A review by bravebarnacle
Bellies by Nicola Dinan

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I am having a hard time rating this book. I loved it

but the last 70 pages really ruined it for me. Rob's death felt like a cheap way to get the story moving and jump over a lot things. I didn't like how the death was used to grow Ming's character. I felt there could have been a better character arch for Ming. It was like the jump from being okay in New York to feeling guilty about writing the play happened really quickly.

Ming's thought process felt kind of a big question mark and I would have wanted to learn more about it. I think Tom's character developed much better over the course of the book. There was time to see his feelings develop and to understand his thought process. That's why it was a disappointment not to have Ming's character developed as well as Tom's. 

The book left me wanting more, especially because I loved Dinan's writing style. It felt sad and yet, comforting at the same time. Like a gut punch with a hug.