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tatyanavogt's review
I did NOT enjoy the story or the main characters perspective or the general tone of the writing, but I wasn't hating it so I had actually planned to finish it until I realized that I was NOT almost done with the book but actually only half way through. Decided not to put myself through THAT much more of it.
sledge_hm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shelleydavis's review
2.0
This is 2.5 stars because I’m feeling generous. Ellie wasted 4 years of her life on Nick - like seriously Nick grow up and stop being so self loathing. I’m not sure that I like the whole election angle as part of the narrative- it felt like a bit much. Definitely not one of my favorite books so far in 2020. I wouldn’t even call this a romance because nothing about this story made me really feel their connection.
thephdivabooks's review
2.0
I really wanted to love this book but it just wasn’t for me. This was placed in the romance genre but that does come with a certain expectation for a Happily Ever After magical ending and this book has a lot more raw reality to it than what you might expect from that genre. I actually think this probably should have just been considered general fiction or maybe even contemporary fiction because that would have managed expectations more.
The story centers around Nick and Ellie, who meet at an election viewing party in 2008. Nick works as a projectionist at a theater and so he wants a life that plays out like a movie, and his connection with Ellie is no exception. Fast forward four years and it is approaching another election. Ellie has moved out of their apartment, and Nick is devastated trying to figure out where it all went wrong. As Nick seeks to understand where things with Ellie fell apart, his life continues to unravel. He loses his apartment, his job, and his parents move away.
There were several things I did enjoy about this. The first were the movie references—I found them kind of fun and charming. I also liked the premise of the book a lot, and thought the harmony in the election night separating the beginning and end four years apart was sort of poetic.
However, I also found the book kind of sad (long-time book friends know I don’t like books that bum me out too much). Nick also wasn’t a particularly likable character. His growth arc sort of leads to him overexplaining and to be honest I still felt like he got a lot wrong about what happened and who was at fault for what. I actually liked Ellie quite a bit more and I thought it was clear that she needed to find someone else (clear to the reader but I suppose not clear to Nick).
Overall a bit too moody and melancholy for me. Not enough cute upbeat moments. I circle back to this maybe being categorized in the wrong genre, as it did set it up to be a different type of story than it was.
The story centers around Nick and Ellie, who meet at an election viewing party in 2008. Nick works as a projectionist at a theater and so he wants a life that plays out like a movie, and his connection with Ellie is no exception. Fast forward four years and it is approaching another election. Ellie has moved out of their apartment, and Nick is devastated trying to figure out where it all went wrong. As Nick seeks to understand where things with Ellie fell apart, his life continues to unravel. He loses his apartment, his job, and his parents move away.
There were several things I did enjoy about this. The first were the movie references—I found them kind of fun and charming. I also liked the premise of the book a lot, and thought the harmony in the election night separating the beginning and end four years apart was sort of poetic.
However, I also found the book kind of sad (long-time book friends know I don’t like books that bum me out too much). Nick also wasn’t a particularly likable character. His growth arc sort of leads to him overexplaining and to be honest I still felt like he got a lot wrong about what happened and who was at fault for what. I actually liked Ellie quite a bit more and I thought it was clear that she needed to find someone else (clear to the reader but I suppose not clear to Nick).
Overall a bit too moody and melancholy for me. Not enough cute upbeat moments. I circle back to this maybe being categorized in the wrong genre, as it did set it up to be a different type of story than it was.
marieintheraw's review
2.0
This book suffers from a "too many timelines not enough character growth" issue something fierce. Additionally, the protagonist was just not someone whose head I enjoyed being in. I did like the movie references, which is what lured me in with this book.
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however, all opinions are my own
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however, all opinions are my own
sunrays118's review
3.0
Probably a 3.5
The story is worth it but you have to commit to reading the whole thing. The first part is so awful you will want to throw the book into any dumpster you can find. It is painful. It is the type of nauseating, self-indulgent bullshit that makes you want to never date any guy ever. It's hard to get through it.
The author does a smart thing, however. The author takes periodic breaks from the main character's obnoxiousness to provide a different narrator for a short segment. This is critical or no one would survive this read. By the end, things get better but not quite enough to give it a four-star review.
I would highly, highly recommend this book for teenagers. They might be willing to get through this a bit more than other folks. It's a decent read. There are certainly a few wonky sentences and clumsy pieces of dialogue and I can tell you in advance that all the film references are not cute but incredibly annoying, but, it's a fast book that ends well - if you're willing to stick with it that long.
The story is worth it but you have to commit to reading the whole thing. The first part is so awful you will want to throw the book into any dumpster you can find. It is painful. It is the type of nauseating, self-indulgent bullshit that makes you want to never date any guy ever. It's hard to get through it.
The author does a smart thing, however. The author takes periodic breaks from the main character's obnoxiousness to provide a different narrator for a short segment. This is critical or no one would survive this read. By the end, things get better but not quite enough to give it a four-star review.
I would highly, highly recommend this book for teenagers. They might be willing to get through this a bit more than other folks. It's a decent read. There are certainly a few wonky sentences and clumsy pieces of dialogue and I can tell you in advance that all the film references are not cute but incredibly annoying, but, it's a fast book that ends well - if you're willing to stick with it that long.
dreaminfiction's review against another edition
Just wasn't getting into it, which was a number, because I love Christian Coulson as a narrator.
cstaude's review
3.0
Enjoyed this book. A few too many movie references for me ( and I love movies) and also a bit too much male angst. Some of the situations were hilariously funny- and it actually would make a good movie.
catcervone's review
3.0
3.5 stars - This book had the potential for four stars, but it dragged on a bit and I got tired of the back and forth timeline. Yeah Nick is really a downer of a character, but I felt he was balanced out in the story by the other characters.