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3.22 AVERAGE
3.22 AVERAGE
Idk. Weird? Thomas was the worst (as many point out) and his personality was INSUFFERABLE. Their relationship was abusive and I just felt sorry for Rachel. Oh, also the instalove was a bit much. I loved the idea of the regrets in general (as in accruing the regrets) and would really liked to have seen that explored more.
3.5 stars. I am struggling with how to rate this book. It started out strong - interesting concept, solid delivery, laughed out loud a few times. Eventually I got to a point where I started questioning, "wait, what?" Still interesting, and I'm not sure what I expected, but I still feel like I was hoping for more
Really good premise.
REALLY good cover art.
Really bizarre, not-great everything else.
There is one chunk in the middle I adored, but the rest was so...I don't even know what it was.
REALLY good cover art.
Really bizarre, not-great everything else.
There is one chunk in the middle I adored, but the rest was so...I don't even know what it was.
What an odd, little book.
When I first spotted this at my local bookstore, I knew I had to read it. Something about the cover, and also the fact that it’s about a young woman falling in love with a dead man, waiting to cross over to the other side.
There is a danger to daydreaming. It’s not that the daydream bears too little relationship to reality. It’s the opposite: the daydream can create reality. It can become so powerful that it transforms the face of the world, then encounters its own image and falls in love with itself.
THE REGRETS was about finding human connections, how our dreams, when they do become reality, often times don’t match up with what we had imagined. And as cheesy as it sounds, it’s about letting go and learning to love yourself. The bulk of the book was kind of heavy (with a bit of humor sprinkled in for good measure), but when I finished, I felt light and full of hope. I think I loved this book and all of its weirdness.
When I first spotted this at my local bookstore, I knew I had to read it. Something about the cover, and also the fact that it’s about a young woman falling in love with a dead man, waiting to cross over to the other side.
There is a danger to daydreaming. It’s not that the daydream bears too little relationship to reality. It’s the opposite: the daydream can create reality. It can become so powerful that it transforms the face of the world, then encounters its own image and falls in love with itself.
THE REGRETS was about finding human connections, how our dreams, when they do become reality, often times don’t match up with what we had imagined. And as cheesy as it sounds, it’s about letting go and learning to love yourself. The bulk of the book was kind of heavy (with a bit of humor sprinkled in for good measure), but when I finished, I felt light and full of hope. I think I loved this book and all of its weirdness.
This book is...brilliant. It’s weird, quirky, dark, obsessive, nonsensical, insightful, passionate, somber, all with SO much depth. I already know I’ll be thinking about it for days. I’ve never read anything like it. It’s not for everyone, but everyone should try it. Does that make sense? Welcome to this book.
I just finished reading this book and am torn on how to review it. Some of the writing is clever and I like the themes of isolation and connection, especially after coming out of a year with very limited contact.
On the other hand, I had absolutely no emotional connection to this book and despite the odd romance at the center of it, I doubt that the characters had an emotional connection to each other. Also, none of the characters were particularly likable (most were assholes, even Zoe who was the most interesting character) and this is fine, unlikeable characters are normally much more interesting. Except... somehow they still weren't interesting. The problem is that none of the characters wanted anything, except each other during the middle, and we had no idea why. It might have been intentional, the lack of want, playing on depression and isolation and reality verse daydreams, but even if it was, it didn't work.
Another reviewer wrote that this would have been much better as a short story and I agree. The idea is there, but there isn't enough substance behind it to support the novel.
2.5 stars rounding up to three.
On the other hand, I had absolutely no emotional connection to this book and despite the odd romance at the center of it, I doubt that the characters had an emotional connection to each other. Also, none of the characters were particularly likable (most were assholes, even Zoe who was the most interesting character) and this is fine, unlikeable characters are normally much more interesting. Except... somehow they still weren't interesting. The problem is that none of the characters wanted anything, except each other during the middle, and we had no idea why. It might have been intentional, the lack of want, playing on depression and isolation and reality verse daydreams, but even if it was, it didn't work.
Another reviewer wrote that this would have been much better as a short story and I agree. The idea is there, but there isn't enough substance behind it to support the novel.
2.5 stars rounding up to three.
Picking up The Regrets I found myself thinking about timing in terms of picking up books depending on the book you read prior. This read was entirely affected by my previous read. It had a similar quirky out of body feel. If I hadn’t have read the previous title before this one I may have enjoyed this book more.
One aspect I really liked from this story was the metaphor that drove this book. The ghosts of your past affect your future self. The characters in this story both have relationships that left marks on them and changed their outlook on life. it’s inevitable and something everyone has to learn coming from adolescence to adulthood.
I found I was waiting for something bigger to happen or a more exciting plot line based on the synopsis but it fell short for me because of the melancholic slightly whiny male lead.
This quirky book isn’t for everyone but if you’re looking to step out of your comfort zone and read a strange story I highly recommend you try this book.
Thank you, thank you Hachette Book Group Canada for sending the ARC my way for a honest review.
One aspect I really liked from this story was the metaphor that drove this book. The ghosts of your past affect your future self. The characters in this story both have relationships that left marks on them and changed their outlook on life. it’s inevitable and something everyone has to learn coming from adolescence to adulthood.
I found I was waiting for something bigger to happen or a more exciting plot line based on the synopsis but it fell short for me because of the melancholic slightly whiny male lead.
This quirky book isn’t for everyone but if you’re looking to step out of your comfort zone and read a strange story I highly recommend you try this book.
Thank you, thank you Hachette Book Group Canada for sending the ARC my way for a honest review.
This was definitely unique and better than I thought it would be. It made me think a lot, even if I didn't necessarily agree with all of the conclusions the book seemed to come up with. I think if I reread it, I'll try to read it slower so I can chew on all of its nuances.
Better than anticipated, finished in a few days. Very funny, surprisingly sad at parts but overall very good