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cr4nkyp4nts's review
4.0
I'm still processing my thoughts on this one and will write a much more complete review on my site but I think I'd give it 3.5 stars. I'm rounding up because there was a lot I liked about this book. It's not a standard romance novel and it deals with some moral issues that will likely turn some folks off before they get more than halfway through. I didn't have a problem with most of what happened in the story line and think this is probably a lot more realistic than most romance novels - which I really like. The other thing that pleased me was that the two main characters are women of color and an important secondary character is a trans man. There are some serious issues discussed and portrayed and I appreciate an author who not only addresses them but does it well.
I don't want to give any spoilers away so one of the only not-so-positive things I can go into is that I felt like the resolution happened too quickly and too easily. Even with that, I think it's a solid story and the author's voice and style appeal to me. I loved her first book, liked this one quite a bit, and I'll definitely read her next, no matter what it's about.
I don't want to give any spoilers away so one of the only not-so-positive things I can go into is that I felt like the resolution happened too quickly and too easily. Even with that, I think it's a solid story and the author's voice and style appeal to me. I loved her first book, liked this one quite a bit, and I'll definitely read her next, no matter what it's about.
mischievous_monkey's review
4.0
Kudos to G. Benson for taking on such an unpalatable but all too common situation.
While the topic is a tough one I think G. Benson handles it well. We get a good sense of why each character allows themselves to engage in behavior they find reprehensible and what the consequences of that behavior are for themselves and those around them.
I enjoyed the gradual character growth that happened in fits and starts and how sometimes the characters lost some ground that they had gained.
The book is peopled with a good set of secondary characters who help illustrate the pressures the main characters face as well as offer some support. I appreciated the diversity in race and sexual identity of the different characters as well.
This might be a once and done book for me but I wouldn't be surprised if life points me in its direction again. I am glad I read it.
While the topic is a tough one I think G. Benson handles it well. We get a good sense of why each character allows themselves to engage in behavior they find reprehensible and what the consequences of that behavior are for themselves and those around them.
I enjoyed the gradual character growth that happened in fits and starts and how sometimes the characters lost some ground that they had gained.
The book is peopled with a good set of secondary characters who help illustrate the pressures the main characters face as well as offer some support. I appreciated the diversity in race and sexual identity of the different characters as well.
This might be a once and done book for me but I wouldn't be surprised if life points me in its direction again. I am glad I read it.
bridance's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
sil_the_lobster's review
4.0
Trust G Benson to tackle topics outside one’s comfort zone. In “All the little moments” she wrote about grief, how to pull through, how to start again. Here, she writes about cheating. Well, before you let this one word put you off – she doesn’t glorify cheating. Neither Frazer nor Cora are notorious cheaters who step outside their steady relationships on a regular basis. Frazer’s been single for a while and Cora’s marriage has reached the make-or-break point and it doesn’t look good despite marriage counselling. And unless you are a holier-than-thou person who will not accept human weakness, you will understand that sometimes something just happens, despite one’s best intentions.
And so it happens, and Frazer and Cora are having themselves an affair, a fling. Or so they think. And Benson drags us through their shared, stolen moments of joy and bliss, and she drags us through their doubts and knowing-it’s-not-really-right. She makes them come alive and turns them into living, breathing beings who so desperately want to be happy, preferably together, but they know this can’t go on and they both try so hard to be responsible adults and not hurt those outside their little fling bubble.
And yet, I couldn’t warm to either of them. I don’t dislike them either. But I somehow didn’t care all that much about them. Why is that? It’s not Benson’s writing, that’s for sure. I guess it’s because she’s written such strong, colourful (no pun intended) side characters. I ended up caring much more about Jack, for instance. Here, she’s truly excelled and outdone herself. There’s no trans teens in my personal surroundings and to read about Jack’s struggles was fascinating, painful, heartbreaking all at once. He’s such a mess when he makes his first appearance but he’s such a strong and amazing person towards the end of the book, I found myself cheering him on and wanting to hug him all the time. Now that is truly brilliant, Ms Benson! Thank you for introducing me to Jack!!! (And for making me aware just how hellish life can be for trans people. I honestly had no idea and I’ve done a lot of research in the meantime. So THANK YOU!!!)
Also, there’s Jemma, Frazer’s hilarious baby sister. She was such fun to read about and I’d love to hear more from her.
