Almost Love by Louise O'Neill

Almost Love by Louise O'Neill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 314

Publisher - Riverrun

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

When Sarah falls for Matthew, she falls hard.

So it doesn't matter that he's twenty years older. That he sees her only in secret. That, slowly but surely, she's sacrificing everything else in her life to be with him.

Sarah's friends are worried. Her father can't understand how she could allow herself to be used like this. And she's on the verge of losing her job.

But Sarah can't help it. She is addicted to being desired by Matthew.

And love is supposed to hurt.

Isn't it?



My Review

Split between then and now, Sarah is our main character and everything is centered around her. The then takes us back, into before and the run up to her "relationship" with Matthew, the older man she falls for. A man who treats her pretty much as an object to be used and discarded as required and shows her views on love.

Sarah is not a likable character, the way she treats people around her is pretty shocking, she is selfish and very self involved. Then on the flip side, the way she is taken in by Matthew, a booty call plainly seen by the reader but Sarah is convinced they are an item. I think the thing I found so frustrating is we have all had a Sarah or a version of Sarah in our lives. Self destructive, self obsessed, self involved, treats those closest to her terribly and is completely oblivious to her behaviour. Yet with Matthew her blinkers are toward his behaviour, his disregard and pretty shocking treatment to her.

The book challenges the reader because you absolutely judge Sarah but can't help but feel a wee bit for her too. Her past - how it shaped her as an adult, the toxic "relationship" and treatment she accepts and sees as part of a normal relationship. She is a complex creation that I went back and forth on, I was mortified at how obsessive and needy she was, how badly she treated those around her and then allowed Matthew to treat her like that. The messages, the sexual degradation, her behaviour it makes for pretty tough reading at some parts and even emotionally exhausted to be honest. It is a bit of a deep book on some levels because you examine your own attitude(s) and judgement(s) it certainly isn't a light poolside read that's for sure. 3/5 for me this time, interesting, harsh, shocking and thought provoking, not my first by this author and it won't be my last. I can't say I enjoyed it but it gives you pause for thought that is for sure, seems to be a marmite read!

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Kitchens Of The Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 351

Publisher - Riverrun Books

Blurb from the back cover

To her father, a chef, she's a pint-sized recipe tester and the love of his life. To the chilli chowdown contestants of Cook County, Illinois, she's a fire-eating demon.

To the fashionable foodie goddess of supper clubs, she's a wanton threat. She's an enigma, a secret ingredient that no one can figure out. Someday, Eva wil surprise everyone.

One by one, they tell their story; together, they tell Eva's. Joyful, quirky and heartwarming, this is a novel about the family you lose, the friends you make and the chance connections that define a life.


My Review

Eva Thorvald is our main character, either in the immediate telling or round about with other characters and eventually how they link to Eva. We kick off with Eva as a child and her immediate upbringing. Then chapters flip forward to later in her life, the chapters aren't dated so it takes a bit to work out how far ahead we have jumped. The chapters also introduce new characters and the storylines get the reader drawn in and involved only to jump forward to new people, timelines and drama. Whilst the author does a very good job of capturing the readers interest in many new characters, it is a bit frustrating as you want to know what happened to the people you just left behind.

The book has some recipes dottered sparsely throughout the book, from red onion soup to calorific cakes. This is normally something I would skim past but actually, the way food is dealt with and written about within the story, I actually quite enjoyed reading them and may even try one or two myself. There are many issues addressed in the book, from abortion, child abandonment, loss, and love to relationships, death, jealousy and some bad language.

This is not normally a book I would pick up myself, from the title or theme of food, among others, I am really glad RealReaders sent me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. 3/5 for me this time, I would certainly pick this author up again. Whilst I felt a lot was left unanswered and I generally don't like so much jumping between timelines & characters, I still found myself drawn in and engaged in the characters.

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