Only read four books this month. Let’s get right into it.
Conversation With Friends by Sally Rooney ⭐⭐⭐⭐
CWF is a novel about two college students who form a relationship with a married couple. The main theme is cheating/infidelity in marriages and relationships. It’s so interesting how in the novel cheating is not a dealbreaker for some couples. For Nick and Melissa it was just a btw, oops it happened we move on! It could be worse I guess?
This is something to always think about and discuss with your future partner and make sure you are on the same page. What is a dealbreaker for you might be a small minor thing for them. Exclusivity is always assumed!
The book has no speech marks! This is unusual for most novels but not for Sally Rooney and her work. You actually get used to it and don’t notice it later…but it would be nice to see quotation marks! I love how they showed France’s experience with endometriosis!
If you’ve read Normal People by Sally Rooney you will clearly notice a few similarities: the characters, plot & dialogue!I cannot wait to finally watch the series. I always have to read the book first before watching the series.
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan ⭐⭐⭐
In my Irish literature era! Ava, a 22 year old, moves to Hong Kong post grad to teach English to rich kids. She develops a sexual relationship with Julian, an investment banker and Edith, a corporate local lawyer. Ava contemplates who she should focus her time with and why. I am not a fan of ambiguous ending but the book has strong Sally Rooney vibes.
Someone on goodreads said that for a book that has exciting mentioned in the title, it was barely exciting. Go read the book to agree or disagree with this comment.
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton ⭐⭐
Yep, this is the worst memoir I have ever read in my entire life. This is an essay collection about love, friendships and adulthood. In my own opinion, most essays were not insightful and added no value/ made no impact in my life. I gained no new perspective.
I had high expectations but was let down. I also feel like some things she mentioned/implied were so wrong especially if the book is targeting women in their 20s. I also hated the different formats some chapters took. What was the reason to have those listicles? No offence but I can do the same on my notes app in less than 5 minutes. The recipe format for some chapters did not appeal to me, I felt like I was reading a cookbook and not an essay collection!
I need to stop reading books that I know I will not enjoy. It was giving self help and this was a reminder as to why I always hate self help books!
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley ⭐⭐⭐
Jess visits her brother, Ben, in Paris only for him to go missing once she arrives! Jess suspects everyone in the apartment building! There are different POVs of the residents to understand how they are all connected to Ben! I thought it was a little bit predictable and at times I was disgusted. That scene when Mimi swallowed Ben’s shaved hair! What is going on?
I strongly feel like if you watch crime shows you would be able to get the clues. My theory was correct especially when they introduced Nick I definitely knew his story. Tale as old as time!