G Benson’s a very good storyteller and I look forward to reading much more from her. It’s not her fault that I couldn’t warm up to her two main characters – can’t love them all – but I so loved Jack and Jemma.
So, four out of five stars and a clear reading recommendation.
And so it happens, and Frazer and Cora are having themselves an affair, a fling. Or so they think. And Benson drags us through their shared, stolen moments of joy and bliss, and she drags us through their doubts and knowing-it’s-not-really-right. She makes them come alive and turns them into living, breathing beings who so desperately want to be happy, preferably together, but they know this can’t go on and they both try so hard to be responsible adults and not hurt those outside their little fling bubble.
And yet, I couldn’t warm to either of them. I don’t dislike them either. But I somehow didn’t care all that much about them. Why is that? It’s not Benson’s writing, that’s for sure. I guess it’s because she’s written such strong, colourful (no pun intended) side characters. I ended up caring much more about Jack, for instance. Here, she’s truly excelled and outdone herself. There’s no trans teens in my personal surroundings and to read about Jack’s struggles was fascinating, painful, heartbreaking all at once. He’s such a mess when he makes his first appearance but he’s such a strong and amazing person towards the end of the book, I found myself cheering him on and wanting to hug him all the time. Now that is truly brilliant, Ms Benson! Thank you for introducing me to Jack!!! (And for making me aware just how hellish life can be for trans people. I honestly had no idea and I’ve done a lot of research in the meantime. So THANK YOU!!!)
Also, there’s Jemma, Frazer’s hilarious baby sister. She was such fun to read about and I’d love to hear more from her.
G Benson’s a very good storyteller and I look forward to reading much more from her. It’s not her fault that I couldn’t warm up to her two main characters – can’t love them all – but I so loved Jack and Jemma.
So, four out of five stars and a clear reading recommendation.
sarahduensing's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bcat0124's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
misha_ali's review
4.0
I can see why the infidelity part of the storyline would put people off, but honestly it has everything else I need so I quite enjoyed this. As always with G Benson, good characterization, lots of emotions and feels and coming to terms with uncomfortable truths as well as a sadly realistic emotional abuser character.
laconni4's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
anotherqueerreading's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
judeinthestars's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Fate can be unfair. When you keep bumping (literally) into the same person, it has to mean something, right? But what if that person is married to your boss? As they work together on a program to help at-risk parents, Frazer, chief of the midwifery department of a hospital in Perth, Australia, and Cora, head of the social work department, go from distant politeness to wild attraction. Cora is convinced she’s straight and only looking for a distraction from her failing marriage. Frazer is still hurting from a breakup with a former coworker and not looking for anything, especially not with another colleague. She’s content with being single and no one else waiting for her at home beside her fish. Best laid plans and all, feelings get involved.
I’d never read this book by one of my favourite authorsone of my favourite authors and I was looking for something to listen to on a road trip when I saw this audiobook on Scribd (want to try Scribd for free?). Perfect opportunity, except that the narration really doesn’t lend itself to a car trip. We moved on to Integrity (read my review
read my review), but once home, I went back to Flinging It. The narration works much better in a quiet environment. While it’s a bit linear, the pace is great and all the voices are perfect.
I love both MCs, the vulnerability of falling in love and finding yourself even when you’re not aware that’s what’s happening to you. The push and pull felt very real, as frustrating and heartrending as it was for the characters. Because of that, the characters aren’t always lovable, and I understand that this could make the book hard to read for some, but to me, since the romance is born from cheating, I took it for granted that the characters would be flawed and I was ready for it. I also liked that they’re both Australian from immigrant families (India for Frazer, South Korea for Cora, and her best friend Liza’s family comes from Vietnam).
Besides the MCs, there are also excellent secondary characters, my favourite being Frazer’s pushy younger sister Jemma. The siblings’ interactions are some of the best I’ve read. I liked all the friends as well. Benson has a knack for dialogue and there were some absolutely delightful scenes. The repeated accidental meetings felt a tad overdone but I didn’t really mind. And I really really liked Jack’s arc, the pregnant trans teen Cora and Frazer support through the program.
While this will not become my favourite Benson book, I enjoyed the angst, the humour, Cora’s discovery of her queerness and all the possibilities of a life that is not limited by psychological abuse, and the manner in which that author dealt with infidelity and the guilt it entails. It takes a very skilled author to touch on such a delicate theme and give us characters who feel both genuine and endearing.
Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars