“It’s OK to feel sad…but not forever,”
I read this book on Kindle while also trying to battle a pervading feeling of reader’s block. I don’t think it affected how I perceived the book, but I kept it in mind during the time I was reading it. On the plus side, I felt like the premise was really sweet. Not particularly inventive or original, but a nice book to curl up with as winter descends.
I think the relationship between the siblings Joanna, Romy and Matt was realistically written even though it was very toxic at some points. To the story’s credit, I was glad to see that the toxic characters did acknowledge their toxicity, such as when Joanna acknowledges her toxicity while also acknowledging that her life was never going to be as Instagram perfect as she wanted it to be. It felt real and tangible, as they were all united by the desire to be there for their mum Cathy as she faced her cancer diagnosis, and after she passed they have to face life without her.
The story is also told alongside the diary entries written by Cathy, addressed to her family. To this book’s credit, I think it verbalizes grief in a realistic and tangible way with all of its ugliness as the familiarity of the family structure is warped by death and grief. Over the course of the book, I think the character of Romy was my favourite and I admired how she stood up for herself against her toxic ex boyfriend Damien. On the plus side, I went into this book not realizing it had some Christmas themes so that was a nice surprise and the perfect fit for a wintry read.
However, while this book was good and I don’t regret the time spent reading it, it did have some problems. I think most of all, the story spent too much time trying to explain itself to us while still being a good enough read on its merits alone. I also found the moments of Joanna and Nate saying how rich they were to be incredibly tedious, as I simply couldn’t bring myself to empathise with their plight. It made Joanna’s inner turmoil of wanting to be a successful woman feel very surface level. At times I also felt the writing was very unoriginal, such as the use of the phrase I’m sure many jaded readers are sick and tired of reading, involving someone letting out a breath they didn’t know they were holding. I wish the overuse of that phrase would be phased out because, simply put, it is boring.
Ultimately, a sweet emotional read with an emphasis on maternal relationships, let down by an overreliance on exposition. However, the themes explored in this book will certainly make me, and anyone who reads this book, always remember to appreciate our mums a lot more and tell them how loved they are.
MY RATING: ***.5 / *****
Every Book Is Beautiful 