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A review by tishag
Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I had high hopes for this book based on the synopsis, but it was much different than I expected, as in less romance novel, more serious contemporary fiction. None of the characters had anything positive going on in their lives, except for the MC's eventual romance which was predictable and came at the very end of the book. It was depressing and confusing at times. I didn't care for the narration, which I feel added to the confusion. The storylines were interesting, but the writing never hooked me.
I will say there are a couple things I did like/appreciate about the book. Books about books/bookstores will always feel special in some way and in this book's case, it was the idea of the Letter Library of the used bookstore that served almost as another character in the book. The LL holds books for people to read in-store, add notes, underline words or passages, and even communicate back & forth with other readers. I love this concept! Another thing I appreciated is that not everything was wrapped up with a neat bow at the end. While that's my preference for most books, it was fitting that a book filled with people who have messy/complicated/unhappy lives ended with things unresolved for most of the characters.
Overall, I didn't hate it and I went back & forth between a 2.5 and 3 star rating, so I'm splitting the difference and rating it 2.75. Not one I'm likely to recommend, but my isn't that cover pretty!
I will say there are a couple things I did like/appreciate about the book. Books about books/bookstores will always feel special in some way and in this book's case, it was the idea of the Letter Library of the used bookstore that served almost as another character in the book. The LL holds books for people to read in-store, add notes, underline words or passages, and even communicate back & forth with other readers. I love this concept! Another thing I appreciated is that not everything was wrapped up with a neat bow at the end. While that's my preference for most books, it was fitting that a book filled with people who have messy/complicated/unhappy lives ended with things unresolved for most of the characters.
Overall, I didn't hate it and I went back & forth between a 2.5 and 3 star rating, so I'm splitting the difference and rating it 2.75. Not one I'm likely to recommend, but my isn't that cover pretty!