad, but it's still a weird idea for a story. I enjoyed the creativity, but I don't know if I would say it's super healthy. It's one of those relationships that makes me think, " Is this okay?"
This story is not like Erin's other stories. It's a lot darker, a lot more complex, and a lot less fun. If you are used to Erin's other books, and are expecting a light contemporary, this isn't the one to pick up. If you want something a little darker, something to make you think, then I'd recommend this one.
The main thing I enjoyed was the concept. I really enjoyed the idea of how falling in love with Chase would affect Beth's family. It brought out deep wounds, and it really hurt her family. There was so much anger, and drama, and while I thought it did get too dramatic, I also realize grief affects people in different ways. Some react more mild, and others are more likely to blow up. As someone who has experienced both of those feelings, I thought that portrayal of grief was done nicely. That was probably the best part of this book.
One of the main downfalls though were the characters. Beth was well developed, but I found Chase to be lackluster. We never got enough information about him to see why Beth would fall for him. I mean, apparently he's sexy, but that's lust, so I wouldn't say that quantifies as any legitimate character development. He's guilty about what he did. (Rightly so) He seems kind enough, but we still never learn much about him. I couldn't connect to him, and I don't think he had much chemistry with Beth either.
The romance also seemed to happen very quickly. In retrospect, the characters really didn't know each other that well before they started falling in love. It seemed to happen out of nowhere, and I just don't understand how they connected In such a short amount of time. There needed to be time for dates, or more meetings, something to where we could see their relationship blossom. It wasn't there.
Now one main critique about this book I disagree with is the slut-shaming part of it. Yes, there is slut shaming, but it is challenged. If anything, this book should be praised for tackling sexism, rather than tearing it down for the slut shaming. It is in the book on purpose to shed light on that issue. I could understand labeling this book "problematic" (although I hate that word) if it was never challenged or dealt with, but it was. I guess people see things differently.
In conclusion, I found this book addictive, but it wasn't the most well written. There were multiple obvious plot holes and development issues that couldn't be ignored. With that, I can only give this book 3.5 stars. It wasn't fantastic, but it was a book I'd recommend if you want a quick read that's on the deeper side.