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A review by echo_finished_cake
Adulting by Liz Talley
2.0
There were many things I liked and disliked about this book.
I will start with the things I did like. I liked the premise of the story-that the paths of these two women crossed with their ultimate destiny to heal each other. I liked the witty humor and how the author established the professional and personal relationship between Olivia and Chase. I also liked the setting of the cabin and Cotter's Creek as a getaway for both characters to face their troubled pasts and find love. The romances that blossomed in the story were cute and even a bit funny, but awkward nonetheless.
However, I do not care for the course this story took. The synopsis made you think the main storyline was going to be Chase's long, hard journey to sobriety and healing from her past, but it wasn't. I was shocked that it really turned out to be more of a romance novel, creating love connections and triangles that diverged from those hard topics presented in these characters' stories. That turned out painfully annoying to read. These romances took priority over what I think could have been a real good telling of a story of healing for both Chase and Olivia, which leads me to the main reason I am annoyed with this book. Ms. Talley creates characters with dark pasts of abuse, rape and family dysfunction. This, in a way, makes it stand out from other stories and created this potential for a relatable story of healing that could have really connected with readers. But that is not what the finished product was. I got annoyed that each time the story started touching on the healing process when the characters started talking openly about their pain, the story was real quick to change the scene when at least I as the reader wanted more of the raw vulnerability from the character. I think this happened too often in the story, making me feel disconnected from the characters and the storylines. It is like the author wanted to address these issues, but not in any real depth which made this story really not live up to it's potential. And that is quite disappointing.
Another disappointment I had with this book was the therapy program Olivia had. I was confused as to what it was really supposed to be. Was it therapy or life coaching because I do not believe it was supposed to be both. This Square One program seemed more like life coaching than any kind of mental health therapy, so for the author to make it to where Chase was so open and honest about her past was quite unbelievable. I am not buying it. I do believe she learned how to live independently and take charge of her own life through the program, though. And I also do not believe in Olivia's character as a therapist. I think while she was well intentioned, she was an utter hypocrite judging other people's lives and telling them how to live while she herself had issues to work through. And she seemed wildly unprofessional to the point I wonder how much research into the therapist profession the author did before writing this character or creating this fictional program. Some may say I am taking this too literally, but I say all this because I wanted to believe in this story, wanted it to stand out as one of healing and true character growth, but I just couldn't get on board with it.
Also, I found the writing style quite immature and unlikable.
And quite frankly, the epilogue was an utter was of the pen and readers' time. It annoyed me so much with how unbelievable it was.
I would not recommend this story to anyone, to be honest.
I will start with the things I did like. I liked the premise of the story-that the paths of these two women crossed with their ultimate destiny to heal each other. I liked the witty humor and how the author established the professional and personal relationship between Olivia and Chase. I also liked the setting of the cabin and Cotter's Creek as a getaway for both characters to face their troubled pasts and find love. The romances that blossomed in the story were cute and even a bit funny, but awkward nonetheless.
However, I do not care for the course this story took. The synopsis made you think the main storyline was going to be Chase's long, hard journey to sobriety and healing from her past, but it wasn't. I was shocked that it really turned out to be more of a romance novel, creating love connections and triangles that diverged from those hard topics presented in these characters' stories. That turned out painfully annoying to read. These romances took priority over what I think could have been a real good telling of a story of healing for both Chase and Olivia, which leads me to the main reason I am annoyed with this book. Ms. Talley creates characters with dark pasts of abuse, rape and family dysfunction. This, in a way, makes it stand out from other stories and created this potential for a relatable story of healing that could have really connected with readers. But that is not what the finished product was. I got annoyed that each time the story started touching on the healing process when the characters started talking openly about their pain, the story was real quick to change the scene when at least I as the reader wanted more of the raw vulnerability from the character. I think this happened too often in the story, making me feel disconnected from the characters and the storylines. It is like the author wanted to address these issues, but not in any real depth which made this story really not live up to it's potential. And that is quite disappointing.
Another disappointment I had with this book was the therapy program Olivia had. I was confused as to what it was really supposed to be. Was it therapy or life coaching because I do not believe it was supposed to be both. This Square One program seemed more like life coaching than any kind of mental health therapy, so for the author to make it to where Chase was so open and honest about her past was quite unbelievable. I am not buying it. I do believe she learned how to live independently and take charge of her own life through the program, though. And I also do not believe in Olivia's character as a therapist. I think while she was well intentioned, she was an utter hypocrite judging other people's lives and telling them how to live while she herself had issues to work through. And she seemed wildly unprofessional to the point I wonder how much research into the therapist profession the author did before writing this character or creating this fictional program. Some may say I am taking this too literally, but I say all this because I wanted to believe in this story, wanted it to stand out as one of healing and true character growth, but I just couldn't get on board with it.
Also, I found the writing style quite immature and unlikable.
And quite frankly, the epilogue was an utter was of the pen and readers' time. It annoyed me so much with how unbelievable it was.
I would not recommend this story to anyone, to be honest.