This was a pleasant surprise and my first book by the author. Now that I finished, I really liked how the book was written in terms of spanning4 stars
This was a pleasant surprise and my first book by the author. Now that I finished, I really liked how the book was written in terms of spanning a decade of time and how after each part, a few years would be skipped in between. I think this was a clever plot device, one that allowed for the characters to grow as well as move things along in the timeline without getting into a lot of minutia. It also did a really good job of realistically portraying relationships between 20/30 somethings as well as all the self-discovery one does at that time in life. I thought the dynamics between Natalie and Gabby and Angus and Rob was well done. The single friends and married couple vibe helped make this relatable to almost everyone as there are a lot of different life changes that occur and it can sometimes cause a strain on these relationships. I thought this was very well thought out and again, realistic.
I found myself really enjoying this more as a friendship book versus a romance. I wasn't 100% into the romance between Rob & Natalie, but this is okay because it wasn't forced and was done tastefully given the other plot point that takes over the last third of the story (and rightfully so). I think for anyone in this age bracket, it's a perfect book to read, however it isn't as light as one is led to believe by the cover.
I did read some of the print book, but I mostly listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by the author. She did a great job narrating the book. I usually prefer dual narrations for romances where the MMC gets his own chapters, but this was done well so it was okay for this particular book. If you're looking for a recommendation on format, I would say either one is fine, but to try and do the audio because when the author narrates their own book it's always a treat.
There are some trigger warnings (which I don't want to name here to avoid spoilers), so please reach out if you're interested in knowing what they are. Overall, I definitely recommend this read - it was funny at the appropriate times and also brought me to tears at the end. A great emotional arc.
Thank you to Lavender Publications and Berkley Publishing for the gifted arc and thank you PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not a teacher, nor do I work in a school setting, but this book was very easy to connect to. I didn't know what to expect as this is my fi4 stars!
I’m not a teacher, nor do I work in a school setting, but this book was very easy to connect to. I didn't know what to expect as this is my first book by the author, but I think how the author chose to write this story was a great way to order the book. The author put a list with each character and what subject they taught/where they worked and then wrote a chapter featuring each teacher/administrator. So the book was structured kind of like a book of interconnected short stories!
There were stories that were funny, poignant, insightful and inspiring. I laughed out loud for some parts and felt very touched in others. In an ever increasing world of absurdity, there is a lot a teacher must deal with outside of actual teaching, but having an older substitute teacher die in the faculty lounge (of natural causes) to kick start everything is definitely not something I had on my bingo card - and what a way to start. It’s hard for me to identify my favorites, but I loved chapters: 3 (Mr. Rayfield and Ms. Sanderson), 5 (Mr. Williams), 6 (Asst. Principal Baker), 8 (Principal Baker), 9 (Ms. Guevara) and 11 (Nurse Honeycutt) best. The whole book was excellent, but these are the stories that really made the book.
As far as format goes, either format would be wonderful. The narrator for this audio was great, but I wish it was an ensemble cast. I’m sure there is a reason (probably monetary) that there wasn’t, but I think this would have really enhanced the listening experience. You really can’t go wrong either way though!
It’s too bad this wasn’t published in May for Teacher Appreciation Week, but it can make a great teacher gift at anytime!
Thank you to Dutton Books for the gifted copy and @prhaudio for the gifted audiobook.
I am REALLY surprised by this one - it came out of nowhere. The writing was fantastic, character development was well done and it was very realis4.5/5
I am REALLY surprised by this one - it came out of nowhere. The writing was fantastic, character development was well done and it was very realistic to what I think these characters would do in the situations they were in.
I very much understand some of the criticism people have with the cheating/affair being central and yeah that is a little bit off-putting, but I truly think (my opinion) this was done well and with good intent. Sometimes people find themselves in situations that are outside of their character and its like a moving train - and I think the inner dialogue or thoughts of the character reflected her conflict with what was happening. Also, this situation wasn't black and white - with that said, there were some opportunities I was hoping the FMC would confront her fiancé on and she started to, but it always got interrupted. I truly think this was written very well and makes for a GREAT discussion. BOOK CLUB CHOICE!!!
This whole book and how it was written - combined with the 1999/2001/AIM storyline was magic to me. This was SUCH a pleasant surprise and I'm so thrilled I loved it as much as I did. Will definitely be looking into this author's backlist for sure.
In terms of format - I listened to the entire book and the narration was 100% perfect. I loved it. This was my first audio narration by Elizabeth Romanski and she was excellent. Either format could work, but if you're able to grab the audio I would definitely go that route.
Thank you so much to Dutton Books for the gifted printed copy and to prhaudio for the gifted audiobook.
This is a very challenging book for me to review because it wasn't what I expected and that I appreciate, but I felt it was trying to cover a lot o4.0
This is a very challenging book for me to review because it wasn't what I expected and that I appreciate, but I felt it was trying to cover a lot of things all at once. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so, but I guess I need to sit with my thoughts on this a little more.
I mentioned that it wasn't what I was expecting and that was because I thought it would go into Dixon's failure at making the Olympics, how that shaped his turn to climb Everest and his journey of trying to accomplish that. What I read was way more than that and I thought it was an incredible way of exploring someone's character and how a turning point in life can change you for good and bad. I think the book might have been more effective if it was told in a more linear fashion? (This is all personal opinion, it is getting very high reviews so this probably hasn't bothered anyone else, but I think I lost some of the strength of Dixon's journey with the interruptions in time.)
I greatly appreciated the exploration of Dixon's change and then how he became a reluctant supporter of a troubled young Black man who seems determined to punish himself by refusing to take help. The arc of that relationship was my favorite part of the book and I could have read much more of that.
All in all, a good debut. I listened to the audio, which I received for free thanks to @prhaudio. Thank you also to Dutton Books for the gifted print copy. This releases today, 2/6/24....more
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