jam'n toast

I do not know how to feel about this book. I just felt like the vibe was completely off and I just could not connect with the characters like I had with their minor roles in the previous books. I think a reason for this being the case is that it feels as though points are constantly being rehashed extending the story to the point of boredom. I think that it could have been cut shorter especially now that I'm reading the sequel to this one. I did really enjoy both Joey and Aoife's characters and was super excited to delve into their past but I do not think that this whole book had to be focused on just the beginning of their friendship and every trivial moment in between. It felt a little too much like filler it became drawn out and tiresome rather quickly. Could have definitely been cut shorter maybe a novella plus a book definitely no need for this couple to have two books that are each over 600 pages long.

I was in a really bad reading slump before picking up this book and I really think that impacted the way I feel about this book.

Was this book amazing?

No not exactly, but I will say that it was quite enjoyable and I did end up developing a soft spot for the large cast of characters.

I went into this book not expecting much and it ended up delivering a heartfelt bittersweet story that really caught me by surprise. My only real complaint is that the repetition was very tedious to get through and was borderline horrendous because of how long the story is. However, I didn't mind the length and found the mundane conversations between the main characters to be sweet.

They really love a staring contest

After having read the second book in the series, I have come to rethink my opinion on this book. At first I gave it two stars because there is a sense of passivity in Eilis' character, she felt detached even from the reader; so when she makes decisions that hurt those around her she becomes quite unlikable. However, I cannot disregard the fact that the author quite subtlety sets the foundation for what is to come in the second book. The pacing of this book doesn't feel slow but it manages to appear reserved, just like Eilis. I think this book reflects the diffident or uncertain nature of Eilis as she goes through the trials and tribulations of a life thrust upon her. Though there was a questionable scene that was irrelevant to the overall story, most of the story was quite compelling.

This book feels as though, through whispers, someone is confiding in you about an untold life lived long ago, it is fragmented, dulcet and intimate. Her prose are reminiscent of an impressionist painting. It presents a stripped portrayal of form that exudes evocative and abstract imagery using the repetition of dappled memories that weave in and out of the writers consciousness, accentuating the dreamlike quality that memories often evoke.