i loved this book so much, from start to finish. this was so easy to get into and so difficult to put down.

eleanor is one of the most vibrant, well-developed characters i have ever encountered in fiction. i fell in love with her instantly, and rooted for her the whole time. this novel was actually a lot darker than i initially thought, but i really loved the conversations around grief, loneliness and meaningful connections.

as a scottish person myself, i thought honeyman did a great job at portraying the cultural experiences here in a subtle and accurate way.

the only thing i wish this book did was to acknowledge that eleanor is neurodivergent, which is something i find extremely obvious and heavily explored. labelling this identity of her’s would’ve been helpful in de-stigmatising and understanding disability better, so i feel it was a lost opportunity. nonetheless, this book was fantastic and, despite the heavy topics discussed, thus left me feeling hopeful and speaks greatly about the power of kindness.