caitlinking's Reviews (426)

Before I go into the reasons why I didn’t enjoy this book I would like to say that the actual descriptive writing in this book is gorgeous. However, if it hadn’t been a book I had to read for book club then I wouldn’t have finished it. 

I initially liked the premise of the book but soon realised that the amount of character stories in this is too much. It meant that I didn’t really get to love any of the characters as much as I possibly could have. Each chapter is just a brief snippet of that person and, for me, not enough to connect with the character. This also meant I was just not wanting to turn the pages whilst reading. I kept having to re-read pages because my mind had gone off elsewhere. It just really didn’t grab my attention.

Having said that, I would still read another book by this author because her descriptive writing choices really were beautiful at times through the book. 

I liked the concept but I think it missed the mark. I especially hated the way Riley was portrayed as this nice simpleton without much else going on. There just seemed to be no real character development there. Also, Monica is shown to have changed her feelings about men and being single and that being a core lesson of the book and yet she’s then climbing over a cemetery wall to kiss the man she suddenly loves. The romance was not one I was pushing for or invested in. 
I did, however, like the way the author discussed Alice and her post natal depression. I also thought the subject of addiction in its many forms was dealt with well too.